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Event Date : Thursday, April 10, 1902
Event Type : Death

Description : "Age: 64th year. Born in Bradford on December 12, 1838, as the second, but oldest living son of Thomas and Jane Driffill. His father, Thomas, had come to Bradford before it was a town, and was first married in 1830. His first wife died, and he remarried, and had eight children. Only four survive: Mrs. Jeffs, Bond Head; James Driffill, Toronto; Mrs. T.S. Graham, Bradford; Miss C.E. Driffill, Newmarket. Joseph was married in May 1869 to Margaret E. Clinkenbroomer, daughter of Joseph Clinkenbroomer, then of Bradford. They had four children, of whom Alfred and Edna survive. Arthur died in 1894 at age 24 (or in 1895 at age 25), and Louisa in 1898, at age 23. Joseph partnered with his brother James and ran a hardware store on the corner of Holland and Simcoe Street. Interred in Mount Pleasant cemetery."

Event Date : January 25, 1891
Event Type : Death

Synopsis:
Age: 73 years, 9 months, 26 days. Born at Old Castle, County Meath, Ireland in 1817. Emigrated to Canada in 1819, and settled on lot 24, concession 5, Tecumseth. Married Margaret Sutherland of West Gwillimbury, and they moved to lot 4, concession 6. Widowed, and married Miss Sharpe of King Township. He had a daughter who married Ingham N. Sharpe, and now lives in West Toronto Junction. Died of a paralytic stroke. Interred at St. John's Cemetery, Tecumseth.

"Fred Cook, a man who for many years was a social and political influence in Bradford, died last Thursday in York County Hospital at 73. Mr. Cook was admitted to the hospital April 6 suffering from a heart attack. Funeral services were held in Trinity Anglican Church, Bradford, on Monday afternoon with the Rector, Rev. Jack House and Bishop Hunt, a lifelong friend of Mr. Cook's, conducting the service. Hundreds of friends and associates gathered in the little church on Church St. that Fred Cook served so well. Mayor Joe Magani led a delegation of members of council and the town administrative staff. Many officials representing the various surrounding municipalities also attended the special funeral service. During his 73 years, Fred Cook's life revolved around the town of his birth, Bradford."

BRADFORD - They came by the hundreds yesterday (Tuesday) to pay their respects to a dedicated fire fighter - Harold "Butch" Boyd, Bradford's fire chief, who died Saturday in York County Hospital in Newmarket.

He was 64.

Firefighters from across southern Ontario came to pay a final tribute to the quiet, modest man who was buried in full uniform yesterday at Newmarket Cemetery.

His comrades formed an honor guard after a simple ceremony at the Lathangue and Skwarchuk Funeral Home.

Up until the morning before he died, Butch was preparing for a fire safety campaign involving his pet project: having smoke detectors installed in every home in Bradford.

WORK TO DO

His widow Eileen recalls him telling fellow Bradford firefighter Jim Church Friday, "I've got to go down to the fire hall. There's a lot of work to do."

"Being fire chief was his whole life," said Sherran Breedon, his daughter. "The only time he ever went anywhere - Quebec and Regina - was to a convention as Bradford's fire chief.:

Former Fire Chief Ted Gapp remembers Butch as a "real good, dedicated fireman."

He was born in Newmarket, moving to Bradford in 1937 where he opened a butcher shop. He married Eileen in 1942 and moved into the house, coincidentally, directly across from the future fire hall where he would spend so much of his time.

Eileen smiled when she remembered his unorthodox style of buying a home.

"He never even looked inside the place. He just figured that since he was getting married he needed a house."

She fell through the floor as soon as she stepped in for her first look.

36 YEARS SERVICE

Butch joined the fire department in 1943. He was also a charter member of the Bradford Lions Club, although he stopped his activities with the club some time later.

In addition to his profession as butcher, Butch was also a restauranteur, pool hall operator, and manager of the first vacuum plant in Ontario - "A jack-of-all-trades," according to his daughter.

Butch became fire chief after the retirement of Ted Gapp in 1975.

He was an avid curler and belonged to the curling club up until three years ago.

But his first love was the fire department.

Despite recent hospitalization, he continued to organize his safety campaign, arrange the weekly practice drills, conduct school tours, and when the need arose, supervise firefighting.

He was rushed to York County Friday evening after he developed breathing difficulties. He died the following morning.

Harold Boyd leaves his wife Eileen, daughter Sherran (Mrs. George Breedon) of Bradford, three grandchildren, Laurie, Paul and Trish, and a brother Glenn of Scarborough.

Pallbearers were Orville Hand, Bill Breen, Ron Bannerman, Lawrence McKnight, Jim Church and George Allan. Flowerbearers were Ted Gapp, Ken Carter, Roy Storey, Bev Everitt, Gordon Church and Ted Bulpit.

Bradford Witness and South Simcoe News
February 15, 1984

W. Earl Rowe, veteran of federal politics and former lieutenant-governor of Ontario, died yesterday of a heart attack at his farm, about 70 kilometres (43 miles) north of Toronto. He was 89.

A lover of both politics and horses, Mr. Rowe spent 35 years as a Progressive Conservative member at both provincial and federal levels before being named lieutenant-governor in 1963, a post he held for five years.

His only defeat at the polls came in 1937, when he waged an unsuccessful attempt to wrest the Ontario premiership from Liberal Mitchell Hepburn. Shortly afterwards, he returned to federal politics.

Born in Iowa of Ontario parents, Mr. Rowe began his political career in 1919, when he was elected reeve of Gwillimbury Township.

He next won a provincial seat in the riding of South Simcoe in 1923 and two years later won the federal seat of Dufferin-Simcoe. He held the seat for 38 years with the only interruption being his try for the Ontario premiership.

Mr. Rowe was the youngest member in the cabinet of R.B. Bennett, serving briefly in 1935 as a minister without portfolio in the short-lived government. he resigned his federal seat and returned to provincial politics when the government was defeated in November of that year.

He remembered Bennett as "probably the most knowledgeable and least appreciated prime minister because of the very difficult time he went through."

Mr. Rowe was provincial Tory leader from 1936 to 1938, but his failure to win a seat in the 1937 election, and reported dissension in party ranks, sent him back to Ottawa.

He ran federally for Dufferin-Simcoe again in 1940, and was reelected six times before leaving federal politics in 1963 to become lieutenant-governor, a position he held for five years.

Mr. Rowe and his late wife, Teva, raised horses.

Event Date : Sunday, December 27, 1936
Event Type : Death

Description : One of Bradford's oldest businessmen, Mr. Crake died in Wellesley Hospital, Toronto, at the age of 79. He was the first Chevrolet dealer in the area. Funeral service at his late residence, Bradford, on Dec. 29th. Service in the United Church. Interment in Aurora Cemetery.

Event date: Monday, July 27, 1959
Event type: Death

Description: Mr. Dan Sadovchuk had been in York County Hospital about two months and appeared to be improving when death struck suddenly on Monday, July 27.
Bron in the Ukraine, September 23, 1888, Mr. Sadovchuk came to Canada when nineteen years old, living in Montreal until 1924. While in Montreal he married a young widow, Mrs. Stephanie Semenuk Pelowich, who had a little son Jimmy. Mr. and Mrs. Sadovchuk lived in Port Colborne and Windsor before coming to Bradford in 1932. They had one son of their own, George, who grew up and attended school in Bradford.
Mr. Sadovchuk was a gardener, and loved gardens. Everyone who knew him said he was a fine man. The serenity of his countenance bore evidence to the truth of the statement.
He is survived by his wife, of Bradford; his son, George Sadovchuk, of Toronto, his step-son, Jimmy Pelowich of Toronto; and one sister, Mrs. N. Malnachuk of Blind River, Ontario.
Rev. T.J. Dew of Mimico returned to Bradford to take the funeral services in Trinity Anglican Church, Bradford. Interment in Prospect Cemetery, Toronto.

Description : E. Gladstone Lloyd of Schomberg dies of heart ailment at the age of 55. Schomberg's postmaster for more than 25 years.

"Richard James Neilly, who has been a resident of Aurora for the past fourteen years, died suddenly on Tuesday, November 14 at his late residence in town. Born in Gilford, Mr. Neilly received his public school education there and later attended Bradford high school. For twenty-eight years he was the manager and buyer for the Victoria Mercantile Company, Victoria Harbour, Ontario. Moving to Drayton in 1929 he conducted a general store and later retired, moving to Aurora in 1936. Mr. Neilly was a member of the former Methodist Church and later the United Church and was also a part master of the Victoria Lodge, A.F. & A.M. for Victoria Harbour. The funeral service was conducted be Rev. H. Howey on Thursday at Thompson Funeral Home. Interment was at Coulson's Hills cemetery. The pallbearers were three cousins, William Baynes, Barrie, Wilfred Wood, Deerhurst, and Roy Kneeshaw, Bradford; and three members of the Aurora United Church, Frank Hughes, Tom Swindle, and Alex Bell. Surviving are his widow, the former Rose Baker; three sons, Homer of Ottawa, Harold of the Western University, London, and Earl of Aurora; one daughter Vivian of Aurora; four sisters, Cassie, Addie, Jennie, of Toronto, and Annie of Norland. A brother, Wesley, paid the supreme sacrifice in World War I."

Description : Wilfred Kingsley critically injured his wife, Helen, with a hammer before killing himself. He leaves five children, Johnny, Peter, Jimmy, Gail, and Dawn, his mother, and two sisters, Mrs. Dave Melbourne of Toronto, and Mrs. Gilbert Faris of Kleinburg.