Allan Albert Schwartz was born at home on the family farm, in Sullivan Township on March 2, 1928. He was welcomed by his parents, Michael “Alexander” and Wilhelmine (Sulkye) Schwartz and older siblings, Lyla (1918), Alvin (1920) and Marjorie (1922). Allan attended public school in Moorseburg before returning to the farm to help his parents. The farm was located on Concession 7 where the Schwartz family mixed farmed.
In 1949, Allan took a construction job in Kitchener and needed a place to stay. As luck would have it his first cousin’s husband housed boarders. Here Allan was introduced to Elizabeth “Betty” Harriet Ermel and they hit it off immediately. The two were married on September 15, 1950 at Grace Lutheran Church in Kitchener. They quickly settled into an apartment in Kitchener before returning to Allan’s roots in Sullivan Township where they settled on the Schwartz Homestead on the 7th Concession. Allan and Betty soon began their family welcoming Dianne in 1951, Brenda in 1954 and Mark in 1957.
Sadly, on January 31st of 1961 their barn burnt and then later that same year (December) their house also burnt down. These events forced the Schwartz family to move back to Kitchener for a short period of time, whereby Allan began trucking. However, he was unable to get life on the farm out of his system and the family soon moved back to Sullivan Township. This time it was a farm down and across the road from their old place, on the 8th. Throughout the next 25 years, Allan drove truck, mostly at night, in addition to farming. He spent time with Argosy, Northern and finally Taggart before the company’s closure forced him into retirement at the age of 60. Allan’s children recall many fond stories of their father while driving truck and will continue to treasure these memories in the years to come. Allan and Betty remained on the farm until 1988 when they sold the family farm to their son Mark.
Retirement meant extra time to slow down and enjoy the finer things in life and that Allan did. He soon began collecting hats, baseball caps to be exact, and quickly amassed 360+ hats in his collection. Imagine! Allan also now had the time to enjoy a good board game or game of cards. Then there was also his artistic side, whereby he enjoyed “paint by numbers” and colouring to name a few. He enjoyed Christmas time when the entire family came home and were together. He and Betty also took some time to travel, heading out east and up north to visit family.
Allan also enjoyed his time in front of the television. Whether it was the oldies like Archie Bunker or The Waltons or more recent favourites like Dr. Phil (yup, you read that right) and hockey, particularly the Toronto Maple Leafs. Apparently, Allan was never keen on seeing the end of a good show as he was notorious for getting up and going to bed five minutes before the end of most shows. Reading was another pastime for Allan. He was particularly fond of Westerns and anything written by Danielle Steel! When it came to food, Allan really enjoyed his smelts and pig tails. These selections might not be considered your normal favourites, however, apparently, he passed these likes down to Mark. Finally, who could forget Allan and Betty’s beloved house companions, their cats. Their first cat was named Browser, who was replaced by another Browser (#2) and finally another Browser (#3)! At least it was easy to remember the name of the Schwartz family cat over the years. 🙂
If you haven’t guessed it already, Allan loved his vehicles and heading out on the road for a drive. Many stories were told of Allan and his 62′ red Volkswagen Beetle as well as his several beloved red trucks over the years. When the kids were young, stories were told of Allan regularly taking the family to the Drive-In for a night out. Likewise, who could forget his weekly visits to the Sullivan Dump, on Sideroad 5? Every Saturday morning meant a trip to the dump to socialize and catch up with old friends and neighbours. He often used the phrase, “looked good from the road” and always enjoyed a trip in the car, no matter how long or short that trip might be.
Allan and Betty remained out in Sullivan until 2014 whereby they moved off their property on the edge of the farm into Chesley and the Islay House. Although they missed the farm, living in Chesley soon became the norm and they settled in.
If you were lucky enough to know Allan, it was easy to appreciate his kind, gentle soul. Although very quiet, he was well-respected and liked by everyone around him. Allan enjoyed a good joke and never took anything in life too seriously. His stoic nature was ever present as he would do anything to help out his friends and family whenever there was a need.
In August, Allan’s wife and life partner Betty, passed away. Their marriage had spanned nearly 68 years and her death left a definite void in his life. In the months that followed, Allan’s fragile health continued to fail and he passed away at Chapman House, Owen Sound on Tuesday, November 27, 2018 in his 91st year.
Loving father of Dianne (Terry) Godin of Owen Sound, Brenda Robinson of R.R. #5 Owen Sound and Mark (Linda) of Hanover. Allan will live on in the hearts and minds of his four grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren. He will be fondly remembered by his brother-in-law Gerald Ermel and sisters-in-law Joy Carpenter and Marilyn Luft. Allan was predeceased by his wife Betty (August 10, 2018), grandson Brodie Schwartz, son-in-law Jim Robinson, brother Alvin (Hazel), sisters Lyla Schwartz, Marjorie (Ian) McKinnon and his parents Alexander and Minnie (Sulkye) Schwartz.
A memorial service honouring Allan and Betty’s life will be held at Rhody Family Funeral Home, Chesley on Friday, December 7, 2018 at 1 p.m. with visitation beginning at 12 noon. Spring inurnment in Chesley Cemetery.
Memorial donations to the Chesley Hospital Foundation or Chapman House would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.
