PRESCOTT -- Carmen Cnossen, 70, retired Phillips Cables employee and dedicated horse trainer and driver, died January 20, 2004 at Kingston General Hospital.
He was born August 22, 1933 in Hommerts, in the province of Friesland, in the Netherlands. His parents were Douwe Cnossen and the former Trijntje Veldhuis. He came to Canada with his immediate family in the late 1940s.
He was employed in the rod mill at Phillips Cables for many years and was highly regarded for his mechanical knowledge and strong work ethic.
All his life he nurtured an abiding love of horses. During the 1960s and 1970s he was known as an excellent trainer and driver of racing pacers. Many of the horses he trained at his Blue Church Road farm went on to "take the win" at several race tracks.
Beginning in the 1980s he began to show hackney horses hitched to antique carriages, many of which he restored himself to their original beauty.
In the 1990s he fulfilled a lifelong dream by purchasing a handsome Friesian colt named "Hessel." He and his black stallion won many red ribbons at local fairs.
When not training horses or restoring carriages, he worked in his fields, constructing new outbuildings on the farm, running fence lines and tending crops.
He was a longtime member of the Eastern Ontario Pleasure Drivers Society and enjoyed many long drives with his favourite stallion and his friends. He particularly enjoyed leisurely drives down the Thousand Islands Parkway with other club members.
He had an easy manner, a gift with horses, a willingness to help others, a friendly nature, a great sense of humour and quick wit. He loved a challenging game of cards. He could also break out in song with an excellent voice, singing little ditties of yesteryear.
He enjoyed spending time with his nieces and nephews and the children of his friends. He showed them his horses, told them stories and even participated in their games.
Mr. Cnossen is survived by his wife Henny Cnossen, the former Henny Knol, of Prescott; three brothers, Bob, Douglas and wife Hilly and Andy and wife Riet; brother-in-law John Knol and wife Tina; sister-in-law Minny Mozina and husband Henry; and many nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his parents Douwe and Trijntje Cnossen, brother Leo and parents-in-law Edze and Hinke Knol.
Friends called January 25 at the Chris Slater Funeral Home, where on January 26 the funeral was held, with Rev. Helen Wilson officiating. Burial followed at Roselawn Memorial Gardens, Maitland.
The pallbearers were Dar Cnossen, Bert Jelly, Ernie Farlinger, Ralph Zwierz, Gord Graves and Keith Donnelly.
Memorial donations were directed to Kingston General Hospital and Kingston Palliative Care.
Mae Firth, 99
Mary Mildred "Mae" Firth, 99, died February 22, 2004 at Sherwood Park Manor.
She was born on May 5, 1904 in L'Ardoise, N.S., the daughter of Peter and Mary Rehberg. She grew up in L'Ardoise and met Fred Firth in Sydney, N.S.
After their marriage on June 1, 1929, she lived in Brockville, Kingston and Brockville again. Her husband served five years overseas during the Second World War and then they moved to Cornwall, where he was manager at the Royal Canadian Legion.
Mrs. Firth loved cottage life on the St. Lawrence River, and she and her husband were very talented ballroom dancers, going to all dances in the area for many years.
Her husband died in 1997 in Brockville, where they had moved in 1992 to be near family. She was in good health well into her eighties, but her arthritis eventually meant she had to get around by means of a wheelchair.
She is survived by her children, Jerry and wife Joan of Brockville, Edward and wife Elda of Fort Myers, Florida, and Mallorytown, and Yvonne LaBaff and husband Bob of Port Charlotte, Florida, and by 13 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
Also surviving are her brother Leo Rehberg and wife Hilda of Brockville, and siblings Margaret, Mary and Walter of L'Ardoise, N.S.
Besides her husband, she was predeceased by seven brothers and sisters.
Friends attended a celebration of her life on February 25 at St. John Bosco Church, with Father Tim Harrison officiating. Cremation was at Maitland and burial will be in St. Francis Xavier Cemetery, Lyn Road, at a later date.
The pallbearers were Kevin Firth, Edward Firth Jr., Bill Mallory, Christian Firth, Cory Firth and Spencer Graham.
Memorial donations to the St. John Bosco Building Fund and other charities were gratefully acknowledged by the family.
Lillian Baldwin, 86
Lillian Verna Baldwin, 86, died February 29, 2004 at St. Lawrence Lodge.
She was born January 16, 1918, in Ogdensburg, N.Y., the daughter of George Jannack and the former Matilda Crowder. She was raised in Oxford Mills.
She worked at Phillips Cables as an automatic spooler for 38 years, then was on sick leave for 10 years, retiring in 1983.
She married Charles Alfred Baldwin on December 2, 1950, in Christ Church, Belleville. Her husband died July 19, 1968.
Mrs. Baldwin loved to drive her car and take short trips and had also taken several bus trips to different parts of Ontario. She also enjoyed dining out and was especially attached to her cat, Muggins.
She is survived by her cousin, Mervin Thompson, of Ottawa and friends Fred Young of Brockville, Dorothy Reifer of Brockville and Georgina and George LaFirst of Mallorytown.
She was predeceased by her brothers Howard and Ernie Jannack, sisters Pearl Thompson and Kathleen Baldwin and a nephew, Arthur Bennett of Ottawa.
Her funeral was held March 3 in the chapel of the Barclay Funeral Home, Brockville, with Rev. Gordon Mintz officiating. Burial followed at Oakland Cemetery.
Memorial donations were directed to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Canadian Diabetes Association and the humane society.
Charlie Fournier, 83
Charles "Charlie" Fournier, 83, a people person with a lifelong love of the river, died on Christmas Day, 2003 at St. Vincent de Paul Hospital.
He was born March 6, 1920 in Brockville, where he lived all his life. He was the son of Albert Fournier and the former Mary Manahan and attended St. Francis Xavier separate school and Brockville Collegiate Institute.
He married Jane Elliott in St. Mark's Church, Prescott on September 2, 1944.
During the Depression he worked for Snider Boat Tours and Combined Boat Tours. In 1942 he began working at Phillips Cables, where he became a wire and cable inspector. He was an active union member during his working years, often serving as an officer in the union.
He attended St. Francis Xavier Church and was a member of the Knights of Columbus, rising to the rank of grand knight and district deputy.
During the 1950s and 1960s, he was a member of the Brockville Rowing Club, served on the executive and was president in 1965 and 1966.
All his life he enjoyed the outdoors. He played golf as a young man and belonged to the St. Francis bowling league. He always enjoyed baseball, travelled to New York City to see the 1939 World Series, and up to last summer enjoyed Bunnies games.
Mr. Fournier was an avid fisherman, boater and swimmer. In later years, he loved watching the river and chronicling its shipping traffic. He had many books on lake and ocean vessels and subscribed to the Toronto Marine Historical Society magazine. He could recognize any vessel on sight, remembering its name, shipping company and port of registry.
His prodigious memory also stored a great deal of the history of old Brockville. He could tell the name of a now extinct business or industry and knew who had owned which houses. Just as easily, he could remember who played in the 1942 World Series and details about it.
It was because he had so many colourful recollections of Brockville and river life that he was interviewed for the Brockville Museum's 1994 oral history book, Brockville Voices (ed. Michael Dauber).
He liked to clip and save interesting newspaper and magazine articles and share them with friends and former Brockvillians; he kept up an active correspondence.
In his retirement he was a frequent walker and enjoyed strolling downtown where he became a fixture in many stores and businesses, because he enjoyed being with people and visiting.
He is survived by his son Paul Fournier of Brockville and two daughters, Linda of Brockville and Donna of St. Catharines, as well as three grandchildren. Also surviving are his brothers Fred and Ray Fournier of Brockville and sister Margaret of Brockville, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his parents, wife Jane on March 5, 2002, brother Bill Fournier and sister Leona.
The funeral was held December 29 at St. Francis Xavier Church, Brockville, with Father Brian Price officiating. Cremation was followed by burial at St. Francis Xavier Cemetery.
The pallbearers were Mark Lysko, Mark Ferguson, Wayne Fournier, Ian Ferguson, Ray Fournier Jr. and Michael Fournier.
Memorial donations were directed to Hospice of Providence Palliative Care at St. Vincent de Paul.
