Lifetime of community
service is wrapped up in College gift
Last week Joanne Craig and Brenda McGregor joined almost
the entire Barrie
Lions Club at Georgian College. They crowded into a photo with faculty
and
students from the college's Opticianry Program. The Lions were there
to
give a $15,000 gift which is to produce a perpetual $1000 bursary
forOpticianry students. They made this gesture to honour a 63 year member.
The bequest is in the memory of Dr. Noel Stephenson, downtown optical
anchor, and six decade Lions Club member, likely the only one with perfect
attendance. Many of us remember Dr. Stephenson's optical office on
Clapperton St., a couple of doors up from Tamblyn's Drug Store, and
just
down from Gold's Shoe Repair.
Behind this bequest of devoted Lions Club members is the esteem they
held
for their long time colleague. Noel Stephenson's story in Barrie takes
us
back to a slower time. Dr Stephenson's father, Joseph, had a
double-barrelled approach to life... he was an optometrist AND owned
a
jewellery business, too in the Markdale area. The youngest of eight
children, Noel assisted his father with optimetry... he mailed out flyers,
booked apppointments, ordered supplies. He followed his father's footsteps
and started an optometry business 1943 as he and his wife, Hilda moved
to
Barrie to set up practice in the back of brother Bill's jewellery store,
then located on Dunlop at Clapperton St. As their businesses grew, the
brothers expanded to individual locations, never out of each other's
sight,
looking across from Clapperton to Bayfield and seeing the name "Stephenson"
on both buildings. Bill's son Bob took over Stephenson's Jewellery store
and mourned its loss in December during the Five Points fire.
Like good businessmen, they were active in their community. Noel and
Hilda
had four daughters--Joanne, Brenda, Mary Jane and Donna. He joined the
Barrie Lions Club where he held every single position, served on the
School
Board, the Barrie Collegiate Band Parents, Collier St United Church,
Sea
Cadets, the Board of Directors of the Barrie figure Skating Club, Boy
Scouts, and Sheba Shrine. He was business manager of the Huronia Symphony
Orchestra for over a decade. Why? Because his wife's brother, Arthur
Burgin, was the conductor.
He was named Barrie's Citizen of the Year in 1989.
Noel and Hilda turned their Tollendal cottage into a home and their
daughters remember an idyllic life based on Lake Simcoe, and filled
with
water sports in summer and skiing and snowmobiling in winter. In fact,
Noel
often boated from his dock to Delaney's Marina at the foot of Bayfield
St
where he tied up and walked the block to his office. He closed the office
at lunch and took his boat back across Kempenfelt Bay to join his wife
for
his mid-day meal. In the winter, he traded the boat for a snowmobile
to
get to and from work. See what I mean about slower times?
Noel was a keen boater and kept a 30-foot Trojan cruiser anchored out
from
their Tollendal home. He and Hilda and the kids cruised up and down
the
Severn system and into Georgian Bay. They spent lots of time with friends
on their boat... Jack and Betty Nixon, Ron and Elsie Moffatt, Fay and
Ed
Meyers, Ernie and Lorna Bell, Ralph and Val Snelgrove, Ron and Betty
Tyler.
Hilda died in 2002. Their daughter Mary Jane died of pancreatic cancer
two
years ago. She worked as an assistant with her dad and later became
an
optician and opened a dispensary at Costco in Barrie. Noel's son in
law,
Dr. David Hazlett joined him in practice and continues today at a Cedar
Pte
location.
It's a fitting tribute from the Lions Club to honour their comrade's
memory.
Noel lived a sturdy life, leaving his waterfront home at 86 and moving
to
independent living at Heritage Place just a year ago. The week of his
death
last May, Noel seemed to put his affairs in order. He dined with Brenda
on
Monday, Joanne on Tuesday, at the Shrine banquet on Wednesday and with
friends on Thursday. He passed away two days later, at age 87.
As you measure Noel's life, you have to smile. Four daughters. A busy
optical practice, a ton of community commitment, a life of contentment
in a
community he loved. Two daughters, Joanne and Brenda, are both Lions
Club
members and anchored the photo that captured their dad's memorial last
week.
It's a fitting tribute. Thanks, Noel.
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