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WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, MAY 11,1977, PAGE 9 Town family marks 50 years in funeral business By BRIAN WINTER Staff Writer For three generations, the Town family has been con- ducting funeral services in the Town of Whitby. On May 28 the Town Funeral Chapel Ltd. will mark its 50th anniversary in this community, but the story of the Town family goes back even farther than that. William Clarence Town, the fourider of the business, was born at Seagrave, north of Port Perry on March 21, 1885, and at the age of 15, started in the funeral business in Toronto as a stable boy. He took a keen interest in the business and after learning the trade from his employer, went on to work in North Bay, Seattle Washington, Brockville and Athens, Ontario. In 1919 lie purchased a funeral business in Athens, but in 1926 the former owner wanted the business back for his son. Mr. Town heard of an offer of a business in Whitby, and in 1927, opened furniture store and funeral business on Brock Street South,. where Fashions 126 is now located. In those days it was a common practice for furniture dealers to be funeral directors, based on the old English custom that cabinetniakerF were called upon to make coffins. Also, there were not enough deaths in small com- munities like Whitby to warrent a full-time funeral director, so lie had to have a second vocation to supple- ment his income. Mr. Town offered a variety of dining room, bedroom and kitchen furniture, picture framing, and of course, funerals. le continued to manage the furniture store until it 2as closed in I956. In 1932, Mr. Town pur- chased the large brick house behind the present funeral chapel, for a corbinatiom residence and funeral home, for the trend at that iue as to have a place for visiting at funerals, and the furniture store was not condusivesto this, recals his son Jack. The next major acconi- plishment in the business was the construction of tuin existing funeral chapel in front of the old ouse in 1953. It was dedicated in 195 4. For the Towns, funeral directing is a family business. Clarence's sons Jack and Harry, who were niembers of a family of seven children, went into the funeral business with their father in 1 945 after returning fromn active service in the Second World War. Jack's sons, Ji1m and John are now part ot the family business, John starting in 1966, and Jim in 1972. Funerals are only a snall part of the Town family's contributions to Whitby. In 1930, at the request of Police Chief Herbert Gunson, Clarence Town established the first ambulance service in Whitby. The ambulance took people to the Oshawa General Hospital, the only hospital in the area at the time, and the fee was "a dollar a trip if you got paid" says Jack Town. At first, Mr. Town used the funeral coach as an ambulance but in 1934, he converted a Plymouth seven-passenger car into an ambulance vehicle. In' the early 1960s a con- troversy between the Towns and the Whitby council had a considerable effect upon the ambulance business in Ontario. In 1963 the Towns asked the council for a subsidy of $5,000 so they could hire more staff to meet the demand, but the council turned them down. The Towns were among the first ambulance operators in the province to askfor a municipal subsidy and the issue received considerable press cuverage. Many other municipalities watched to see what the outcome would be. When they did not get the subsidy, the Towns said they could not carry on the ambulance service, and the service passed to a number of individuals. Cotncil as n ot satisfied with the resuits. 50 in 1965, it provided the Towns with a $10,000 If you opera position for Employmer hour towar hire for the As a mat six new poE operationa youth betw Ontario an The prog September commitmei Employe Employme subsidy and a five year contract to resume their ambulance service. In 1968, OHIP took over the financing of ambulance services in the provinces, mainly as a result of many municipalities following the Town's lead in asking for subsidies. Today, Town Ambulance Service is one of the last 50 independent operators in the province. John Town took over the administration of the ambulance service in 1976. Both Jack and Harry Town are 30-year members of the Royal Canadian Legion, having served during the Second World War. Jack enlisted in 1939 and went overseas in 1941. He took part in the landing at Sicily in 1943 and in ail theatres im the European Canipaign. Harry served in the Royal Canadian Medical Corps in Britain, Italy, France and Belgium. Ail members of the Town family have been active ini community affairs, and still are to this day. Clarence was a charter member of the Whitby Rotary Club in 1933, a Noble Grand in the Oddfellows Lodge, a meniber of the Masonic Lodge and a warden at Ail Saints' Anglican Church. Jack served three years on the Whitby planning board, is a past president of the nen's club of Ail Saints' Church, a charter iember and past president of the Whitby Kiwanis Club, member of the Legion. a past Master Of ComIposite Lodge, and a past president of the Whitby branch of the ate a business or farm and create a r the summer, the Ontario Youth nt Program will give you a grant of $1 d the wages of an unemployed youth job. ter of fact, grants are available for ur sitions per business or farm for each il site, and you may hire any unemplo een the ages of 15 and 24 who lives id is eligible to work here. gram will be in effect from May 30th t r 16th, 1977, but the full 16 week nt Ls not required. r application forms for the Ontario Y nt Program are aysiable through yo Canadian Cancer Society. In his business he is a past president of the Bay of Quinte Funeral Directors' Association, and a member of the Ontario Funeral Service Association. Harry is a member of the Rotary Club, a past Master of Composite Lodge, a past Grand Steward of the Grand Lodge of Ontario, a sidesman at All Saints' Church, a former Kinsmen, and a former member of the Dr. Ruddy Hospital building committee and board of governors. Jim is the third generation of the Town family t-o be a member of the Rotary Club, and is a Cancer Society canvasser. John is vice-president and charter member of the Whitby Optimist Club, and industrial chairman for the Cancer Society. Clarence Town died on January 1, 1963, but his family is carrying on the business he started in Whitby 50 years ago. To commenor- ate the 50th anniversary, the Towns have purchased a new funeral coach and limousine. Exhibits wanted The Social Planning Council of Oshawa-Whitby once again is looking for par- ticipants for the Social Service Exhibit to be held at the Oshawa Shopping Centre in September. Those agencies which took part last year have been contacted, but others inter- ested in displaying their pro- gran, or services which are available to the public, should write or phone the -The staff of the Town Funeral Chapel Uimited gathered together under their sign recently for a 50th anniversary photo. From left to right are John, Jack, Harry and Jim. Jack and Harry are holding a framed copy of the newspaper advertisement for the opening of the family business in Whitby, May 28, 1927. Free Press Photo SPCO-W, 52 Sirncoe Street South, Oshawa phone 725-4774. This exhibit provides an opportunity for the public to talk to agency personnel about their work, much of which is strpported by the public through donations to the United Way. Ontariowillhelp employers pay the salaries of youth hired for the summer months. Hereshow the pmgram works. lew local Canada Manpower Centres and, because grant funds are limited, should be submitted as soon 1 per as possible. 1 you For more information, contact your local Canada Manpower Centre or: p to Ontario Youth Secretariat Queen's Park yed Toronto, Ontario M4Y 1A3 in Phone (416) 965-5627 ýo Ontario Youth Secretariat Margaret Birch, Provincial Secretary William Davis, for Social Development ,Premier outh Province of Ontario ur '«* moi mon M, e ed-lize-o, ýl e Èû4p.