Real Talk!

Day 19 What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?

Well... well... well...

You may notice that I haven't been keeping up to date on this blog of truth... it's been a wild month. My father-in-law passed away... and we closed the ski hill... it's been a month of religion and politics...

and what do I think of them? All I know is there has been a lot of sadness on account of them, both.

Remembering Alphonse Yantha

Alphonse August Yantha, affectionately known as “Alphie” was born July 31st, 1935 in Radcliffe Township. The grandson of John Yantha (1865-1897) and Lucy Anne Aron (1865-1917) and son of John J Yantha (1888-1978) and his 3rd wife, Teckla Norlock (1901-1982), Alphie lived most of his life in Combermere.

Alphie’s father, a farmer on Dafoe Rd, was first married to Catherine Recoski; together they had Ambrose, Anna Marianne and Eleanor. After Catherine’s death, John married Anastasia Kazaboski, with whom he had daughter, Julie. In 1921, he married Teckla Norlock and their children were Agatha, Elzeard, Esther, Alec, Leonarda and Alphonse.

Teckla gathered all of the children, as they had been placed in the care of other families. There would be no talk of “half” or “step” siblings. Alphie carried this sentiment throughout his life and, as one family member recently said, he made the “misfits feel like originals.”

Fiercely protective of family, years ago, a teenaged Alphie came home to find his mother recovering from a bout with the family bull. Taking it by the horns, Alphie twisted it to the ground and would likely have killed it, had he not been stopped by his mother.

After completing grade 6, Alphie was off to work in the bush with a team of horses and later, as a young man, he was employed by the township. A frequent sight in his 1956 “heat green” and “Alaskan white” Monarch, Alphie could be heard coming, a mile away. This often sent the young girls from the convent hiding, with gales of giggles and shrieks. He caught the attention of one of the local beauties, Marie Eva Fitzgerald, daughter of Barry’s Bay businessman John Edward Fitzgerald (1901-1967) and Valentine Marie Martin (1901-1960). Alphie and Marie married in 1959.

Alphie had built his folks a retirement bungalow, so the newlyweds moved into the family homestead. Soon, though, they moved on to the Belleville area, where Alphie worked as a welder and diesel mechanic for Trudeau Equipment. Here, he was tasked with fitting the first wing onto a V-plough and he had to invent a design and manufacture the parts to do it.

In 1960, Alphie and Marie welcomed baby Valmarie and in 1963, son John. (Baby Alphonse Jr was born with spina bifida and lived only a few days). In 1965, Alphie suffered a bad injury on the job and spent many months in the hospital, in Barrie. His family returned to Combermere and once he was well enough, Alphie joined them and went back to his job with the township. He also kept up the haying and maintained the farm. In 1967, he built a sugar shack. That first year, Alphie and Tommy Serran wore out several brace and bits tapping the trees before introducing the maple syrup now known as “Alphie’s Finest”. That fall, son Fabian was born, in Barry’s Bay.

In 1968, Marie and Alphie inherited the Fitzgerald store, on Stafford Street (Barry’s Bay) spawning Yantha Enterprises. Here, Alphie assembled and repaired many a bicycle. It was trial and error for the first while, as Alphie and Marie learned the furniture and appliance business, however, as Sister Rosenda says, “They made a good team.” and the business flourished.

Alphie could fix just about anything. One time, he surprised a local couple when he visited and repaired their t.v. antenna and they were only too delighted to pay him for his time. Back at the store, he discovered that he had gone to the wrong house and needed to hurry back, to fix the antenna for the customer who had been expecting the house call.

It was 1979 when Alphie took a notion to acquire a Case 580C backhoe and thus began A. Yantha & Sons Backhoe. He soon added “trucking” with the purchase of a single axle dump truck and trailer. Over the next 30+ years, that business evolved into what is known today as Yantha Backhoe and Trucking Ltd.

In 2009, friends, family, neighbours and employees gathered to celebrate Alphie and Marie’s 50th wedding anniversary. When anyone made a joke about the longevity of their union, a serious Alphie would explain, “50 years doesn’t seem like a long time, when you’re having fun.”

Alphonse thought himself an ordinary man, however, those who knew him, knew different. What can one say about a man who did the family’s mending, taught his daughter the art of knitting and spent many hours at war with beavers? Yes, indeed, Alphie firmly believed that the sure way to be rid of a pesky beaver population was to drive them off, by continually harassing them. You might even say that Alphie was more industrious than the busiest beaver.

In 1984, when his hunt camp, woodshed and outhouse burned down, Alphie rebuilt, bigger and better, such was his sense of pride.

Alphie knew every inch of his beloved home town, stopping construction crews from encroaching on a small, previously unmarked pioneer cemetery on the hill. He lovingly worked at restoring the old Yantha homestead and often dreamt of having an old-fashioned family Christmas there. Local auction goers will remember Alphie’s #4 and may, finally, be able to purchase an oil lamp or stone crock.
One of the 11 grandchildren smiles, recalling a visit from Alphie, “he stomped on the floor, knocked on the walls and yanked on the balcony rail, before pronouncing it a good place to live”.

Newest Mayor of the Madawaska Valley Township, David Shulist fondly remembers Alphie as an easy going family man.

"Alphie Yantha was proud to be born and raised in the Madawaska Valley. [He was] very proud of his heritage and loved the great outdoors. He always talked about his family whom he loved with all his heart. Alphie felt he was in heaven when he was in his maple sugar shack and his favourite fiddle tune, of course, Maple Sugar.", Shulist said.

Son Fabian cherishes the old-time stories that Alphie would share and the remarkable work that his father did, restoring old buildings that most others would simply have torn down. A good part of Alphie’s last days were spent organizing a plan and assembling a materials list, for son John, to remodel an old stable to make a suitable home for the horses that will soon be delivered.

It came as a great shock when Alphie passed, peacefully, away- surrounded by family, on Monday March 7th, at the Ottawa Civic Hospital. "He was a good business man and a great asset to the Madawaska Valley. He will be missed.", Mayor Shulist added.

Comforted by the overwhelming support of the community, Marie and family intend to carry forward with Alphie’s many plans, honouring a man of extraordinary character, a generous and loving father, grandfather, uncle, brother, friend, neighbour and devoted husband.