ZEPHYR & SANDFORD by Pat Asling

In peaceful Uxbridge Township things go on normally, especially for our farmers. It’s hard to believe we are through the second week of June already and hay is cut and processed, corn is seen lining up in the fields and many gardens are beginning to take shape. The last two lines of the hymn I previously quoted are “Roots hold me close; wings set me free; Spirit of Life, come to me, come to me.” Roots of course are important to a farmer or gardener as without roots plants will not survive, and deep roots are especially necessary when the weather gets hot and dry, as it usually does during the summer. However, we also talk about our family roots, which I think more people are considering since being forced to stay distant from one another. A young friend posted a certificate he found Epsom church gave to his great uncle after the war was over. Well, I had to tell him that I knew that uncle, and his siblings, and I also knew his great-grandparents. That’s four generation, five if you count his kids! Before people start asking, there is going to be a decoration service at Sandford church, without a service! Grounds will be open and you may donate funds if they wish. A box will be on a table at the gate. The date is Sunday June 28th. There will be an announcement in the paper about the Decoration Service with more information. The Zephyr decoration service is also canceled for July 5th. Mary Clark, a longtime resident of Zephyr passed away last week. She and husband Ivan lived and farmed in the Zephyr area for years. Mary had fallen, was awaiting surgery but there were complications which led to her death before this could take place. Our deepest sympathies to her family and friends.

Long time customers of Williamson’s Car Dealership will be saddened to learn of the death of Jim Bartley, at the age of 82. When he retired from Williamson’s not that many years ago, there were three generations of Bartleys working for the company. Just this week Kevin Bartley was awarded a 25 year membership of the General Motors Canada, Sales and Marketing Guild. Good news about Conrad and Lisa Boyce – they have moved from their latest home in Brighton to which they moved in December, moved again now to 1655 Pickering Parkway, a condo just a stone’s throw away. There were a number of birthdays last week including Gloria Cox Ewen (Sandy) and Stacey Kearly, real-estate agent extraordinaire. Happy birthday to Kyle Meek, son of Wendy and Brian Meek. Kyle’s grandparents, Harvey and Freda Meek, lived for many years in Sandford, running the farm now owned by Jim Crossland. This week brother Kirk Meek turned 21. Happy birthday guys! Rev. Karen Croxall also celebrated a birthday. Karen has been busy lately with a couple of small events at Trinity which she is now taking on pastoral care as they are also without a full-time minister. She is also madre of the 170 Branch Legion. Anne St. John has also enjoyed a birthday. Nurses are kept busy at all times. Congratulations also to Sherrill Hodgson who does a great job running the Legion. On the 10th we should all celebrate with Prince Phillip, who will be 99. Although not taking part in Royal duties any longer he is enjoying family events. The Queen’s official birthday was this week! On Thursday the 11th, Heidi Lockerby will be celebrating her 80th birthday. Happy birthday to Heidi with the hope for better health in the year ahead. Ross Risebrough will reach that milestone on June 18th. My sorority sister Diane Signal celebrated a birthday but my life friend Lois Simpson Elford celebrated 92 years of a good life! Special birthday wishes to Eileen Warren who is 96. Eileen and husband Jim ran a hardward store on lower Brock for many years, raising three daughters and one son. Two of their daughters married Sandford area boys. At 88, Marie Forsythe is still very much a going concern volunteering for Community Care and other groups. Before retiring she worked many years in our Public Health office, where I worked with her, in the days when Uxbridge still had things such as a vital Red Cross. Anniversary congratulations go out to Barb and Tony Peck who have been married for 50 years, ran the Shell station for a good many of those years and raised 3 children. Gloria and Donnie Ross have been married for all of 37 years and are still going strong. Don’s cousin Louise Weir and husband Steve Lougheed are celebrating their 23rd anniversary. Best wishes for many more years together! Our sympathies go to the family of Margaret Weatherup (late husband Alexander) who passed away, age 84, on June 5th, leaving children Alexandria, Gordon (Susan Stewart) and Gregory (Jennifer). She was a grandmother of six, great-grandmother of one.