Event Date : Sunday, September 06, 1981
Event Type : Death

Description : Died at Sunnybrook Hospital, Toronto, in her 58th year. Of Bradford, beloved wife of Lewis, dear daughter of Julianna, dear mother of Victoria (Mrs. George Bos) and Daniel. Dear sister of Carolyn (Mrs. Ted Greenwood), Newmarket. Dear grandmother of Michael and Steven. Rested at Lathangue & Skwarchuk Funeral Home, 30 Simcoe St., Bradford. Funeral mass was held at Holy Martyrs of Japan Church Thursday at 10 a.m. Interment Holy Martyrs Cemetery.

Event Date : Wednesday, July 08, 1981
Event Type : Death

Description : Former owner, publisher, and editor of The Bradford Witness, Ina McKenzie, died last Wednesday, July 8, after a lengthy illness. She was 89. Born Ina Galbraith in Paisley, Bruce County, Mrs. McKenzie learned to be independent at an early age after the death of her father at age 29. Her mother, a school teacher, struggled to raise her and younger sister Donalda. "I went into teaching as well because there was nothing else a girl at that time could do except become a nurse" Mrs. McKenzie remarked in an interview before her death. She taught for several years in the tough downtown Toronto core where her students included the famous Conacher brothers. "They were wonderful boys. Perhaps a bit mischievious though" she recalled laughing. After marrying her childhood sweetheart Stewart McKenzie (who died in 1975) she left teaching to move to Detroit with her husband."All that time - it was in the 1920s - Detroit was a boom town. Everyone was playing the stock market and making a great deal of money - on paper at any rate. Stewart got a job on a financial publication called Saturday Night."Mr. McKenzie had an extensive background in the newspaper business. His father had owned the Paisley Advocate.While in Detroit the stock market crashed and Mr. McKenzie because he was a Canadian citizen was in danger of losing his job."I told Stewart 'Let's look for a business now while you've still got a job' so we went on vacation and looked at what appeared to be a very prosperous newspaper in Trenton" Mrs. McKenzie remembered.However being a very astute business woman she noted that the paper printed a great deal of political material that would come to a halt if the government changed. They decided to look elsewhere.Bradford was their next stop."When we arrived in Bradford it was a beautiful day" she recalled. However the condition of The Bradford Witness was something else again."Stewart went in and told me 'The machinery is a disgrace'" she remembered but they loved the little town and decided to stay contributing greatly to its prosperity and growth over the years.In those first years of the Depression Bradford was little more than a main street the lower end shabby the western portion relatively prosperous she recalled. "Everything was booming when we arrived in Bradford." Mrs. McKenzie noted. "But shortly after many people were in dire poverty. If we would have collected what was on our books we could have retired however people gave what they could."During this time they relocated the paper's office from Holland St. to Barrie St. (where the European Bakery is currently located) remaining there until they retired in 1968 selling the paper to Gerry Barker.Before deteriorating eyesight hampered her activities Mrs. McKenzie was extremely active in various organizations in Bradford. During the Second World War she headed the Bradford chapter of the Canadian Red Cross. She was a charter member of the West Gwillimbury chapter of IODE and a past president of the Bradford Women's Institute. She also taught Sunday School at the Bradford United Church. One of the driving forces behind fund-raising efforts for the Bradford Community Centre. Mrs. McKenzie also lent her considerable energies and intelligence to the Hurricane Hazel flood relief program and various other community projects. Ina McKenzie is survived by her sister Donalda Crosbie of Toronto nephew Robert W. Crosbie and good friend Ella Langford of Bradford. She was also great-aunt to Alexander George and Cynthia. Friends called at the Lathangue and Skwarchuk Funeral Home and a service conducted by Rev. G. McFarlane was held in the chapel on Friday July 10. She was buried next to her husband at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto.Donations to the West Gwillimbury chapter of IODE would be appreciated.

Event Date : Wednesday, July 08, 1981
Event Type : Death

Description : Former owner and publisher of The Bradford Witness died after a lengthy illness. Beloved wife of the late Stewart S. McKenzie, beloved sister of Donalda Crosbie, Toronto, dear aunt of Robert W. Crosbie, loving great-aunt of Alexander, George and Cynthia. Dear friend of Mrs. Ella Langford. Rested at Lathangue & Skwarchuk Funeral Home, 30 Simcoe St., Bradford. Service was held in the chapel Friday at 1 p.m. Interment Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto.

Event Date : Tuesday, June 16, 1981
Event Type : Death

Description : Died at Riverdale Hospital. Of Toronto and formerly of Bradford, dear sister of Norma Robb, Vera Williams and Ernest Peterman. Also survived by nieces and nephews. Rested at Lathangue & Skwarchuk Funeral Home, 30 Simcoe St., Bradford. Service was held in the chapel Friday at 2 p.m. Interment Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Bradford.

Event Date : Friday, December 05, 1980
Event Type : Death

Description : Former West Gwillimbury councillor and life-long township farmer Robert Henry Westlake died December 5. He was 69. Mr. Westlake also served as the township tile drain inspector until about two years ago. He leaves a wife, Emlyn Turton; children Ken of Shelburne; Kathryn (Mrs. Steve Varga) of Bradford; Doug of Red Deer, Alberta; Betty (Mrs. Carman Buttars) of Cambridge; Lawrence of Red Deer, Alberta; and Diane (Mrs. Ross Caldwell) of Agincourt. Mr. Westlake also leaves seven grandchildren, three sisters: Ethel (Mrs. Frank Hurd) of Caledon East; Lillian (Mrs. Walt Edney) and Ruth (Mrs. C. Kneeshaw), both of Bradford; and brother Ernie of Toronto. He is predeceased by brother Roy. Born in Bradford, Mr. Westlake was the son of Henry Westlake and Annie Morrison. He married his wife in Kleinburg February 20, 1942. He was a member of the Scotch Settlement Presbyterian Church. A funeral service was held at the Lathangue and Skwarchuk Funeral Home December 9. Rev. G. M. McFarlane performed the service, with interment following at Emmanuel United Church Cemetery in Bond Head. Pallbearers were sons Ken, Doug, and Lawrence, along with sons-in-law Steve Varga, Carman Buttars, and Ross Caldwell.Relatives and friends attended from Palmerston, London, Toronto, Red Deer, Alberta, Renfrew, Cobourg, and Strathroy.

Event Date : Tuesday, August 28, 1979
Event Type : Death

Description : One of the Holland Marsh pioneers, John Wist Sr. died last Tuesday (August 28) at York County Hospital in Newmarket. He was 83. Born in Yugoslavia, Mr. Wist emigrated to Canada in 1927, residing first in the west, then moving to the Leamington area. He and his wife Elizabeth worked on a sugar beet farm weeding for $12 an acre - tough work that lasted from sunup to sundown. Forty years ago, Mr. Wist and his family settled in the Holland Marsh where he cleared a five-acre parcel of land. He built a home on the King Rd. near the Fourth Concession, carrying every piece of lumber for the house the distance of one mile. Back in those days work really meant work" his son John Jr. commented. While he officially retired about 30 years ago Mr. Wist still kept busy on the family farm near the Muck Research Station. He helped with the back-breaking job of clearing the land and his son recalled one incident where his father had fallen during the clearing operations. Shrugging off the pain Mr. Wist suggested more work could be done on the drainage ditches. It was only later that he discovered he'd cracked two ribs in that fall. For the past two years Mr. Wist and his wife lived in retirement in Bradford. He became ill about one month ago. Mr. Wist leaves his wife Elizabeth Ernst and his son John Jr. He is predeceased by his son Frank. He also leaves a brother Mike of Toronto, grandsons Jim, Rick, Gary, and Paul, and great-grandchildren Kim, Teressa and Jaimie. Friends called at the Lathangue & Skwarchuk Funeral Home in Bradford and funeral mass was held at the Holy Martyrs of Japan Roman Catholic Church last Friday. He was buried at the Holy Martyrs Cemetery in West Gwillimbury Township."

Event Date : Saturday, March 24, 1979
Event Type : Death

Description : Died at York County Hospital, Newmarket, in his 65th year. Beloved husband of Eileen and dear father of Sherran (Mrs. George Breedon) of Bradford, dear grandfather of Laurie, Paul and Trish, dear brother of Glenn of Scarborough. Rested at Lathangue & Skwarchuk Funeral Home, 30 Simcoe St., Bradford. Service was held in the chapel at 2 p.m. Interment Newmarket Cemetery.

Event Date : Thursday, August 17, 1978
Event Type : Death

Description : One of Bradford's most active and well known women, Dorothy "Dode" Marks died August 17 in York County Hospital in Newmarket. She was 68. Mrs. Marks was born in the home she lived in most of her life the daughter of Walter Reeves, a Bradford police officer for 20 years, and Sadie Saint. She was educated in Bradford attending both Bradford Public School and Bradford High School after which she worked for a short time in the Stein Furniture Factory which stood on the property now occupied by Toby's Restaurant. In 1930 she married Harvey Marks and spent the next few years raising three children Noreen (Hodgson), Beverley (Sanders), and Bill. She also had seven grandchildren and one great-grandson. An active woman Mrs. Marks was a member of the Women's Institute and also enjoyed bowling tennis badminton and baseball. She worked off and on for The Witness for 25 years often working well into the night organizing subscriptions. A tireless worker she was never heard to complain according to co-workers. Mrs. Marks was a member of the community centre board from its inception in 1956 until 1974 running for no wage the concession booth. According to former board member and co-worker Joe Magani, "Dode and Ted Dow ran that thing all year and the only compensation they got was a steak dinner once a year. For almost 20 years they kept that arena out of the red and that's a fact. Our expenses for running the arena were paid by the proceeds of that booth." A descendant of Bradford's pioneer families Mrs. Marks had a thorough knowledge of the history of the area and provided The Witness with many of the historical photos used in the Yesterdays column. Many of those same photos were used in the Bradford Centennial Book of 1957. Funeral service was held Saturday August 19 in the chapel Lathangue & Skwarchuk Funeral Home. Pallbearers were James Church, Jack Church, Gordon Church, Robert Watson, Kenneth Saint, and Bill Enwright. Burial took place at Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

Event Date : Saturday, January 07, 1978
Event Type : Death

Description : Died at York County Hospital, Newmarket. Eldest daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. James Webb, dear sister of George, Agatha (Mrs. L. Walker), Mary (Mrs. H. Hillary) and the late James and Dan Webb. Funeral service was held in Trinity Anglican Church, Bradford, on Jan. 9, 1978.