George Mallory Towns

  Noted events in his life were:

• GEORGE MALLORY TOWNS. George Mallory Towns was born on the Reuben Towns farm at Enterprise, Manitoba at 3:15 A.M., 20 February, 1922. He weighed 8-3/4 pounds. The name Mallory comes from his grandmother, Mary Ann (Minnie) Mallory, while the name George was common to both the Mallory and Towns families. His
grandmother Minnie Mallory had a brother George and a grandfather George, and Reuben's father was also George.

George went to school at Enterprise, school district 701, completing his grade 8.
Early class-mates were Alva Jones, Norman Henry, David Smith and his future wife, Edythe Tweed.

Music was very important to the Towns family, and George began piano lessons at the age of five, initially at Holmfield with Hilda Huddlestone (she became Mrs. Lorne Harrison), George Willmore who lived in the Holmfield hotel, and then Lionel Cox, Perths Cleaners manager at Killarney, Dorothy Curll, the C.P.R. Station Agent's daughter at Killarney and finally Roy Brown of Killarney .
George learned to play the piano, Violin and Banjo, attaining several levels of competency at the Toronto Conservatory of Music. The piano, especially; was a source of pleasure to him all of his life.

Orville and George played for dances at Wakopa, Bannerman and Jaques School, to mention a few places. They traveled by horse team and sleigh or wagon. Goldie Harrison who lived near Pancake Lake would join them and he played the violin. For a period of time they played seven nights a week, including a Midnight Frolic at Killarney Lake. Payment was of the order of $1.50 each per night.

The largest dance George ever played for was an event at Portage La Prairie, shortly after the end of W. W. II, at the Air Force Officer's Mess. Johnny Sabad drove the group to Portage, consisting of Tom Fry (Piano), Wilfred Cullen (Violin),
Bill Fry (Drums), a female accordion player from Ninette and George Towns playing the violin and Banjo.

He worked very hard on an active farm with lots of family and hired men, and at a time when horses were still important in day-to-day operations.

George married Edythe Louise Tweed, who was raised 1 mile East of the Towns farm, and whom he had known since a young boy. They went to school together as children. The marriage took place in Killarney at 07:30 in the morning with Orville and Doris Towns as witnesses. The ceremony was performed at the preacher's house, just west of the Killarney United Church, and the preacher was still in his stocking feet at that hour. The newlyweds crossed the road to the bus depot and boarded the grey goose bus bound for Winnipeg. George recalls Harold Burns getting on the bus at Enterprise for his daily trip to work in the creamery at Cartwright. Upon hearing the happy news he gave George $5.00 as a wedding gift. They honeymooned for a week in Winnipeg at the Empire Hotel, next to the C.N. Hotel. They took the train back to Holmfield and were met by brother Beverley who drove them to the Orville Towns farms, which had been set up by Edna with some furniture, flowers, a cooked chicken and an old bible. Shortly thereafter they moved to Winnipeg where George worked for the Hudson's Bay Company, providing delivery services to the St. Vital area. In the spring they moved to the former Joe Cockerill farm (N.W. 4-2-16, Enterprise), and to the Tweed farm at Mather. George, in conjunction with George Tweed, worked the Mather and Enterprise farms, with Clarence Tweed providing the seed in exchange for a share of the crop.

On the old Cockerill farm, about 1944, Orville and Frank Towns tore down the old log house. George sawed a layer of logs into flat beams and used these as the support for a new house. He built the house himself, with occasional help from his brothers Orville and Frank to erect walls, and to apply the cedar shingles. The house did not have insulation. The insulated brick siding came from Holmfield. The house was raised in the late 1940's- early 1950's and George dug out the basement area with the small Ford 8N tractor. A foundation, brick walls and cistern were built. Vincent Towns completed the upstairs (Gyprock) around 1955. An addition was made to the house around 1962, with indoor plumbing being added.

George and Edythe had a very happy marriage until Edythe's early death from cancer in 1972.

Oldest son Wayne was born while George and Edith farmed at the Mather location.

He raised a family of 9 on the farm, with daughter Lisa being born in Winnipeg after retirement from the farm. In addition to farming, George was part of the Moonlight Serenaders dance band for some time, did trucking in the area (mainly gravel for roads and barns) and was a cattle buyer and shipper. He loaded trucks with gravel at the Holmfield pit using a Ford 9N tractor with a bucket in the back. He cultivated gardens in Killarney in the spring and turned his hand to anything that would help to support his family. He also was an excellent salesman, selling at times for Niagara Cyclo Massage, Wear ever (aluminum cooking utensils) and Pine View Memorial Gardens (Prearranged funerals).

In later years George raised Registered Hereford cattle and was a registered seed grower. At times, the family worked the farm 114 section, the 1/2 section that was the old Fred Dixon property to the east of the farm, the 114 section across from Orville Town's property, and also leased other land. Three International WD-9 tractors were necessary to keep everything in top shape, and George had six sons to operate the equipment. With approximately 80 head of cattle, 30 or 40 pigs, a few horses, chickens, ducks and geese, the farm was a very active place.

During part of the war years George worked for Canada Packers in Winnipeg and tells of working as a farm laborer for Lorne Arcbibald at 50 cents a day.

The family moved to Winnipeg in November, 1996, with the exception of Wayne who was already in Winnipeg and Gerald who was in Ottawa. George, Wayne and Barry went into the taxi business. Later on George started Towns Bros. Paving service, employing sons Ronny and Brent. Daughter Lisa was born in Winnipeg.

Two years after Edythe's death, George married Freda Watson of Winnipeg and they enjoyed 23 years together, until Freda's death of Renal failure on 17 February , 1997. George and Freda spent many winters at Anaheim, California and later at Mesa, Arizona, where many of the family had the occasion to visit with them.

In late 1997 or early 1998 George met Josephine Fournier of Lac Du Bonnet, Manitoba, and with 'little Jo'spent several happy years sharing traveling, gardening, visiting, and general home making experiences. They loved to make bread, put up preserves, work in the garden, and spend winters at Mesa. Arizona. About this time George developed Parkinson's disease and it was a source of frustration to him in his daily life. However, it did not stop him from playing the piano or driving.
Marriage Notes for GEORGE TOWNS and EDYTHE TWEED:

Edythe and George were married at the preacher's house in Killarney, in the morning. Witnesses were Orville Towns and Doris Stacey.

Notes for FREDA WATSON:
Freda Towns (Watson) died on 17 February, 1997 at the age of 74 from total failure of her kidneys and an inability to continue with her dialysis treatment. The funeral was held on Thursday, February 20, 1997 at 6:30 P.M. in the Harrow United Church in Winnipeg. Grant Towns and Daphne xxxxxxx delivered eulogies and George Towns played Amazing Grace and Beautiful Isle Of Somewhere, on the piano. Deacon Alex Drobot provided the service. The CROPO Funeral Chapel was in charge of the arrangements.

Freda was cremated, with internment of ashes in the same plot as Edith Towns, in the Pine View Cemetery on Waverley Road, in Winnipeg.

George married Edythe Louise Tweed on 26 Nov 1942 in Killarney, Manitoba.

George next married Freda Watson in 1975 in Harrow United Church, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

George next married Josephine Fournier.