ATHENS -- Bill Foley, 66, of Athens, died January 18, 2004 at his home with his family at his side.
He was born Wilfred Earl Foley in Athens on December 7, 1937, the son of Wilfred Foley and the former Flossie Fenlong.
He lived his entire life in the Athens area, marrying Beverley Hoey on August 11, 1965.
He worked for seven years at Simonds Abrasives (Lion Grinding Wheels) in Brockville and was about to set up his own business when he met with an accident. He had many physical problems over the past few years, coping with cancer, diabetes, heart failure and leg amputation, but he never made a complaint.
Mr. Foley's life was entirely wrapped around his church and family. In earlier years he was a member of Athens United Church, actively involved as a steward. He and his wife later joined the Athens Free Methodist Church, where he served as a trustee for many years. He was keenly interested and involved in the building of this new church.
"He gave his heart to Jesus in the 1980s and the Lord used him to touch many lives. He was a man of great courage and an inspiration to many, " say his children.
He was strong in his Christian faith and enjoyed extending a helping hand to whoever needed it. He devoted many hours over the past several years to the folk at Valleyview Court in Athens, helping at every opportunity he could.
"He loved life and his greatest desire was to support and always be there for his family and friends, " his wife says.
Mr. Foley is survived by his wife Bev Foley; son Rodd and wife Shannon of Orleans and their children, Courtney, Ayden and Madison; son Kent and wife Angela of Stirling and their children, Gabriel, Jessalyn, Avery, Ethan, Jillian, Isaiah, Amos, Mackenzie and Silas; and special daughter Tammy Manns and husband James of Athens and their children, Joshua, Amber and Jade; and special daughter Crystal at home.
He was predeceased by his parents, brothers Ross, Lawrence, Arnold, Gordon, Keith and Lloyd Foley, and sisters Lois Foley, Velma Self, Shirley Manuge, Leora Walz and Glenna Wills, and one granddaughter, Michaela Foley.
Visitation was held at the Athens Free Methodist Church on January 20 and a celebration of his life was held there on January 21, with Pastor Rodney Peterson officiating and Pastor Randy Williams assisting. All the grandchildren took an active part in the service, including Courtney Foley who read Psalm 121 and Jessalyn Foley who hand-signed the song I Can Only Imagine. Mr. Foley's son Rodd gave the eulogy and Todd Pratt, pastor/friend of Kent, gave a tribute on Kent's behalf; grandson Gabriel Foley gave a tribute accompanied by the other grandchildren.
Burial followed at Athens Cemetery. The pallbearers were nephews Glenn Walz, Peter Clark, Don Clark and Scott Hoey, and friends Aaron Peterson, Phil Palmer, Dave Eyre and Paul Edmunds.
Memorial donations were directed to the building fund of Athens Free Methodist Church.
Arrangements were made through the Judson Funeral Home, Athens.
Janice Elaine Hagerman, 46
Janice Elaine Hagerman died peacefully March 7, 2004 at her home surrounded by close friends and family. She was 46 years old.
She was born in Brockville on August 28, 1957. Raised in Mallorytown by her father Bill Hodge and the former Heather Macdonald, she attended Front of Yonge elementary school and Brockville Collegiate Institute.
She married Robert Hagerman in Brockville on September 28, 1974 and they had two children, Shawn and Lisa.
Mrs. Hagerman was employed at Somerville Belkin and later started a cleaning business where she built a loyal clientele. After seven years, however, a knee replacement forced here to end the business. After recovering from the procedure, she joined BeautyRock Inc. as a telephone sales representative and was consistently one of the top sellers. She also earned a reputation as "The Regal Lady" through her hobby selling Regal products. Her selling skills led to recognition as a "diamond producer."
Mrs. Hagerman's interests included traveling to Prince Edward Island, St. John's, Newfoundland and, most recently, a train tour in Sault Ste. Marie. She also enjoyed gardening, shopping, talking on the phone with family and friends, reading, quilting and swinging on the swing at her farm in Mallorytown.
Mrs. Hagerman was also very charitable, buying presents every Christmas for the Salvation Army. One of the highlights of her life was the frequent sleepovers with "Gammy" by grandchildren Isabella and Charlotte, who enjoyed the many gifts Mrs. Hagerman gave them and the quality of time spent with her.
Mrs. Hagerman is survived by her husband Bob of Mallorytown; her children, Shawn and wife Cathy, and Lisa and partner Andrew Latimer; grandchildren Isabella and Charlotte Finn-Hagerman; and longtime best friend Theresa Currie of Mallorthown. She is also survived by her parents, Bill Hodge and friend Pat of Mallorytown, and Shirley Bennett of Belleville; brothers Mike Hodge (Debbie) and Sam Bennett (Tammy), sisters Dianne Hodge, Kathy Baptiste (Mario), Joan Hodge-Darling and Darnel Lynch (Jeff); and many nieces and nephews.
Her life was celebrated at the Barclay Funeral Home in Brockville, officiated by Pastor Rodney Peterson. A special friend, Ann Edmonds, read a beautiful poem, while Leah Flegle sang How Great Thou Art and John Torres played acoustic guitar. Tributes were given by her children, Shawn and Lisa.
Pallbearers were Mike Hodge, Mario Baptiste, Roger Currie Sr., Andrew Latimer, Steven Flood and Roger Currie. Honorary pallbearers were Jim Dack, Wayne Anderson and Dan Hagerman. Interment followed at the Mallorytown cemetery and donations were made to the Mallorytown Park Pavillion, Salvation Army (Children's Christmas Fund) and the Canadian Cancer Society.
Don Sherman, 91
Donald "Don" William Sherman, 91, died at his residence at St. Lawrence Lodge on January 13, 2004.
He was born August 16, 1912 in Brockville to David Morgan Sherman and the former Mary Ethel Mott. He lived much of his life in the family home on Kincaid Street.
He worked for several years at Armour's Cleaners. In 1942 he began working at Phillips Cables and remained with the company until his retirement in 1977.
In his retirement years he enjoyed his family and the cottage community at Narrow's Lane. He also took great pride and interest in accumulating and organizing local history and family genealogy.
He played piano with various dance bands during the war years and in later years he played at the keyboard with "Don Sherman and His Buddies." In recent years, he played with the "Fabulous Forties" with its big jazz band sound.
Mr. Sherman was presented with an honorary life membership and a 50-year pin for continuous membership by Local 384 Musicians' Union in September 1987. He will be remembered for his musical contribution and his piano magic in dancehalls in and around the Brockville area. He was truly one of Brockville's musical ambassadors.
He is survived by his wife Jean F. S. Sherman (nee Birrell), whom he married March 1, 1934 in Brockville; three sons, Larry and wife Susanna of Brockville, Bruce of Hillsdale and Don and wife Claudia of Victoria, B.C.; and daughter Christina Largy and husband Mark of Edmonton, Alta.
Also surviving are nine grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and his nieces Dorothy Wilson and Doris Gibson.
He was predeceased by his parents and a sister Ailene Trussell.
The funeral was held in the Barclay Funeral Home chapel on January 17, with Rev. Peter James Jones, of First Presbyterian Church, officiating. Mr. Sherman's son Bruce gave the eulogy. The chapel was filled to capacity with relatives from both sides of the St. Lawrence River, local citizens, co-workers and friends. A private burial service will take place in the spring at Oakland Cemetery.
Memorial donations to charities of the donors' choice were gratefully acknowledged by the family.
Joan Johnston
Joan Johnston, known for her longtime activism in community affairs, died March 6, 2004 at the Brockville General Hospital.
Born and educated in Kingston, she was the daughter of James Arthur Whitty of Toronto and the former Hilda Catherine Cliffe of Gananoque. She was the sixth child of a large family that included two brothers and seven sisters.
Her father died at an early age, leaving her mother to raise a large family. The spirit and determination her mother displayed were traits Mrs. Johnston took for herself in life.
She played a variety of sports, including badminton and curling, golfing and basketball. She was the captain of the Notre Dame team that won the Kingston City Ladies basketball championship in 1947. She also enjoyed boating and sailing, ski jumping and skiing. She was active in Kingston's Young Liberals Association, taking part in conventions and ran programs for the YMCA in the city.
She married Hugh Alec Johnston in 1957. The couple made their home in Brockville and raised three children. She became involved in the fledgling Y here where, with friends Kalev Pugi and Ann Pearson, she developed several new programs.
As a resident of Whitby in 1963 she campaigned to elect a new mayor for that city and helped secure a new home for Whitby Arts, which involved purchasing the Whitby Junction train station from the Canadian National Railway. For her efforts, Mrs. Johnston was presented with a commissioned painting by William Smith called 'The Station, ' which she proudly displayed in her home.
Returning to Brockville in 1970 she joined the Women's Auxiliary of the Brockville General Hospital. In 1983 she was elected to the BGH board of governors, where she served until 1992. She took part in spirited discussions ranging from loading docks to the role and privileges of doctors in the hospital. She always had an opinion and was sometimes controversial.
Mrs. Johnston also served on the Fulford Home board and replaced George T. Fulford II as president at his request.
Though always busy with a community cause, she reserved time to love, counsel and guide her three children. She was her husband's best friend and made him feel special at all times. She always looked forward to the annual Whitty Family Picnic and enjoyed the company of many friends in Brockville, Kingston and Florida.
She lived for many years at Anchorage Bay, where she enjoyed boating and swimming. She retired at the same time as her husband and the couple enjoyed traveling in Europe and particularly in Florida, where they spent winter months for the past 13 years until she was hospitalized in February at Flager Hospital in St. Augustine following a stroke.
In her later years, Mrs. Johnston's hobbies included quilting, bird-carving, potting, bridge, swimming and storytelling to her grandchildren.
Mrs. Johnston is survived by husband Hugh, son David and grandchildren Marc, Dennis and Lucas of the Netherlands, son Hugh and his wife Susan and grandchildren Samantha and Kathryn of Kingston and daughter Laura of Brockville.
Also surviving is brother James Whitty and his wife Dorothy, sisters Noreen and husband Frank Catlin and Theresa Whitty of Kingston, Barbara and husband Douglas Kilgour of Mallorytown and Clare and husband Harold Johnson of Aurora, and sister-in-law Barbara and husband Leo den Boer of Okanogan Falls, and brother-in-law David Geary of Niagara Falls, as well as many nieces and nephews and their children.
She was predeceased by her parents, sisters Mary and husband Adam Stowinski, Hilda Geary and Camilla Stanford and brother Charles Whitty.
Friends called at the Barclay Funeral Home on March 9 and the funeral was held the following day with Father Charles Gazely of Kingston officiating.
Her son David and nephew Paul Kilgour gave eulogies, while her sister Clare and niece Barbara Worona gave readings. A choir from Kingston's Regiopolis Notre Dame sang hymns and the service concluded by her sons singing She Did It Her Way.
Pallbearers were David Johnston, Hugh Johnston, James Kilgour, Craig Kilgour, Paul Kilgour and Lawrence Fahey. Interment followed at St. Francis Xavier Cemetery.
Memorial donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation were gratefully acknowledged and the family.
