June 2025

Will John

Hello Harvey
Great job once again on the Newsletter I was saddened to hear of Will John's passing. He was a free spirit and everyone's friend . Perhaps Ian could pass on our kindest regards to his family. 

I was not surprised to read that some folks were not happy with your comments about Herr Trump. They may change their tune when the whackos with the horns cross the 49th parallel. Then again, maybe not. . 

All the best. 
Bob

Reunion Thanks & Photos

Dear Harvey,

Please extend my sincerest thanks to all the Committee volunteer members for such a great time this past weekend at the CCHS Reunion. People, if you missed it…that is just too bad because it was well planned out and executed nicely. Great to see so many old friends and meet a few new ones along the way. See my Facebook page for some pictures I took or visit the school’s alumni page for more.

I purchased the 1st passport ticket in early January and when you mentioned that in the February newsletter, well, I simply had to volunteer to be the class ambassador. In February, I reached out to 76 alumni whose e-mail addresses we had. 7 of those suggested they would likely attend. Then I looked up 59 alumni on Facebook to see if I could find some of the missing people and find their e-mail addresses. That took me most of the month of February. Some agreed to have their names put into the newsletter list while others declined. I did my best to raise awareness for the Reunion.

On May 16th, it started with a golf game in which I did not participate. I picked up Marjorie (Topham) McKeown around 4:30 from Brossard and we got to the Meet and Greet around 5:00. There were tickets to be purchased and registration to be done and then on to the gym to see who was there. There were bristol boards all around the gym with pictures and stories from all the years. They were not in numerical order so you had to look at them all before you found the one for your year. It was an excellent display of fun and people from the past. The new school’s logo (Saint Lambert International High School) was on the right-hand side of the stage and there was a set up for class pictures on the left. In a little while a smorgasbord of sandwiches, wraps, veggie and fruit trays were put on the tables. We all could help ourselves to the treats.

At about 7:30 p.m. there was a red carpet laid from the gym door to the front stage. Then a procession of former teachers were introduced. Sadly, many of them were after my time at CCHS. However, Mr. Peter Burpee, the best geography teacher of them all was there earlier. He had to leave and miss the parade due to family commitments in Westmount. It was nice to see him and visit for a short while.

On Saturday, there was a walking tour of the town, a Pickleball tournament in the gym and a school tour that all started around 11:00 a.m. If you chose some of the indoor events, you would be warm and dry. I am sure anyone on the walking tour would have been drenched! There was a huge down pour just about that time. One had to hurry home to change and get warm and dry because at 2:00 p.m. back at the gym, there was a Variety Show hosted by Ali Hassan.

The Variety Show opened with Bernie Praw explaining that he is trying to turn his tasks over to a younger generation so that things can continue in years to come.

Then one had to hurry home to change for the dinner dance that started at 6:00 p.m. Barry Keefer was the bar tender and I thank him for his excellent service. Then dinner was put on by Chartwells. One could have a choice of seafood in a vol au vent, chicken with mushroom sauce or primavera pasta. Later cakes and the most delicious warm custard tarts were served. While people were enjoying that, there were a few announcements about the winners of the golf game and the team that won the pickle ball tournament. Then the floor was cleared for dancing with Cadilac Music.

On Sunday morning, there was a brunch of smoked salmon and bagels served with yogurt and fruit. I didn’t quite get there in time for that as I was targeting the BBQ at noon. Barry Keefer was the BBQ expert and did an excellent job of getting hamburgers and hot dogs ready for the crowd. There were just a few folks that came out for this, however, it was the last chance to meet your friends and enjoy some time together. Interestingly, Miss Betty Grant, my favorite gym teacher was there. We had a good laugh at me climbing up the ropes at one end of the set of 5 or 6 and then working my way across to the last one before I climbed down.

By about 1:30/2:00 p.m. it was time to say good-bye to everyone and get on with the drive home to North Augusta. The whole weekend was just excellent fun. I am sorry you missed it. I enjoyed meeting up with Flemming Rasmussen, Harvey Carter, Jack Anderson, Karen Poulsen, Marjorie McKeown, her son Joseph McKeown and Adriana Grugel-Park, Catherine Ascah Paquet, William Arnold, Marry Rimmer, Gordie Mansell, Missy Harrison, Steve Grew, Peter Kerr, Peter Peets, Miss Grant and so many more.

Thanks so much to everyone who made this the best reunion ever.

Brenda Fisk
Class Ambassador 1969

More Praise for Reunion Organizers

Thank you for organizing the CCHS 30th all years' reunion. You and your committee did an outstanding job organizing this outstanding event.

The auditorium/gymnasium always reminds me of when the Grade 11’s wrote their June exams. The desks were arranged in rows at least 2-3  feet apart so no cheating took place. Non teaching people from the community acted as as invigilators. They walked up and down the wide rows answering the odd question and more importantly to check for cheating. Added to the tenseness of recalling, for example, the events of the Louis Riel Rebellions, Chemistry formulas and Algebra solutions, was the heat. It never failed, Mother Nature tested our fortitude by hiking the temperature and humidity. With sweaty bodies we managed to hold it together and soon the dreaded finals were over.

The venue for The Meet and Greet, Variety Show and Dinner and Dance was nostalgic for me. Gym classes, volley ball, basketball, badminton and the dances. The music of Bill Haley and the Comets, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino and Chubby Checker had us Rock and Rolling and sweating again! While at CCHS little did I know we were making memories to last a lifetime.
 
The Reunion reawakened  these fond memories of growing up in a calmer, peaceful time. A big thank you to your team for creating this wonderful Reunion. I appreciated your dedication to this project.

Beverly Stride 

A note from former teacher Jean McHarg

Dear Harvey,


Thanks very much for all the effort you put into getting another successful reunion" off the ground”. I enjoyed all the activities very much and it was great to see such a turnout. Please convey my thanks to the other committee members and to Skip as well.

I arrived home to rain but this too will improve with time I hope. My daughter is with me and we will commence opening he cottage and get ready for summer!!

Have a good rest and lots of golf later! Give my best to Kim!

A note from former teacher Gary Kirchner

To Karen, Jack, Maureen, Pamela, and everyone else on the organizing committee:
I’d like to express my sincere thanks for reaching out to me and inviting me to the All-years CCHS reunion. I had a wonderful time reconnecting with colleagues and students from my brief time at CCHS over forty years ago! It was quite a thrill.

Thank you, as well, for the honour you afforded the “appreciated teachers” (and including me among them)—it was indeed a moving experience to walk up the “red carpet”—and for generously providing for me a passport to the various reunion events. I really enjoyed the weekend.

I’m also aware of the time commitment and hard work that you all invested into making the event the success that it was. You did a superb job.

May I take the opportunity to wish you all the best. And please pass along my thanks to anyone else on the committee that I have not included with this mailing.

Thanks again, and have a great summer.
Gary

David E Sharp
July 11, 1951 – May 3, 2025

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of David E. Sharp on May 3, 2025, at the age of 73. Born on July 11, 1951, to Joan and Eric Sharp, David was a beloved son, brother, uncle, partner, and friend.

David spent much of his professional life with CN Rail, where he worked with dedication until his retirement. In his well-earned retirement, he found great joy in the simple pleasures of life— most notably on the golf course and in the curling rink. A devoted and long-time member of the St. Lambert Curling Club, David was not only an enthusiastic curler but also a committed volunteer who gave generously of his time and spirit.

He will be deeply missed by his loving partner, Jane, and his cherished brothers. David’s warmth, sense of humour, and quiet strength touched all who knew him.
He leaves behind a legacy of kindness, commitment, and community spirit. May he rest in peace.

As per Dave’s wishes there will be no funeral or ceremony. Please feel free to raise a glass in his memory.

Marguerite des Trois Maison (Enzio)

No obituary is available.

Bob Lemieux Class of 1963

Age 80, died on May 9, 2025. Bob was born December 16, 1944 in Rochester, New York. He was preceded in death by his mother, Evangeline Belliveau Ferrin; father, Clarence Ferrin; and stepfather, Yves Lemieux. Surviving are his wife, Mariette; children: Annick "Nikki" (Jerry) Smith and Daniel (Sarah) Lemieux; grandchildren: Emily (Matt) Szatkowski, Sarah (Michael) Smith-Moore, Paul (Alexander "Jack" McKenzie) Smith, Eric (Anna Dragan) Smith, Alyne Lemieux, Michael Lemieux, Elyse Lemieux; great-grandchildren: Till, Rhys, Emmett; aunt and uncle, Judith and Oswald Leblanc; and several cousins. Mass will be celebrated Tuesday (JUN 3) 11 AM at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 936 Lake St., Kalamazoo with visitation one-hour prior. A luncheon will follow in the gymnasium. Celebrate Bob's life online by sharing your favorite stories and photos on his dedicated webpage at BetzlerLifeStory.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Special Days Camps, specialdays.org. Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo (269) 375-2900.

A whistleblower leaves us

Translated from an uncredited French newspaper article we received. 

Montreal acquaintances of Bob Lemieux will be saddened to learn that the former captain of the Canadian junior team in the mid-1960s died Friday. Bob had been suffering from heart failure for several years. He was 80 years old.

During his time with the young Canadiens, he played with Serge Savard, Carol Vadnais, Jacques Lemaire, Yvan Cournoyer and Andre Boudrias, as well as several other figures who had played with the big club or other NHL teams. He was the guardian angel of his young teammates.

Bob played for the Oakland Seals when they first entered the league in 1967-1968. He played mostly in the minor professional ranks before becoming head coach of the Detroit Red Wings farm club, notably in Kalamazoo where he had his primary residence.

Committed to the cause

In 2013, he welcomed me to his summer home in Johnston Point, near Moncton, to talk about the after-effects of concussions, as part of a major report I had done on the subject.

He had embarked on an awareness campaign with a neurologist from the University of Moncton.

He had already decided to bequeath his brain after his death to the Baycrest Foundation, established in Toronto, and to the Brain Injury Research Institute, headquartered in Virginia. It was very important to him to make young people understand the effects of brain injuries.

He suffered from it for about 30 years after hanging up his skates at the age of 26.

I offer my condolences to his wife Mariette, to whom he was married for over 60 years, as well as to their two children and seven grandchildren.

Rest in peace, Bob.

A Slight Misunderstanding

An Irish art painter by the name of Murphy, while not a brilliant scholar, was a gifted portrait artist.
Over a short number of years, his fame grew and soon people from all over Ireland were coming to the town of Miltown Malbay, in County Clare, to get him to paint their likenesses.

One day, a beautiful young English woman arrived at his house in a stretch limo and asked if he would paint her in the nude. This being the first time anyone had made such a request he was a bit perturbed, particularly
when the woman told him that money was no object; in fact, she was willing to pay up to 10,000 pounds. Not wanting to get into any marital strife, he asked her to wait while he went into the house to confer with Mary, his wife. They talked much about the Rightness and Wrongness of it.  It was hard to make the decision but
finally his wife agreed, on one condition.  In a few minutes he returned.

"T'would be me pleasure to paint yer portrait, missus," he said "The wife says it's okay.  I'll paint you in the nude all right; but I have to at least leave me socks on, so I have a place to wipe me brushes."

T'is why we love the Irish.

Random thoughts

Still trying to get my head around the fact that 'Take Out' can mean food, dating, or murder. 

The older I get, the more I understand why roosters scream to start their day. 

If only vegetables smelled as good as bacon.

When I lost the fingers on my right hand in a freak accident, I asked the doctor if I would still be able to write with it.  He said, "Possibly, but I wouldn't count on it." 

We live in a time where intelligent people are silenced so that stupid people won't be offended.

The biggest joke on mankind is that computers have begun asking humans to prove they aren't a robot.
 

If Adam and Eve were Cajuns they would have eaten the snake instead of the apple and saved us all a lot of trouble.
 

Some of my friends exercise every day.  Meanwhile I am watching a show I don't like because the remote fell on the floor.
 

For those of you that don't want Alexa or Siri listening in on your conversation, they are making a male version; it doesn't listen to anything.
 

There's a fine line between a numerator and a denominator. Only a fraction of people will find this funny.

Believe it or Not

If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee. (Hardly seems worth it.)

If you passed gas consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb. 
(Now that's more like it!) 

A pig's orgasm lasts 30 minutes 
(In my next life, I want to be a pig.) 
 


A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death.  (Creepy, but I'm still not over the pig.) 
  

The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off. (Honey, I'm home . What the...?) 


Some lions mate over 50 times a day. 
(I still want to be a pig in my next life...quality over quantity.) 
 


Butterflies taste with their feet. 
(Something I always wanted to know.)  

The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue. 
(Hmmmmmm.......) 

Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump. 
(Okay, so that would be a good thing.) 

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. 
(I know some people like that.)  

Polar bears are left-handed. 
(If they switch, they'll live a lot longer.)  

Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure. 
(What about that pig? Do the dolphins know about the pig?)