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By Terry Fleurie
News Editor
Former Palmer Postmistress
Palmer Rapids -- A well-know member of the Palmer Rapids area celebrated a huge milestone in her life Sunday in the community where she and her husband served the public for over 40 years.
Cecelia Budarick celebrated her 100th birthday at an afternoon reception at the Palmer Rapids Arena where a steady stream of family and friends offered their best wishes.
Mrs. Budarick and her husband, Willard were well known in the area, having operated the Canada Post outlet from their home in the hamlet for 41 years, from 1937 to 1978.
The third eldest and only surviving member of 11 children of Richard and Augusta Gutz, she was born on November 18, 1913 at the family farm in Rosenthal. She attended Rosenthal Public School where she graduated from Grade 8. In her later teen years, she helped her mother raise the other children in the summer months and spent some winters in Ottawa where she worked as a domestic.
Celebrates 100th Birthday
By Gerald Tracey
News Editor
“Mr. Killaloe” Benny Afelskie
Killaloe -- The shoemaker and businessman known to his customers as simply “Benny” and who built a thriving business in a small village, drawing repeat customers from a large area who made visiting his store a priority, passed away last Wednesday, July 17.
He was an icon of the Killaloe community, a legendary figure for most of his 60 years in business and a man known far and wide for his unique personality and business acumen.
Benedict (Benny) Anthony Afelskie, the long-time proprietor of Afelskie Shoe’s in Killaloe and Barry’s Bay, died in St. Francis Memorial Hospital in Barry’s Bay where he had been a patient since mid February. Mr. Afelskie, who suffered from diabetes in his latter years, went into the hospital with infection in one of his feet. The infection later spread and eventually caused his death. He was 85.
A Tribute To Benny Afelskie
By Kendra Afelskie
Welcome and thank you all for gathering to celebrate the life of my grandfather Benny Afelskie. My name is Kendra Afelskie and I am Benny’s favourite grandchild. I know I’m not supposed to let that secret slip since I promised never to tell but,don’t worry gramps, I will deal with the backlash down here while you are safe up there for many decades before any of the other nine arrive to contend.
When I started this daunting task of narrating Benny’s life I thought to myself: “how long do I get to talk?” But after a long while of contemplation one recurring word kept coming to my mind, legend. I found this word fitting for the story I knew I wanted to tell.
By Niall McArdle
April 8, 2013
Mea Culpa; Mea Maxima Culpa
I understand that some people in the Ottawa Valley are upset with me over an article I wrote for The Irish Times website about the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Douglas. I have been rather busy and have not been on the Internet much, so I did not even know people didn't like it. I found out over the Easter weekend when Charlotte returned to the Valley to visit her father. I’d been wondering why I was getting so many strange looks; I assumed it was because of the beard!
I would like to take this opportunity to explain my motivation in writing the piece, and to apologize to anyone if they were offended.
I have lived in Eganville for several years, but this was my first time to spend St Patrick’s Day in Douglas. I went not knowing what to expect, other than the fact it would be a party and there would probably be leprechauns. Any town that has as its motto “Home of the Leprechauns” is going to err on the side of kitsch on St. Patrick’s Day, as would many other Irish communities across the globe.
And there were indeed leprechauns. Lots of them. And shamrocks. The inventiveness and ridiculous good humour of some of the floats was very impressive. And let me say this: There is just as much chance that I would have seen leprechauns and shamrocks and pots of gold and harps in a similar parade in an Irish town.