Happy New Year to all! I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Christmas season, full of good times with family and friends, and maybe a little gift or two from Santa Claus.
My Christmas festivities kicked off with a busy day on Dec. 21. We began the day with a fantastic Pageant put on by our Sunday School children at Quyon United Church, which we all really enjoyed. A big thank you to Molly, Emma, Hayden, Raelynn, Finnley, Danica, Neve, Noah, Sam, Lainey, Emilia, Alexis, and their director Lindsay for all of their hard work and effort. They are truly a blessing to our church congregation.
After church, we headed to the Quyon Community Centre, where the Lions Club hosted yet another delicious breakfast. The breakfast was sponsored by Lorne Dagenais and Francine Lemay of L&J Towing. The Lions are planning to have a breakfast on the third Sunday of every month, which will be a real treat for our community since we no longer have a restaurant in town serving breakfast. We are already looking forward to the next one on Jan. 18.
On the afternoon of the 21st, I joined with a group of family members and friends at Gavan’s Hotel for Gail Gavan’s Christmas from the Pontiac show, which was absolutely fabulous. We enjoyed the music, the stories and jokes, and a few sentimental moments that brought tears to our eyes. It was a special way to celebrate the Christmas season, and Gail and her group of talented musicians and performers were such a delight. We hope to see their show back at Gavan’s next Christmas.
Congratulations to Meagan (McCann) and Shawn Schwartz, as they welcomed a baby girl on Dec. 21. They named her Gretta Dianne Isabel, and she is a baby sister for Oliver, Annie, and Fletcher. Proud grandparents are Eddie and Dianne McCann and Doug and Isabel Schwartz. Best wishes to the whole family, what a beautiful Christmas gift to receive.
Congratulations also to Katie (Dolan) and Ben Younge on the safe arrival of their baby girl, Brielle Dawn. She arrived on Dec. 22 and she is a baby sister for Sophia. Her proud grandparents are Terry and Dawn Dolan, and Rick and Cheryl Younge. A baby for Christmas, how wonderful.
With all of the fun of the holiday season, there also came sad news, and our hearts are with those who have been grieving over the past few weeks. Deepest sympathy is extended to the Stanley family, as Brett Stanley passed away suddenly on Dec. 28. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of Brett’s loved ones, his parents Don and Beverley Stanley, children Kyle and Courtney, and his entire family and big circle of friends.
We are also thinking of the family of Milton Kilbride, who passed away on Dec. 31 after a lengthy hospital stay. Condolences to all of Milton’s loved ones at this sad time.
Belated birthday wishes are going out to a former Quyon boy, Bob Steele, of Calgary, as he celebrated on Dec. 18. We also have belated wishes going out to Adalyne Young, as she celebrated on Christmas Day.
Happy belated Birthday to Leah Cote on the 28th, to Glenda Nitschke on the 29th, and to my sister Kara Young, as she celebrated on New Year’s Eve. Coming into the New Year, Eric Provost celebrated his 80th birthday on Jan. 2, and Joan Woermke celebrated her 90th on Jan. 3. I hope they both had a wonderful time with family and friends.
Happy belated to Priscilla Kluke-Brownlee on Jan. 2, to Sherri-Lynn Foran on the 3rd, to Grace Cote and Stephanie Provost, both on the 4th, to Kelsey Stanley on the 5th, and to Kyle Stanley on the 6th.
Birthday wishes are going out to Evan Prest on the 7th, and to Keith Fraser and Logan Lapierre on the 13th. Blessings to all of you who have been celebrating special occasions.
On New Year’s Eve, Gavan’s Hotel hosted the big party in town, with Danny Sylvester & the Honky-Tonk Hero Tour performing on stage for all who came out to celebrate. All who were there enjoyed a great night of music, and had a blast ringing in 2026.
This past Sunday, Jan. 4, marked the last service for Pastor Patricia Power, as she is leaving the Quyon Pastoral Charge for a new position at Woodroffe United Church. It was an emotional service at Wesley United Church in Beechgrove, as Patricial bid our congregation farewell. We wish her all the best in this next chapter, and thank her for her years of guidance and leadership in Quyon. While a permanent replacement has not yet been found, church services will continue with supply ministers for the foreseeable future, as the search continues for a new student minister. We look forward to hearing new (and many familiar) voices at church in the weeks to come.
