On May 18, 2004 Arnold (Arnie) Lloyd McDonald died quietly at his home in North Bay after a lengthy illness.
He was surrounded by the people that he cherished most, his wife of 47 years Rosemary, and his children.
Born at Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park, on October 30, 1933, his father Mel moved the family to Temagami in 1945 when Mr. McDonald was 11.
For the next 59 years Mr. McDonald’s life was directly connected with Temagami and the lake named after it. He was raised there, met his wife there, raised his six children there and worked there.
He began his working career first at Copperfields on the lake and later moved over to Sherman Mine. He retired from Sherman in 1990 and for the last 14 years he travelled between his summer cottage on Island 993 and his winter home in Dunedin, Florida.
Mr. McDonald was a builder, mechanic, welder and plumber — in fact, he could do whatever he set his mind to. Without any formal training in any of these areas, he had the intelligence and ingenuity to teach himself.
At 57, Mr. McDonald fulfilled a lifelong dream and he became a pilot. He owned two Piper Cubs, a Cessna 172 and a Challenger Push Prop, however, of the three his favourite was always the Cub. He kept his planes on floats and always had them with him at the cottage on the lake. He took great pleasure in taking family and friends up in the plane where he could share the beauty of Temagami.
Hard work, honesty, loyalty, respect and the love of family were not only words, but how he lived his life. No one ever heard him say “it can’t be done.”
Mr. McDonald is survived by his sisters Shirley and Joan, wife Rosemary, children Janice, Danny, Maureen, James, Wayne and Nancy, 13 grandchildren and a host of friends too many to name.
Visitation will be on Thursday, May 20 at St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church in Temagami from 2-4 p.m. and from 7-9 p.m.
The funeral service will be held there on Friday, May 21 at 11 a.m.
Donations to the Canadian Cancer Society may be made in memory of Mr. McDonald.
A measure of a man, his life, his beliefs and his teachings are reflected through the actions and deeds of his children and grandchildren. His family made him very proud and he leaves them with a lifetime of memories, stories and joy.
William Roy Peckover
After battling heart disease for a number of years, William Roy Peckover of New Liskeard died February 4, 2004 at the Sudbury Memorial Hospital.
He was born in Dymond Township on April 6, 1934 to Edgar and Elizabeth Peckover.
Educated at Dymond Public School, he married L. Jane (Jean) Aitchison at Alexander Memorial Church in Milberta on August 18, 1956.
Mr. Peckover was the GM bodyshop foreman at Connelly Motors beginning in 1957 and he continued with Wilson Chev Olds until forced into retirement in 1985. A few years away from the garage allowed him to become a transport driver for Josefowich Brothers and Commercial Construction.
Mr. Peckover was a volunteer firefighter in New Liskeard for 19 years, 16 of those as first captain, and he was also a member of the Moose Lodge.
He enjoyed cottage life on Pike Lake, travelling on his Honda automatic motorcycle and motoring south each fall to his winter home in Florida where he was always anxious to see his winter friends and neighbours.
He will be lovingly remembered for his quiet manners and meticulous ways.
Mr. Peckover is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, Jean Peckover, his brothers Wesley of New Liskeard, Gordon of Haileybury, Charles of Midland and by nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his parents, brothers Gregory and Henry and sister Irene Steele.
The funeral was arranged by Perrin Funeral Chapel where the service was conducted February 7 by Reverend Ivan Dambrowitz.
Relatives and friends attending the service from out of town came from Woodstock, Sarnia, Sault Ste. Marie, Aurora, Ottawa, Oakville, Midland, Sudbury, Moonstone and Kirkland Lake.
Mary Max
Long-time Northern Telephone employee and Haileybury resident Mary Max passed away after a brief illness on April 14, 2004 at the Temiskaming Lodge.
She was born on July 4, 1918 in Haileybury to parents Edmond Gervais and Sarah Ann Labine.
Mrs. Max resided most of her life on the family farm in Kerns Township and was one of the first members of Kerns Kountry Klub when it was started in 1987.
Her loves included gardening, knitting, baking, cooking and maintaining her flowers and plants.
For 29 years, Mary worked at Northern Telephone in various positions. However, her best memories were as a telephone operator with the company.
Mrs. Max is survived by her sons Ed (Judy), Joe (Sue), Mike (Simone); daughters Sarah Jane (Jack), Judith, Linda (Tony), Leonie, Rosemary (Randy), Jennifer, and 11 grandchildren.
She is predeceased by her parents and husband John Maille who passed on January 16, 1969.
Funeral services were provided by Perrin Funeral Chapel and respecting Mary’s wishes, cremation followed her untimely passing with a private interment in the Catholic cemetery.
Frances Dufresne
Frances Dufresne (nee Vaillancourt) of Cobalt died May 8, 2004, at North Bay General Hospital.
She was born December 2, 1929, at Demers Centre in Quebec to Méderic Vaillancourt and Louisa Chaput.
Educated in Chapeau, Quebec, she moved to Cobalt April 10, 1950, on the day of her wedding to Floyd Stanley Dufresne. The wedding took place in Chapeau.
She was a long-time member of the Catholic Women’s League.
Mrs. Dufresne was predeceased by her parents, one brother, four sisters, two step-brothers and two step-sisters.
She is survived by her husband Floyd, her sons Daryl (Gaetane) and Marcel, her daughter Noella Lescom, two grandsons, one granddaughter, one sister, many sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews and friends.
In memory contributions are welcome to the Cancer Society’s Camp Quality.
Elizabeth Teresa Fiset
Elizabeth (Bette) Teresa Fiset (nee Sheehan) of Elk Lake died April 30, 2004 at the Englehart Hospital.
Born in Blind River on October 7, 1926, she married Norman Fiset in Blind River on August 24, 1953.
Prior to that she graduated from nursing at Sault Ste. Marie General Hospital in 1949, and had worked as a registered nurse in Sault Ste. Marie and Blind River.
In 1954 she and her husband moved to Elk Lake and made it their home.
Mrs. Fiset was a loving and quiet person. She enjoyed her family and had a special way with her grandchildren. She had a great sense of humour and a generous spirit. She was a member of the Elk Lake Nativity Parish.
She was predeceased by her parents Daniel Sheehan and Jessimae Morrissette, brothers Dan, Terry and Dennis and sister Patricia Barrow.
She is survived by her husband Norman, sons Jerome (Laurie), Terry (Pauline), Dennis (Susan), Marty (Angela), and daughter Maureen (Marc) Proulx, brother Mike Sheehan (Linda) of Sault Ste. Marie, sisters Gwen Godfrey (Frank) of Kelowna, British Columbia, Jessimae Sheehan of Sault Ste. Marie, sister-in-law Heather Sheehan of Caledon, grandchildren Candace, Travis, Addison, Mackenzie, Maitlan, Carlyle, Hayden, Sarah, Emily, Alex and Leah, and great-grandchildren Kassidy and Pacey.
Funeral arrangements by McDonald Funeral Home in Englehart. Service was held at the Elk Lake Nativity Parish on May 3, 2004. The service was officiated by Father Gilles Leblanc and Father M.J. Scully and assisted by Lionel Venne. Burial is at Elk Lake Poplar Grove cemetery. Pall bearers were Travis Fiset, Bruce Aitchison, Chester Jobson, Trent Jobson, Dan Sheehan and Terry Sheehan.
Family and friends from out of town came from Sault Ste. Marie, Ottawa, Toronto, Mississauga, Caledon, Windsor, Timmins, Bracebridge, Earlton, Matachewan and Temiskaming Shores.
In memory contributions are welcome to the Township of James Medical Centre Building Fund.
Vivian Doris Carleton
Vivian Carleton passed on March 30, 2004, at the Northview Nursing Home in Englehart.
She was born in Hilliard Township on April 1, 1928 to Rock and Helen Veley.
She was educated in Hilliard Township and later married Lorne Carleton in Hilliard on August 12, 1947.
Mrs. Carleton was a homemaker who loved gardening, cooking, baking, travelling and music. However, her favourite love was having family and friends around her. She especially enjoyed her grandchildren and great-grandchildren when they would visit.
She will be be sadly missed by many.
She was predeceased by her husband Lorne on March 7, 1998, her parents, and brothers Henry and Cecil.
Mrs. Carleton is survived by her children Evelyn Carleton (Phill Moore), Judy Seymour (Kirby), and Rock. As well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The funeral was arranged by Perrin Funeral Chapel with the service conducted by Reverend Keith Edwards.
Honourary pallbearers were Greg Milliard, Cheryl Bureau, Tanya Grant, Zach Milliard, Chris Milliard, Alex Moore, Eric Moore, and Cassandra Grant — all grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
