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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-02-23, Page 10PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012. Hallahan wants grid frozen Bokhout’s ‘Lives Lived’ piece touches hundreds A fitting remembrance John Bokhout, above, perished in a house fire in Alberta late last year and once her family life settled down, John’s sister Jessica submitted a piece on her brother for The Globe and Mail’s ‘Lives Lived’ section. The piece, left, appeared in the Feb. 14 issue of the newspaper. (Photo submitted) Continued from page 1noticeable emotional impact withJohn’s friends and family, being a fan of The Globe and Mail’s ‘Lives Lived’ section, reading about the lives of those she had never met, Jessica said she hoped her words would help people to see John’s life beyond the incident’s sensational headline. “I hoped that it would give people a glimpse into a 22-year-old guy’s life and where he came from,” Jessica said. Jessica said that thousands of people have read the story of the house fire in Bonnyville, Alberta that took his life, but the goal of her piece was to show readers who the man who perished in the fire was to those who loved him. “I wanted to put more to the story. This is who he was,” Jessica said.“He was this little boy that grew upinto a great man. This was completing the picture. For me, it’s more important that people know who he was.” In the months since John’s tragic death, Jessica says her family is doing well, but things have certainly changed, especially with how the family members deal with one another. “There have been lots of lovely things exchanged and great things we’ve talked about,” Jessica said. There are certain family milestones, however, that will be more difficult without John around, Jessica said. “John was really excited to be an uncle (John and Jessica’s sister was due to deliver her baby on Feb. 17),” Jessica said. “It will be John’sbirthday next month. Those are justthings that will be tougher now that John isn’t around; a sad reminder that he’s not with us.” Jessica says that John’s death has resulted in a sense of urgency, a good one, when it comes to interactions between the family members. “One of the beautiful things to come out of John’s death is that the family is being a lot more careful with each other,” Jessica said. “We’re always telling each other why we love them, because we may not get a chance to say it again. “You never know how much time you’ll have with these people and that’s one of the heartbreaking realizations to come out of John’s death.” Councillors Ray Hallahan and Bernie Bailey both want to discuss grid movements, or raises, throughout North Huron Township’s staff, but found those talks would be too late to affect the 2012 budget. Bailey moved that council freeze the grid that outlines earnings throughout the township until they could re-evaluate the process used to determine raises. “With the cost of living and the way the grid works some employees could get a four to five per cent raise this year,” he said. “I move that we freeze the grid.” It was then explained to Bailey that, instead of raises being applied on the anniversary of an employee’s starting time with the township, all grid movements are put into effect on Jan. 1, meaning that any changes would not come into effect until 2013. Bailey withdrew his motion and stated he wanted to discuss the issue and decided that freezing it would be the best way to do that. Hallahan agreed stating it does need to be discussed before any employees are in a position to make a jump in wage that large. By Jessica Bokhout Right from birth, John Bokhout was an easy guy to love. Anyone who knew him would agree that his passion for fun, his big beautiful grin, his generous heart and his incredible capacity to love made him special. The first four years of John’s life were spent in the happy foster home of Frank and Evelyn Wismer in Toronto. Surrounded by other foster siblings, John grew into a sociable little boy who loved cartoons and being with family. In the spring of 1993, John was adopted by Maarten Bokhout and Helena McShane of Clinton, Ontario. Four-year-old John brought adventure to the lives of his four older sisters, sharing a love for superheroes, Star Wars and summers spent at the family cottage in Tobermory, Ontario. John’s infectious giggle and vivid imagination were the perfect addition to his delighted new family. Later that spring, John proudly took on the role of older brother when his younger brother, Colin, joined the family. John taught Colin how to play hockey, tease the older girls and cheer a favourite sports team to victory. As they grew older, lifting weights and playing music together in the basement became a regular activity for the boys. John got his driver’s licence at 17 and became a passionate but terrible driver. He always drove the noisiest lemons of vehicles and seemed to put most of his paycheques into keeping his latest ride on the road. John’s most recent vehicle was a car he had purchased for $50 in Bonnyville, Alberta. It was held together by bungee chords and could just get into town and back for groceries. Unlike his older sisters, who were desperate to live in the big city after high school, John embraced the country life. He worked as a chicken catcher for three years in Blyth, Ontario, and loved the camaraderie that came with being part of the catching crew. Nevertheless, by last spring, he was restless and wanted a change of scenery. With his family cheering him on, John moved to Alberta in search of work and adventure with two other hometown friends. He started work with Rockwell Drilling Services and loved the challenge of his new job. He was so proud to call home and share his successes at work and his ability to transform his life. John died early in the morning of Nov. 15 when his house caught fire. He died before his planned Christmas visit home and before his family could see him coming into his own as a man. He died on the cusp of so many great things to come. On the day of John’s funeral, one of his childhood friends said, “You know, John just couldn’t get enough of us. He loved his friends.” Now that he’s gone, we’re realizing we couldn’t get enough of him either. First appeared in the ‘Lives Lived’ section of the Feb. 14 issue of The Globe and Mail. Huron County Needs Your Support ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BEING A Volunteer Crisis Responder ~ helping others while working in partnership with Emergency Services? Victim Services of Huron County is a volunteer based organization that provides emotional support and practical assistance to victims of crime, trauma and tragic circumstance. If you are looking for a rewarding experience and the chance to give back to your community this may be the position for you. Requirements:  Must be 19 + years  A valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle  Ability to handle crisis situations  Can commit to 40 hrs training session (Thursday evenings and 1 Saturday) and 2-3 12 hour shifts per month  Cell phone  Must live in Huron County Applications are available online on our website at www.victimservices.cc Michelle Field Program Coordinator 1-519-524-4108 vos@victimserviceshuron.ca We are accepting applications for our spring training until March 31st, 2012. Training begins April 5th, 2012 in Goderich VOLUNTEER TRAINING All Fall/Winter items 40%off Buy a new spring/summer arrival and get your Fall/Winter item at 60%off(1 for 1) 457 Campbell St., Lucknow 519-528-5888 737 Queen St., Kincardine 519-396-6463 Mon - Sat 10 - 5.30, Sun 12 - 5.30 Open ‘til 8 pm Thurs in Kincardine & Fri in Lucknow February Jessica remembers her brother By Denny Scott The Citizen Find a job or advertise a job on the Jobs In Huron section of our website at www.northhuron.on.ca