HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-11-24, Page 18PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2011.Officials say fire originated in lower floor of homeContinued from page 1few short weeks.In speaking with The Citizen,Hesselwood’s mother Luann Taylorsaid she spoke with her son often.“The last text I got from him said‘love you. Night’,” Taylor said. “Wewere very proud of our son. Weloved him and we know he loved usand we never hesitated to tell eachother.”
Taylor said that if readers of The
Citizen will remember anythingabout her son, it would be his smile and his love of the Blyth com-munity.Heading to Alberta was the firstmove away from home Hesselwoodhad ever made and Taylor said it wasa difficult decision for her son tomake.“He was very homesick,” Taylorsays. “He never asked us to come
out, but my husband [Ken
Hesselwood] just went out to visithim a few weeks ago to make sure hewas okay.”The visit came just beforeHesselwood’s parents booked hisflight home for Christmas on Dec.22.In dealing with the news, Taylorsaid she and the rest of her family are“holding up” and turning to oneanother for support.
“This is something I wouldn’t
wish on anyone,” Taylor says. “Iknow others have got through it andwe will get through it. “There has been a lot of supportfrom the community, from family,from friends, from neighbours andwe all still have each other.”Dr. Maarten Bokhout told TheLondon Free Press “you shed a fewtears, then you smile and laugh thenyou shed a few more tears.”
The boys had been friends since
they were nine years old, Taylor said,
and they were very close.
“They went to public school
together, they played hockey togeth-
er, they went to high school together
and then they eventually went west
together.” she said.
Kinzies, a high school friend of
both men, was already situated in
Alberta when Bokhout made the trip,
shortly followed by Hesselwood.
Both Hesselwood and Bokhout
had earned a reputation with their
new employer as hard workers and
were quickly making a name for
themselves.
While Bokhout’s future plans were
unclear, Taylor said her son loved the
men he worked with and was plan-
ning on staying in Alberta for at least
a few years before making his way
back to Ontario.Bonnyville is heralded as havingone of Alberta’s most vibranteconomies due to its large oilreserves and agricultural resources.It’s located nearly 250 kilometresnortheast of Alberta and just over 50kilometres from the Alberta/Saskatchewan border.A celebration of Hesselwood’s lifewas held on Sunday at the Blyth and
District Community Centre and no
funeral service will be held. Taylor
says that’s how her son would have
wanted it.
“At the celebration we’re going to
ask people to write on a piece of
paper what Blake meant to them,”
Taylor said in an interview prior to
the celebration. “He would not want
a traditional funeral, he would want
people to smile and remember the
good times; the funny times.”
Taylor says she wants her son to be
remembered as someone who loved
his family and his friends, loved his
community and loved to have a good
time.
“Blake loved life,” Taylor says.
“Most people in Blyth will know
Blake that way. I’m sure he’s
touched many lives in many
ways.”
After a hearing in Goderich earlier
this month it appears Huron County
Council will be reducing its size by
four bodies.
Bluewater Mayor Bill Dowson
reported to his municipal councillors
Monday night that the decision had
come down earlier that day.
Dowson said the Supreme Court
Justice had ruled to hold up the
Huron County bylaw dictating that
the voters list determines how many
seats each municipality has at the
Huron County Council table.
As a result of the decision and the
figures available at the time of last
October’s election, North Huron,
Central Huron, Huron East and
South Huron should lose one repre-
sentative each at Huron County
Council.
This would mean the number of
Huron County councillors would
shrink from 20 down to 16.
A full story will appear in the Dec.
1 issue of The Citizen.
Tragedy in Alberta
Two Blyth men perished in a house fire in this rural home just 2.5 kilometres outside of
Bonnyville, Alberta. John Bokhout and Blake Hesselwood, both 22, lost their lives as a result
of a house fire that broke out shortly after 2 a.m. on Nov. 15. While a smoke alarm was found
in the home, it was found without a working battery. (Photo courtesy of The Bonnyville Nouvelle)
Council to shrink