HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-01-06, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 6, 2011.
The area lost a true hero in Stewart
Henry Ament of Wingham, formerly
of Auburn and Blyth, who passed
away at Wingham and District
Hospital on Friday, Dec. 31, 2010.
He was in his 91st year.
Born on Oct. 9, 1920, Stewart was
the pride and joy of Oscar and Viola
Ament of Wallace Township. He had
a brother, Howard, and a sister,
Irene, both of whom predeceased
him.
It is, however, Stewart’s service to
his country in the Second World War
that made him a well-known fixture
in the area.
He enlisted in the Canadian Armed
Forces on Jan. 8, 1942 and then
spent several years overseas.
When Stewart arrived in Europe,
he was initially sent to England for
more military training. It was as
simple as Stewart saying that he
always wanted to drive a truck, so
the Armed Forces gave him
that chance, making him a truck
driver responsible for replenishing
supplies to soldiers stationed in the
area.
After being stationed in Europe
for two years, Stewart participated in
the D-Day invasion. He moved
through the beaches of Normandy,
France, just one day after the historic
invasion began on June 6, 1944.
After his division’s initial
involvement in the invasion,
however, Stewart and his fellow
soldiers spent weeks camping in a
French orchard because the roads
they were meant to travel weren’t
large enough to accommodate their
trucks.
Stewart said this was a result of his
unit being too early. The roads were
big enough for the smaller trucks,
but not big enough for the large rigs
Stewart’s unit was driving, so they
had to play the waiting game.Stewart said he and his unit spentat least three weeks in the orchard.Nights were spent sleeping in his
truck, under his truck and sometimes
sleeping on the provisions his truck
was transporting.
“We would just sleep in our trucks,
on bombs or on rations, whatever we
had in our trucks,” Stewart said in a
May, 2010 interview with The
Citizen.
He said that he took shifts along
with the other soldiers on guard
throughout the night, saying that
those were some of the most tense
moments of his time in the war,
having to be on high alert at all
times.
Throughout the war, Stewart made
his way through England, France,
Belgium, Holland and Germany,
where he was when the war ended.
After the war ended, Stewart spent
his last Christmas enlisted in the
Armed Forces on his way back to
Canada on the Queen Elizabeth.
“It was so hot on the bottom deck
of that ship. I had a headache for
days after that,” Stewart said in May,
2010. “There was such a storm on
the way back. The captain wasn’t
supposed to come back [to Canada],
but he said he had never turned back,
and he kept going.”
He was brought back as far as
London, Ontario in 1946 where he
was reunited with his parents and his
brother, who brought him home.
He made it back to Auburn where
he lived with his parents and worked
on various farms. Just two years
after returning, he married Mildred
Carter, something he had hoped for
during his time overseas, applying
permanent documentation of this to
his forearm while in England.
During a 48-hour pass in England,
Stewart got a tattoo on each forearm,
almost certain that he wouldn’t make
it back to Canada to get grief over it.
On his right arm he got a tattoo of a
basket of flowers and on his left
forearm, he had Mildred’s name
etched on him for good, thinkingthere was always a chance he couldmake it back.“We got [the tattoos] because we
didn’t think we were coming back,”
he said in May, 2010. “But I always
thought there was a chance, so that’s
why I got what I got.”
Soon after his 1948 wedding, he
and Mildred bought a farm in Hullett
Township. Failing health and tough
economic times in the farming
district led him to give up the farm in
1970 and move to Blyth.
Mildred passed away in 2005. She
was shortly followed by the pair’s
only son, Garry, who passed away in
2007.
In subsequent years, Stewart spent
his time at Braemar Retirement
Centre where he had been active in
exercising, reading and working on
word puzzles. He remained a
member of the Royal Canadian
Legion, Branch 420, Blyth, until the
time of his death.
He will be lovingly remembered
by his niece Wendy Martin of
Vancouver, British Columbia and his
grand-nieces Lyndsie and Alanna.
He was a special friend of Willis and
Marie Bromley of Blyth and Bev
Bromley and Linda Brindley of
Goderich.
He was predeceased by his brother
Howard and his sister Irene.
Friends were received at the
Falconer Funeral Homes Ltd., Blyth
Visitation Centre, 407 Queen Street,
Blyth on Tuesday from 7 - 9 p.m.
where the funeral service was held
on Wednesday at 11 a.m.
Spring interment is in Blyth Union
Cemetery.
As expressions of sympathy, the
family would appreciate memorial
donations to the Wingham and
District Hospital or the Royal
Canadian Legion, Branch 420, Blyth
Building Fund.
The Royal Canadian Legion,
Branch 420, Blyth held a memorial
service at the visitation centre on
Tuesday evening at 6:45 p.m.
ERIC JOHN DOWD
Longtime Queen’s Park reporter
and Citizen contributor Eric John
Dowd passed away on Dec. 25,
2010. He succumbed to cancer at St.
Michael’s Hospital in Toronto while
surrounded by his family.
Dowd was in his 80th year.
A remembrance service was held
at Trull North Toronto Funeral
Home in Toronto on Tuesday at 11
a.m.
Dowd was born in Birkenhead,
England on Jan. 15, 1931. He began
working in Toronto for the Toronto
Telegram.
Dowd covered the provincial
legislature for years and was
considered a mentor to many young
political journalists.
In his later years, Dowd began
freelancing for several newspapers
throughout Ontario, including The
Citizen. He continued as a fixture at
the legislature every day, even
during the final months of his life as
he endured cancer treatment.
Dowd was the beloved husband of
Georgina, loving father of Katherine
(David Eidt), Elizabeth (Yvon
Desgagnes), Charlotte, Thomas
(Corrine Maloney) and Dominic
(Megan Davies).
He will be fondly remembered by
his grandchildren Patrick, Charlotte,
Madeline, James, Sophie and Jude.
Dowd is survived by his brothers
Harry and Leslie and he was
predeceased by his brother Thomas.
He will be fondly remembered by
several nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, memorial
donations may be made to the
Canadian Cancer Society.
GEORGE BLAKE
George Louis Blake of RR 2,
Brussels passed away on Friday,
Dec. 24, 2010 at Seaforth
Community Hospital. Born in Grey
Township on Sept. 8, 1923, George
was in his 88th year.
George was the beloved husband
of 65 years to Marie (Deitner) and
will be sadly missed by his children
Gerald and Bonnie Blake of
Hanover, Anne and Ken Williamson
of Grey Township, Jim and Evelyn
Blake of Morris Township, Murray
and Sharon Blake of Crediton, Phil
and Dianne Blake of Waterloo,
Joyce and Tom Williamson of Grey
Township, Bruce and Michelle
Blake of Grey Township, and Julie
and Steve Wharton of Belgrave.
He was also loved by daughter-in-
law Clara Blake of RR 2, Blyth, his
sister Alice and Howard Wade of
London, his sisters-in-law Irene
Blake of Brussels, Nora and Bob
Kramer of New Hamburg and Kaye
and John McFadden of Guelph and
his brother-in-law Leo and Rita
Deitner of Brussels, his 23
grandchildren, 32 great-grand-
children and two great-great-
grandchildren.
He was predeceased by son
Robert, infant son William,
grandsons Robert and John,
granddaughter Bonnie in infancy,
brothers John and Gordon and his
wife Helen and sister-in-law
Margaret and her husband Louis
Phalen.
Friends were received from 2-4
and 7-9 p.m. on Dec. 27 at the
Schimanski Family Funeral Home,
Brussels. The funeral mass was
celebrated by Father Keith Morrison
on Dec. 28 at 10 a.m. at St. Ambrose
Roman Catholic Church, Brussels.
Parish prayers were held on Dec. 27
at 1:30 p.m.
Carrying floral tributes were Anne
Williamson, Joyce Williamson and
Julie Wharton. Pallbearers were
Gerald Blake, Jim Blake, Murray
Blake, Christopher Blake and
Bruce Blake.
Spring interment is in St. Ambrose
Cemetery.
As an expression of sympathy,
memorial donations to the Seaforth
Community Hospital Foundation or
St. Ambrose Cemetery, Brussels
would be appreciated.
EILEEN GILL
Eileen Minnie (Wood) Gill of
Ethel passed away at Hamilton
General Hospital on Dec. 29, 2010.
Born in Listowel on July 3, 1940,
Eileen was in her 71st year.
Eileen was the beloved wife of
George Gill and will be sadly missed
by her children Melinda Wood of
Toronto, Dan and Lisa Wood of
Owen Sound and Daren Wood and
Natasha Aguiar of Bluevale.
She was the dear sister of Ruthann
and Lloyd Siemon of Bornholm,
Bruce and Janette Wood of
Campbell River, B.C. and Bev and
Stan Bentley of Cranbrook.
She will be missed dearly by her
grandchildren Natasha, Amanda,
Aubyn, Travis, Courtney, Luke,
Matthew, Hailey, Logan, Jesse and
Adam. She was also loved by her
brother-in-law Ron Askett of
Listowel, sister-in-law Jean Gill and
George Berfelz and Isabelle Dietrich
and Gary Larson and her many
nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her son
Milo, grandson Daren Zachary
Wood, sisters Shirley Askett and
Lillian and Clarence McNaughton.
Friends were received by the
family two hours prior to the funeral
service conducted from the
Schimanski Family Funeral Home
on Jan. 3 at 2 p.m. Pastor Sandra
Cable officiated.
Burial is in Mount Pleasant
Cemetery, Ethel.
A floral tribute was carried by
Courtney Wood. Pallbearers were
Travis Wood, Luke Wood, Matthew
Wood, Aubyn Hastings, Michael
Dunbar and Steven Dunbar.
As an expression of sympathy,
memorial donations to the Heart and
Stroke Foundation would be
appreciated.
Online condolences may be made
at www.schimanskifamilyfuneral
home.com
Area loses WWII veteran on New Year’s Eve
A great man
Stewart Ament, formerly of Blyth and Auburn, is seen here in May, 2010, holding a picture of
a younger version of himself, when he was enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces. Ament
passed away on Dec. 31, 2010 at Wingham and District Hospital in his 91st year. (File photo)
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Obituaries
North St. West, Wingham
Mac & Donna Anderson
519-357-1910
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