Almonte and area lost one of its best known and highly regarded citizens in the death of Charles William Finner at the Almonte General Hospital on Saturday, December 21, 1974, following a short illness of only three days. He was 69. Mr. Finner was born on August 5, 1905, on the 12th line of Pakenham, a son of John Joseph Finner and his wife, Margaret Ann Farrell. He received his education at the school at Osceola. For 19 years, prior to this retirement four years ago, he was employed as a tool and die maker with Findlays, Ltd., in Carleton Place. He was a member of the Almonte Utilities Commission for the past 13 years, and in the recent municipal elections was re-elected for his seventh term. He served as chairman of the Commission in 1969-70.
He was a member of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic- Church, Almonte and a member of both the Holy Name Society and the Knights of Columbus. Charlie, as he was familiarly called, was well known through out the valley, having supplied the sound system for innumerable fall fairs, entertainments and other events in the district. He was an accomplished fiddler and square dance caller and for 28 years had his own orchestra, the Hayshakers. On two occasions he had called squares for Don Messer and His Islanders.
On January 9, 1928, he was married at St. Mary’s Church, Almonte, to the former Gertrude Bolton, who survives, together with five sons and one daughter: Earl of Thunder Bay; Bernard, Almonte; Patsy (Mrs. Jack Hamill) Regina, Sask.; John, Eaton Rapids, Mich.; Dean, Plymouth, Mich.; Wayne, Aylmer, Quebec; six grandsons and five grand daughters. Also surviving are three brothers, Felix, Dominic and Gervase, all of Almonte and two sisters, Mary (Mrs. Pendergrass), Sydney, Nova Scotia and Sister Gervase Lucy, of Cobourg. He was predeceased by two brothers, Isaiah and Hilary. The funeral was held from the Kerry Funeral Home, 154 Elgin Street, on Monday morning, December 23, to St. Mary’s Church for funeral mass at 10, o’clock, with Father K. Milaney officiating. Interment was at St. Mary’s Cemetery. The pallbearers were Gervase Finner, Joe Bolton, Lorne Wilson, Angus O’Keefe, Lloyd Blackburn and Brian Gallagher
I remember Charlie Finner from way back . One song was , ” I Like Mountain Music , Good Old Mountain Music , Played By Charles Finner And His Band ,We Danced All Night In The Land Of The Weeki Walkie , I Don’t Care , I Like Turkey In The Straw By Cracki ” . Two pallbearers I knew were , Lloyd Blackburn , and Lorne Wilson . EARL DONALDSON––
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