The Citizen, 2015-10-08, Page 16PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015.
Challenge Course plays host to girls hockey teams
Cooler weather reminds us that we
are full steam into fall. Time to clean
up the garden and flowerbeds before
we have the next season.
Our apologies for omitting Wenda
Humphries name from last week’s
article about the passing of her
mother Mary Humphries.
The Walton Raceway and Edge of
Walton Challenge Course was a busy
place on Saturday. The
BCH/BBMHA Girls Hockey teams
held a fundraising event there. There
were 177 girls from the Brussels,
Blyth, Clinton, Kincardine, Mitchell
and other areas attending. The event
was the Maidens of Mayhem L’il
Mud Run and teams participated
against each other. The main event
was the two-kilometre obstacle
challenge course along with other
activities designed to encourage
team spirit, strengthen muscles and
competition. They had a good group
of team leaders and volunteers who
manned the course. The leaders
climbed the tower for the event.
Our condolences to the
Clark/Halerwich families on the
passing of Logan Clark. He will be
missed by parents Rob and Angela
Clark and Kim Halerwich-Clark and
Roger and sister Lexi. Our
sympathies to all.
Our thoughts are with the
Stevenson and Glanville families as
they cope with the effects of a motor
accident involving Wyatt Stevenson.
Steve and Veronica Stevenson are his
parents and are with him in a
London Hospital. Grandparents are
Bill and Carol Stevenson and Les
and Cathy Glanville. Our thoughts
are also with the Donegan family as
Cullen Donegan was also injured in
the same accident.
We are glad to hear that Leslie
Knight is home from hospital
after having heart surgery. He is
doing well and Yvonne is doing
a great job handling all
duties, including head chauffeur.
Celebrating a special birthday last
week was Barb Dunbar. She was
joined by her family of David,
Ottawa and Becky, Ingersoll and
their families, Harriet, Matthew and
Paula for a dinner at Perth Meadows.
She included her sister Carol from
Tillsonburg and almost sister, Marg
and Ross Bennett, Brussels, plus
others for the dinner and visit.
Happy 90th birthday Barb!
Celebrating birthdays to start
October include Cindy Carter, Mary
Ann Grobbink, W. Doug Mitchell,
Helen Craig, Gerry Rijkhoff,
Campbell Wey, Christopher Blake,
Chantelle denDekker, Melva Fraser,
Bryce Shortreed, Matthew
Shortreed, Paulene Bennett, Shaye
Flaxbard, Paul Kirkby and Dianne
McCallum. Happy birthday to all.
By Jo-Ann McDonald
We here at Duff’s United are all
feeling a bit down these days. The
closure of this beautiful building and
the congregation disbanding has
caused many to feel lost. What did
we do? What could we have done
differently to avoid the closure?
There are no easy answers, no
miracles and no one to blame. We
should not dwell upon the “what
ifs”, but remember the blessings we
as a congregation have had.
We are no different than Jesus was
when he was taken into the
wilderness and was tempted by the
devil. Jesus was tempted by hunger,
he was tempted to save himself and
he was tempted by the offering of all
worldly goods. But Jesus rebuked
Satan and said to him “as it is
written – You shall worship the
Lord, your God and serve him only”.
We are like Jesus in that we are
heading into the wilderness and are
now being tempted – tempted to lose
our feeling of belonging, of losing
our church family, of losing our
connection to our community, of our
place of worship. We are going to
have to move to a new place of
worship, a new community and
become part of a new faith family.
But many will find that it is a
difficult thing to do, and many will
be tempted to give up their church
membership and faith. But just
because changes are ahead for the
Duff’s family, we need to have faith
in what is ahead and be thankful for
how we have been blessed.
As a congregation, we have been
blessed with many wonderful
ministers who have led us through
our spiritual journey.
When I arrived in Walton, the
names of Rev. Higgenbotham, Rev.
Hazelwood and Rev. Docken were
spoken with fondness and
admiration for a job well done in the
Walton congregation. Rev. Bonnie
Cole Arnal brought three lovely little
girls to add to our Duff’s family and
the youth of our church and was
married during her time here. We
have been blessed with the
wonderful musical talents of Joan
Tuchlinsky Black’s family.
We have had the opportunity to
learn of other cultures through our
ministers and we have experienced
all scenarios of life including
ministers that were divorced single
women, single mothers, single men
and families. We have had these
opportunities and have grown in our
acceptance of life and its challenges.
As a congregation, we have been
blessed to have had generations of
families stay in this community and
this church and raise their families
here. Six generations of some
families have been baptized,
confirmed, married and buried by
this church. Since 1950, the records
of the church have shown that 547
babies have been baptized in this
church. There have been 99
marriages since 1973 and since
2001, there have been 34 leave our
church family to be with their Lord,
with Mary Humphries, a 75-year
member, just this week. That is 680
blessings just from the current
record books.
Blessed is this congregation for
having so many dedicated members
of session, board, Sunday school
leaders and teachers, secretaries and
treasurers who have guided our
church through difficult times and
many good times.
This congregation has been
blessed with the special gift of
music. For a congregation of this
size, it is amazing to have so many
talented musicians and singers share
their talents. The beautiful singing
voices of Don McDonald, Mildred
Traviss, Marie McGavin, Gloria
Wilbee, Patty Banks, Graeme and
Cheryl Craig, Gail Traviss Moffett,
to name a few, who sang for many
special occasions and in the choir.
Talented organists such as Grace
Brown, Elva Wilbee and Glenda
Morrison have provided leadership,
time and ability, to provide music
and lead the many members of the
choir. The musical talent of the
members who have played
instruments over the years including
Ian, Brian, Keith and Gloria Wilbee,
Marion Godkin, Margery Huether,
Marie McGavin, Patty Banks,
Marjory Humphries, Pearl
McCallum, Phyllis Mitchell, Sean
Mitchell, Graeme Craig and others.
Their contributions of music have
lifted the hearts and spirits of this
congregation many times.
In times of need, this church has
been blessed, with the generosity of
its members, to solve the problem of
the day. Contributions to the
memorial fund have been available
to aid the church in desperate times,
and the church has received many
donations towards memorial gifts
for the church. The newly covered
front doors, in memory of Tobe and
Laura Murray, the registry table in
memory of Ernie Stevens, the
baptismal font in memory of Mary
Smillie, a music stand in memory of
James Carter, the Canadian and
United Church flags in memory of
Ken McDonald and the lovely
shadow box in memory of Geoffrey
Banks, to name a few of the gifts
received.
One of the greatest blessings and
the one that Duff’s United Church
will be remembered for many years
to come is the famous turkey supper,
held the first Wednesday in
November. Started in 1951, it was a
tradition carried on by the many
members of the UCW and the
extended membership of the church.
Women, men and children have all
aided in the success of the dinner. It
put Walton and Duff’s on the map
for having some of the most
outstanding cooks in the area. Even
with the closing of Duff’s, the
question has been asked many times,
“Are you still going to have the
dinner?”
Yes, as a congregation we have
been blessed. Blessed by the love of
the God who guided Jesus through
Galilee, to find his disciples, to
spread the word of Jesus’ teachings.
Blessed by the ancestors of this
church who built four strong walls.
Blessed by generations who kept
those walls strong for 150 years.
Blessed in the knowledge that we
have grown in the guidance of the
ministry of the United Church and
now, we must have faith that we will
be blessed and welcomed into
whatever church family we chose.
May we leave this place today
remembering, “We are Blessed”.
LOIS EVELYN VAN VLIET
Lois van Vliet of Blyth passed
away in Victoria Hospital, London,
Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015 in her 81st
year.
She was born, one of twins, on
May 29, 1935 on the family farm
near Carlow, the daughter of the
late Vere Dorval Cunningham and
Ethel Mary Brown. It was a
large family with a total of 10
children. She married Cornelis
van Vliet and the couple made
their home in Blyth for many
years.
Lois was very active in her
community. She operated a shop,
The Blyth Saga, on Blyth’s main
street for several years. She was an
elder and former archivist for the
Blyth United Church. She served as
a member of the board of directors
of the Blyth Centre for the Arts
(Blyth Festival) for many years and
later was a volunteer with, and
sponsor of, the Blyth Festival Art
Gallery. She was a member of the
Blyth Horticultural Society and her
home and garden were a stop on the
tour for judges when Blyth entered
the Communities in Bloom
competition.
She was a founding shareholder of
The Citizen and served on the North
Huron Publishing Company board
of directors until her death.
For her community service she
was chosen Blyth’s Citizen of the
Year in 2006.
At her funeral, which was held
Oct. 3 at Blyth United Church, she
was remembered as a deeply caring
person who always saw the best in
people. Floyd Herman, retired
organist at the church, remembered
that about once a year he’d find an
envelope on his organ with a note
from Lois saying how much she
appreciated his music, and a small
donation to help with the purchase
of sheet music.
Besides her husband Con, she is
survived by her daughter Kim and
her fiancé Nick Sauro of Windsor
and her sons Kent of Hearst and
Todd of Toronto. She was the loving
grandmother of Ryan and
Alexandria Tolton and Michael and
Laura Sauro.
Also surviving are three brothers:
Ford and his wife Eunice, Burt and
his wife Anne and Garth and his
wife Ruth, as well as her sister-in-
law Lois, wife of Laverne.
She was predeceased by her
brothers Elwin, Lorne and Laverne
and her sisters Doris, Joyce and
June.
Following her funeral Oct. 3,
interment was in Blyth Union
Cemetery. Funeral arrangements
were by the Falconer Funeral
Homes. As expressions of sympathy
donations may be made to the Blyth
United Church or Clinton Public
Hospital. Messages of condolence
may be left at the Falconer website
www.falconer funeralhomes.com.
North St. West, Wingham
Mac & Donna Anderson
519-357-1910
A cemetery is a history of
people, a perpetual record of
yesterday and a sanctuary of
peace and quiet today. A
cemetery exists because every
life is worth loving and
remembering - always
Distinctive Memorials of
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FROM WALTON
By Jo-Ann
McDonald
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PEOPLE AROUND
WALTON
McDonald pays tribute to Duff’s United