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In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar
McLAUGHLIN, Robert John - In Ancaster, Cambridge, Ridgeway, Lowville, and Burlington, there are similar clocks on walls in each of the five homes. The clocks are strong, dependable, and determined timepieces and they can be counted on by all whom live there. The clocks were made by John McLaughlin when he took up woodworking as a hobby in retirement and they are a symbol of the love he had for his family. Family was very important to John all of his life. The McLaughlin family emigrated from Ireland to the Bobcaygeon area in the early 1800s. Some of the McLaughlins were doctors, lawyers, and successful businessmen. In 1900, after completing high school in Lindsay, Johns father, John Adam McLaughlin went west as a pioneer to a small town 60 miles north of Regina and started a general store and logging business. He met Allie Currie there and they were married in 1908. The McLaughlins moved to Winnipeg in 1915 with their daughters Peggy and Dottie, and several years later they had a son named Hugh. On January 19, 1921, Robert John McLaughlin was born. While in Manitoba, John Adam McLaughlin successfully ran for a seat in the Manitoba legislature although later resigned his seat to a man who went on to become premier of the province. The McLaughlins moved to St. Catharines with their 4 children and that is where young John McLaughlin started school. Later, the family moved to Lindsay and John began high school at age 12. While John was at high school, a manure spreader mysteriously showed up inside the school one morning and Johns brother Hugh was involved in the prank. In Lindsay, Johns father remained active in the Liberal party and chaired a large campaign banquet for William Lyon Mackenzie King, who went on to become prime minister. When John was growing up in Lindsay he enjoyed canoeing and swimming at the family cottage. John loved the outdoors and his first summer job was in Dwight near Algonquin Park. A memorial tree will be planted in Algonquin Park in Johns honour It was in his mid-teens, that John first met a girl by the name of Betty Telford one day while skating. Following high school, John joined the Toronto-Dominion Bank in Lindsay and worked there until enlisting in the Navy. On February 10, 1942, John enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy and served on the HMCS HURON. The Huron was a destroyer escort, similar to the HAIDA that has been restored and is in Hamilton Harbour. The HURON made many escorts across the ocean including trips to Russia. John McLaughlin and Betty Telford were married on October 15, 1942 and after a short honeymoon John returned to the HURON, based out of Halifax. After his wedding, John wrote a poem while on the Naval Ship HURON off the coast of Russia. The poem was called The Girl I Made My Wife
Ill tell you how I met Betty, The pride and love of my life, Ill tell you all the whys and whens Of how she became my wife I was skating at the playground In December, young and gay A piece of ice glanced off my head And oh what a screech I gave I didn't know who threw it But I very soon found out Her name was Betty Telford How Id love to make her shout Instead I asked politely For a skate around the ice This just goes to show you That all men are partly mice I saw a lot of Betty From then until the break It lasted through till August Then I left her in my wake For five long years I drifted Not settling with any girl And then back to Betty At the end of my merry whirl I courted her as a lover For I loved her more than life And that dear friends is how I met The girl I made my wife
John wrote Betty a number of letters from the HMCS HURON although they had to develop code words as Johns mail was read before it went out and he could not disclose his location in the letters. At one point during a trip at Sea, the HURON engaged the enemy with the heavy guns on the ship. John was operating the guns without his hearing protection and had some hearing loss as a result of the incident. Years later as I sat in his living room there were times that John appeared not to hear Betty, although I was aware of a sly smile that revealed he may have used hearing loss as an excuse to avoid a conversation or two. Following his discharge from the Navy, John returned to banking, and was transferred to Sudbury in 1949. In addition to working in the bank, John was the ticket manager for the Sudbury Arena, an active facility with a professional hockey team. John was a hockey fan and for many years followed the Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada. John was able to listen to the games on radio and then watch them when television was invented. John resigned from the bank shortly after his mother-in-laws death in late 1952 to return to Lindsay to support the care of his father-in-law, Glad Telford. During this time, he also kept the books for his parents business in Gravenhurst. John found his niche in the Federal Government where he moved quickly into a management role. This led to successive promotions and moves across Southern Ontario during the 1960s (Walkerton, Belleville, Fort Erie, and Leamington) until John and Betty put down roots in Welland, where they lived for 38 years. John retired in January 1983 after 25 years of service. John and Betty have four children, Barb, John, Rob, and Mary. Johns love of the outdoors that he acquired as a child continued with camping trips to Bon Echo and trips to Pennsylvania to see his sister Peggy. All of his children and grandchildren continue to enjoy the love of the outdoors through camping or going to cottages, and Johns red canoe is often found on the roof of one of the vehicles headed for vacation. Johns favourite times were spent with his family and music was a big part of the family. John would think nothing of it to come home from work and see all of the furniture in the living room pushed aside and listening to his teenage son John jamming with a group of friends. He was also amused when his son promoted rock concerts during the Welland Rose Festival, and Betty had the opportunity to meet the group Rush. John enjoyed listening to Betty play the piano and Betty played on a daily basis. To John, the annual Christmas carol sing song at Barb and Als home was a highlight of Christmas. In the house on Church Street in Welland there is still a set of drums that belongs to Johns grandson Jeremy, who would often go over to play, and was always willing to lend a hand to his grandparents with things around the house. John took pride in all of the accomplishments of his children and sons and daughters-in-law. Each new family member was gathered into the fold and loved along with the others. John could be seen many times with his son-in "law Al at the local Canadian Tire. Barb and Betty could never figure out how a trip to Canadian Tire, always resulted in bacon and eggs at a local restaurant. John enjoyed reading biographies and books about politics. He had political beliefs that he acquired from his family and he supported the Liberal Party. When Mary and I made the mistake of impulsively getting a kitten at a pet store one day, in honour of John, I named it Tory. We had many conversations about politics over the years. Wood working and home renovations were something that John enjoyed doing. When his son, John Telford McLaughlin was 4, John made a workbench for him. John Telford McLaughlin still uses the bench today. John always did an excellent job in any household project although he used a super size box of bandages in the process. John enjoyed time spent with his extended family. He took great enjoyment in visits with his cousins Bob and Ev McElheaney from Burlington and his nephew John Cozzens from Washington. John and Betty also enjoyed their visits out to John, Ann, and Janes home in Ridgeway, and the many delicious meals that were prepared for them by Ann. He appreciated the view and sound of the lake from the deck that overlooks their property. John was happy at family get-togethers in Collingwood, Parry Sound and Burlington. Johns favourite dessert was trifle, prepared by his daughter in law Holly. John enjoyed good food and good conversations so he looked forward to visits from Rob and Holly. Rob and Holly are excellent cooks and always brought special treats for John. John played cribbage with Holly. John also enjoyed visits with Hollys father Ike. Just last Christmas John passed on his annual tradition of making the Christmas Shortbread to Mary. John, Betty, Barb and Mary spent a pleasant evening in Barbs home in Burlington making the traditional cookies that had been made over the years. It may take years for Mary to perfect the shortbread cookies the way John was able to make them but Betty, Barb, and Mary will remember that day for many years. John had a sense of humour even when he was sick. A couple of months ago a doctor showed Betty how to stop John from choking if John were to due so. When the doctor left the room, John made a comment asking Betty why the doctor had his arms around her. Three weeks ago, on October 15th, John and Betty celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary. John was thrilled that the whole gang was able to visit. John and Betty even remembered what the weather was like on their wedding day 64 years ago, and shared fond memories with us. John was a real gentleman, honest, kind, and he always put his family first. The memory of Robert John McLaughlin as husband, father, grandfather, and father in law will remain in the hearts of the family members just like the clocks that John made will continue to be an important part of our homes. Grandpas clock sits on the kitchen wall in the Goodfellow home in Ancaster where I live with my wife Mary and my daughters Elizabeth, Jennifer, and Juliana. Above the clock leaning on top of it is a cross that one of Johns granddaughters made at school last year out of toothpicks and wooden clothespins. In the base of the clock is a yellow beanie baby chic that one of Johns granddaughters placed in the clock, presumably at Easter, and there is also a palm tied in the shape of a cross on the clock from some past Palm Sunday. Somehow, the additions made by his granddaughters make the clock even more special. I think John would agree.
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