Gladys McNaught, 85, died December 14, 2003 at Sherwood Park Manor.
She was born Gladys Huena Francis on November 8, 1918, at Manhard Corners (North Augusta). Her parents were Charles Francis and the former Alice Apps. As a child she lived in Caintown and was raised by her father and her paternal grandmother.
In her early teens, she moved to Brockville and worked as a cook for the Pattersons, a prominent Brockville family. There she was taught to create exotic and sumptuous delicacies; as a result, she became an extremely good cook. She enjoyed bringing salads and pies to church Sunday school picnics.
On January 14, 1939, she married Wilbert Spicer and they had two children, Joan and Ron. They lived in Brockville, Addison and Athens during their marriage. Her husband was a board member at Highway Pentecostal Church for many years. Those years were full of fellowship with friends and laughter while playing games around the dining room table.
Her husband died March 2, 1972, and eight years later, in July 1980, she married Ken McNaught. They took many trips out west where he had grown up. They also enjoyed a bus trip to California and spent many winters at their mobile home in Florida. In summers they returned to spend time at Lakeshore Pentecostal Camp.
When Mrs. McNaught's health started to fail, she moved to the Rosedale Retirement Centre and later to the Fulford Home. When that facility closed, she moved to Sherwood Park Manor, where she made friends and reminisced about life in Brockville over the years.
While at the manor, she became a member of the Ontario Association of Residents' Councils and travelled to two conferences in the Toronto area, advocating for the rights of elderly people residing in nursing homes.
She enjoyed bus trips around the region, shared her faith with others and played gospel CDs. She enjoyed life to the fullest and had a good sense of humour, always able to see the funny side of situations.
After her first stroke, she said: "Well, I guess the Lord isn't finished with me yet. I'm going to let my little light continue to shine, even though the bulb isn't quite as bright as it used to be."
Mrs. McNaught is survived by her children, Joan McMillan and husband Jerry of Brockville and Ron Spicer and wife Sue of Trenton; six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, as well as step-grandchildren.
She was predeceased by both her husbands.
Friends called at the Barclay Funeral Home, Brockville, on December 17. The funeral was held December 18 at Highway Pentecostal Church, with Rev. David Downing officiating and Rev. Roger White and Rev. Jamie McMillan (her grandson) assisting. Her friend Handy Nevers sang a solo. Burial followed at Roselawn Memorial Gardens, Maitland.
The pallbearers were grandsons Jonathan McMillan and Chris Spicer, nephew Ernie Moore, and Bill Potter, Dale Todd and Terry Ward.
Wilfred Halladay
Wilfred Gordon Halladay, 74, of RR 2, Lyn, died suddenly of heart failure at his daughter's home in Brockville on February 18, 2004.
He was born August 2, 1929 in Elizabethtown Township to Gordon Halladay and the former Audrey Orange, both of South Augusta. He was raised and educated at Stones Corners.
In 1954, he married Wilma Green in Athens and they moved to the Lyn area where he lived from then on.
He worked as a firefighter and mechanic until he semi-retired, after which he was contracted by The Recorder and Times and Toronto Star to deliver papers in Brockville and surrounding area. He retired in 1993.
He identified with the United Church but was not active in recent years. He was also a member of the Orange Lodge.
He enjoyed bowling, fishing, boating, collecting and restoring antiques, and going to garage sales. His family and his little Sheltie dog, Shadow, were the focus of his life.
He supported many different charities and organizations, particularly palliative care centres, cancer clinics, the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Ontario Humane Society.
Mr. Halladay is survived by his wife Wilma and six children: three sons, Larry of Brockville, Derrick and wife Terri of Brockvillle and Dale of RR 2, Lyn, and three daughters, Cheryl Halladay and husband Robert Blackburn and Debbie Rogers and husband Paul, all of Devon, Alta., and Shelley Halladay of Brockville, as well as nine grandchildren, Lindsay, Kristy, Austin, Gord, Morgan, Mike, Cody, Erica and Justin, and one great-grandchild Ethan.
Also surviving are two brothers, Donald Halladay of North Augusta and Keith "Sam" Halladay of Brockville, and two sisters, Grace Hutton and Anna Ballantyne, both of Brockville, and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his parents, sisters Irene Halladay, Eleanor Gibson and Betty Merkley, and four brothers, Reg Halladay, Bob Halladay, Kenny "Charlie" Halladay and Harry Halladay, who died in 1939.
Friends called at the Irvine Funeral Home and Chapel, Brockville, where on February 21 the funeral was held, with Rev. David Downing officiating. Burial followed at Roselawn Memorial Gardens, Maitland.
The pallbearers were Derrick, Dale, Justin and Jeff Halladay, and Greg and Geoff Mercier. The honorary pallbearers were Larry Halladay and Donald Mercier.
Memorial donations were directed to the Hospice of Providence Palliative Care, the Canadian Cancer Society and the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Phyllis Reith, 90
Phyllis Reith, 90, a resident of Bridlewood Manor, died of cancer at Brockville General Hospital on February 12, 2004.
She was born Phyllis Drennan Crozier in Orangeville, Ont., on May 13, 1913. Her parents were John James Crozier and the former Margaret Drennan. She was raised in Mono Mills and Orangeville. She married Robert Reith, who died in 1965.
She lived in Don Mills, Ont., from 1966 to 1996 and worked as a receptionist at the Scarborough Centennial Nursing School.
In December 1996 she moved to Spencerville and in 2002 she came to live at Bridlewood Manor. She enjoyed helping seniors, helped with activities at Spencerville United Church, volunteered with the Cancer Society and World Vision and was a member of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority.
Mrs. Reith is survived by her son Kim Reith and wife Diane Landry of Kingston; daughter Krista Brabant and husband Marcel of RR 2, North Augusta; grandson David Scharf and wife Cathy Bragg of Ottawa and granddaughter Caitlyn Scharf.
She was predeceased by two sisters, Pierre Baker of Toronto and Monica Marvin of Grants Pass, Ore.
The funeral was held February 18 in the chapel of the Barclay Funeral Home, Brockville, with Rev. Doug Warren of Wall Street United Church officiating.
Burial will be at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Orangeville, in the spring.
Memorial donations were directed to the Canadian Cancer Society.
Alvin Giffin, 73
Alvin Giffin, 73, retired farmer and Burnbrae Farms employee, died of cancer March 1, 2004 at St. Vincent de Paul Hospital.
He was born Richard Alvin Giffin on June 9, 1930 in Jellyby, Elizabethtown Township. His parents were Lloyd Giffin and the former Leita Blake. He grew up in Jellyby and attended public school in Addison and Bells Crossings, before attending continuation school in North Augusta.
After graduating from Kemptville Agricultural College in 1949, he bought the farm across the road from the family farm and began to farm himself.
On June 14, 1952 he married his college sweetheart, Gladys Willoughby. Together they ran a successful dairy farm and market gardening operation. To supplement his farming income, he drove a school bus to Brockville for Jelly Bus Lines for a number of years and also worked as an electrician with Eldon Davis.
In spring 1964, while he was out in the sugar bush boiling maple sap, Joe Hudson of Burnbrae Farms came to call and as a result, Mr. Giffin went to work at Burnbrae, where he was farm supervisor until his retirement in 1991.
In 1966 he sold the farm and moved to a new home on the Lyn Road. No longer tied down with farming responsibilities, he and his wife began to travel and camp. They bought a boat and spent one summer taking it through the Rideau River and canal system from Ottawa to Kingston, pitching their tent at the locks at night.
After retirement, he and Gladys loaded the camper and headed west, took an Alaskan tour and travelled down the west coast of the United States and across the southern states to return home on April 1, 1992. They enjoyed taking their grandchildren camping in summers. Over the years he and his wife visited five of the seven continents, often traveling with family and friends.
In the 1990s he made an almost full-time job of making Whirleeworld lawn ornaments and wooden household items, Christmas lawn ornaments and specialty mailboxes, including the popular Holstein cow and the pig. He and his wife enjoyed attending flea markets and fairs from May to September, selling their wares and making friends.
He enjoyed attending family reunions and weddings. He taught his daughters to dance and called square dances.
Mr. Giffin was a member of St. John the Baptist Anglican Church in Lyn where he served as warden and volunteered through the Men's Club. He also was a 55-year member of LTB (Loyal True Blue) Lodge 381 and LOL (Loyal Orange Lodge) 434, both in Rocksprings. He worked his way through the various levels and in 2000 was master of the lodge.
He is survived by his wife Gladys Giffin, daughters Lorraine O'Halloran and husband John of Barrie and Joyce Edgley and husband Leon of Brockville, grandchildren Sean Edgley and wife Lisa and Mark Edgley, of Brockville and Meghan and Courtney O'Halloran of Barrie, and three great-grandchildren.
Also surviving are his sister Marjorie Brown of Brockville and more than 30 nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his parents, brother Archie Giffin and brother-in-law Gordon Brown.
Friends called at the Barclay Funeral Home, Brockville, where on March 3 his lodges held special services.
The funeral was held on March 5 in St. John the Baptist Anglican Church, Lyn, with Rev. Canon Bev Lindsey officiating, assisted by Rev. Ed Kostyk and Rev. Gloria Kostyk.
His daughters gave eulogies and a guard of honour was formed by employees of Burnbrae Farms.
Burial followed at Oakland Cemetery. The pallbearers were Leon, Sean and Mark Edgley and John, Meghan and Courtney O'Halloran. Honorary pallbearers were John and Corrie Bootsma, Don and Mary Chambers, Lillian Burns, Joe Hudson, Don Ellis and Jim Chamberlain.
Memorial donations were directed to St. Vincent de Paul Palliative Care and St. John The Baptist Church in Lyn.
David Halpin-Byrne, 53
PRESCOTT -- Retired journalist David Patrick Halpin-Byrne, 53, of Brockville, died January 10, 2004 at Brockville General Hospital.
He was born in Brockville September 29, 1950, the son of William Byrne and Catherine Halpin.
He attended St. Mark School and South Grenville High School in Prescott, then Carleton University in Ottawa and Ryerson Institute in Toronto.
He became a journalist whose career included assignments in Toronto and Vancouver for The Globe and Mail and Maclean's magazine and then the Montreal Gazette.
He freelanced for a time in Central America, then in Paris, France, where he met and married Corinne Lefevre, who predeceased him in Beijing, China, where they were employed at Xianghua News Agency and later at the China Daily.
He then freelanced from Bangkok, Thailand. While in China and Thailand, he contributed articles to the Prescott Journal, chronicling his adventures in the Far East.
Due to failing health and his approaching total blindness, he retired to live in Brockville, where he volunteered with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and other charitable organizations.
Mr. Halpin-Byrne is survived by his sister, Peggy Byrne, of Corte Madera, Calif., nieces Julie Dufour and Monica Black and nephew Michael Dufour and many cousins, as well as Mary Major of Prescott among his many friends.
He was predeceased by his parents and sisters Clare Dufour and Karen Black.
At his request there was no visitation. Friends were invited to a memorial service conducted by Msgr. B. J. Walsh at the Chris Slater Funeral Home, Prescott, on January 17. Burial will take place at St. Mark's Cemetery, Prescott, at a later date.
