Category: J

Honoured by Rod’s Team.  Story to follow.

Honoured by her loving grandparents Mike and Kelly Johnson

Thank you for honouring Aria with a Leaf of Inspiration and for supporting your Community Waterfront Park.  Story to follow.

Honoured by David Justice.

Thank you for honouring George and Kathryn Justice with a Leaf of Inspiration and for supporting your Community Waterfront Park project. Story to follow.

Honoured by Shirley Priolo.

Thank you for purchasing a Leaf of Inspiration honouring your dog, Jake, and for supporting your Community Waterfront Park. Story to follow.

Harry Joiner was born in Chamberlain Township in 1929. His wife, Jean Joiner, was born in Woodford in 1928. They moved to North Bay in 1959 and have enjoyed the Waterfront for more than 50 years, spending many enjoyable hours walking along the beaches and boating on the lake.

Harry worked for the Ontario Hydro for 38 years. They have four children: Elaine, Walter, Timothy and Brian; five grandsons, three great grandsons, and one great granddaughter.

Harry and Jean are proud to support the Community Waterfront Park and look forward to enjoying many more summers at North Bay’s Waterfront.

Honoured by their family

Born on Jan. 18, 1921 in Callander, ON, Lawrence Edward Jamieson was the son of Mary (McDonald) and William Jamieson and brother to Gordon, Jimmie, Wilmer, Lovina (Perron), Jean (Hamilton), Eilleen (Way), Eveline (Duffy), and Gloria (Rowlandson). Lawrence attended McDonald’s School in North Himsworth.

Born on July 2, 1927 in Asquith, Sask., Marjorie (Marj) Jane Kerr was the second of 10 children born to Harriet Viola Jane (Souster) and James F. Kerr. Her siblings, eldest to youngest were Frances (Wallace), Allen, Marion (Jamieson), Irene (McMillan), Joyce (Raaflaug), Ted, Bill, Bruce and James (Jim).

Lawrence and Marj married August 14, 1946 at the Callander, ON Knox United Church. They built their own home at 31 Riverbend Road, where they lived all their days. Lawrence worked for the North Bay Hydro and his main hobby was listening to or playing fiddle music.

Marj graduated from hairdressing school and opened a business in her home. She loved the opportunity to make her clients feel special. A number of her nieces remember spending hours in her shop, listening, marvelling and doing little jobs that kept them close to their Aunt Marj’s vivacious and highly entertaining small business. Others spent time picking her dandelions for her farred pickles, so she said. Marj loved to golf in summer. In winter, she was an enthusiastic member of the Senior Ladies Curling Team of North Bay. In 1978, the team of Jo Wallace (skip), Vivian Gallardi (Vice), Marj Jamieson (2nd), Emily Gatenby (lead) won the Northern Ontario Senior Ladies. The team continued playing in the McDonald Lassies Championship in Sault Ste Marie. In 198, the same four ladies, after winning the Northern and Southern Senior Ladies tournaments, travelled to St. Johns, Nfld. play in the Canadian Ladies Curling Association tournament.

Marj and Lawrence both enjoyed receiving family and friends at their cottage at Deep Water Point, Callander, and both loved to fish! Over the years, dogs held a special place in their hearts. Lucky was the most memorable for us kids. Marj and Lawrence were long-time members of Bethel Gospel Chapel, North Bay, where Marj as an Awana Leader and her core faith in the Lord Jesus Christ had a tremendous influence in many lives.

Lawrence pre-deceased Marj in 2004 at age 83. Marj continued vibrantly until 2011 when she died at the young age of 84 joining Lawrence at the Forest Lawn Cemetery. They are now strolling the golden streets of glory with their Lord Jesus Christ for eternity. They are missed dearly by all their nieces and nephews, who received hug bundles of attention, as Lawrence and Marj had no children of their own.
This Leaf of Inspiration is dedicated in memory of Great Aunt and Uncle from their 30 “Kerr” nieces and nephews.

Honoured by the J.O.Y. BAND members past and present

North Bay’s J.O.Y. Band (Just Older Youth) began in the fall of 2007 under the auspices of Calvin Presbyterian Church where Betty Farris (the group’s founder) was Director of Music. The fledgling, adult-oriented band had its first practice shortly after Thanksgiving with about a dozen members. Open to anyone who wanted to play a band instrument, interest was soon generated. Betty was finding that there were many adults who had always wanted to play an instrument – but, for some reason, had never been given the opportunity. Some were active in school music programs, but had not played for a long time. Many could not read music having had no formal musical training – but they all had a strong interest, commitment and a willingness to learn.

By offering individual help, extra practices and classes in basic music theory, more members were encouraged to join. The band played publicly the first time at the 2007 Christmas Sunday worship service at Calvin Church and the band had grown to over 25 musicians. Now, beginning its fifth season, the ensemble is a fully independent community band with more than 70 members. The band has included members aged 16 through 86 years young, all playing for the joy of music.

The J.O.Y. Band concept is patterned after the New Horizon Band program conceived by Dr. Roy Ernst, a professor at the Eastman School of Music. He believed that anybody, especially and older adult, can learn to play a musical instrument and he established the first New Horizons Band in 1991. North Bay’s band is counted among more than 100 similar programs (directed mostly by retired teachers) throughout the world.

The J.O.Y. Band has three main objectives: help people learn to play an instrument or help them improve existing playing skills; have fun making music with others; spread their joy of making music with others through playing outreach concerts in the community including local churches, seniors centres and at various fundraising events.

Betty Farris invited Neil Kennedy to share in the direction of the band in 2009. Both are retired high school music teachers. They each perform in the band when not conducting.

Band members supply their own instruments and attend two practices weekly, performing a balanced repertoire of varied difficulty. This includes show tunes, swing selections, marches, classical pieces, novelty numbers and formal concert arrangements. Attendance at these practices is never a problem because members are eager to learn and enjoy the social camaraderie and positive accomplishments they create playing together. As stated by one member, “it has opened a whole new world to me. I always leave the practices feeling great!”

When asked about the future of the band, Betty says: “We will keep on having fun making music and sharing it with others.”

If it is true that music is food for the soul, this band of music-makers will undoubtedly be happy feasting for many years to come.

Honoured by his loving grandparents,
Mike and Kelly Johnson.

Honoured by Dr. Susan Johnston and Shawn Travers.  Thank you purchasing a leaf for Lalia and supporting your Waterfront Park.

Honoured by Hariett Madigan

My mom was born January 27, 1916, to Cora Le Clerc, a dedicated home-maker, and to Peter Messier, who worked in the logging camps and also as a trapper, in a hamlet in Northern Ontario.

Marie was one of 14 children.  As was sometimes required in her day, Marie stayed home to help her mother care for the children.  As a result, her formal education was cut short when she left school at age 7 to care for her younger siblings.  For much of her youth she worked as a maid, housekeeper, cook, and waitress in Northern Ontario.  During those years, she taught herself to read and write. What’s more, she developed  a financial acumen and will to survive that her children came to recognize, appreciate, respect, and emulate.

She married William Johnson in 1937, and had her first daughter, Bonnie, in 1938.  In 1939, her husband enlisted with the Canadian Engineers and joined the WWII effort .  Marie spent six years as a single parent during this difficult time, working full time in the mines driving the slag trams for INCO. Bill and Marie began their life together, once more, in 1946.  Marie gave birth to twins, Herb and Hariett, in 1947.  Life in the 50’s was challenging and led to the family moving frequently, often due to Bill searching for work.   It wasn’t easy, but wherever we went, Marie made sure that our family had a home, food, and a garden.   Marie loved horticulture.  She just loved to grow things!  As a child I recall listening to her as she would talk to her houseplants into growing – she treated them as if they were family!  She also knew the value of composting and practiced it long before it was popular.

Bill used to say that Marie could make “something from nothing,” and it honestly seemed that way.  For instance, Mom could make delicious meals to feed her family with very few ingredients, and over the years she won many blue ribbons from the North Bay Horticultural Society for her gardening magic.  She could make a garden in very poor soil, as she did wherever she lived. She even managed to create her own little garden in a space no one imagined there could be one, tucked away at the back of the ONR apartments on Oak Street.

My mom made a difference in my life and touched many people with her sense of humor, her ability to survive and persevere through difficult times, and her compassion for others, which she displayed through every day kindnesses. She loved to walk at the waterfront and certainly loved the gardens. She even became a Heritage Gardener at one point.  Marie would be so pleased to be remembered as a contributor to building our community one leaf at a time, to beautifying our future Waterfront Park on reclaimed rail lands, to being a part of something that began from nothing.

Marie now resides at Leisureworld.  She has dementia and is 96 years old.  She has forgotten most everyone but she will be remembered forever on the Leaves of Inspiration Pergola.  Thank you Mom.