The year is going to start with extra umph at the Newmarket Legion when its members mark the 100th birthday for Second World War veteran Wilf O'Hearn.
“It doesn’t happen very often. This is a first for us,” says John King of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 426 in Newmarket. “This is certainly special.”
Like O’Hearn, King is a former Toronto firefighter. He got to know O’Hearn about a dozen years ago when O’Hearn and his daughters joined the Legion. King and O’Hearn see each regularly at the Legion’s Friday night dinners and at the town’s annual Remembrance Day ceremony where O’Hearn rides in a jeep from the Second World War, often at the front of the parade.
King is now putting together a tribute for the Second World War veteran to mark his 100th birthday on New Year's Day. In addition to family and friends, King expects other former firefighters, Legion members and other veterans to be part of the special celebration.
But, shhhh, O’Hearn doesn’t know. It’s a surprise.
O'Hearn was born in Toronto on the last day of 1924. He joined the Canadian Air Force in 1944 at the age of 19, first stationed in several Canadian communities and then dispatched to Germany for post-war decommissioning, taking inventory of the Canadian equipment.
While in France, his daughter, Mona, recalls a story he likes to tell, he went to a bar with a friend and the bartender said he had a cousin in Canada and wondered if O’Hearn had heard of him.
“My dad said: ‘Canada is a huge place,’” she says. As it turned out, her dad did know the cousin. They had worked together at the Royal York. And he, of course, then told the story to the cousin when he got home. “He said: ‘Of all the places in the world I go into a bar where your cousin is a bartender.’”
Frances Koscielski, meanwhile, had followed her sister from their home in Saskatchewan to Toronto. And she was working in the offices at the Royal York where she met O’Hearn when he returned after serving.
“She was in one of the departments and I fell in love with her right away,” says O’Hearn.
Wilf and Frances were married in 1951 and had three girls, Marcia, Maureen and Mona, and a boy, Brian. Frances passed away in 2015 at the age of 91.
But working as a bellman meant O’Hearn survived on tips and he thought perhaps he should look for something more stable as he considered marriage.
He had been helping several firefighters who were staying at the hotel to attend a conference. Impressed with his service, they told him they could call in a favour with contacts at the Toronto fire service to see about a job there. He applied, landed the job and remained with the service until 1988, retiring as district chief.
“That was kind of a lucky break,” says O’Hearn who loved every day on the job. His daughters figure he’d still be at it if he could.
And he remains in touch with some of his former colleagues. He had just returned from having breakfast with a dozen former firefighters before sitting down for his phone interview with NewmarketToday. He also attends quarterly lunches as a member of the Toronto Firefighters War Vets.
O’Hearn is legally blind and has minimal vision in one eye, but he can carry on a conversation thanks to hearing aids and can walk a bit. With the help of family members, he’s able to attend the various events he so enjoys. He’s also keen to see his three-year-old great grandchild, Quinn, when visiting from California.
He lives with Maureen in Thornhill. And when she goes to work, Marcia, who works from home, sets up her office to be close to her dad during the day. Mona and Brian pitch in regularly to help keep their dad happy at home.
But 11 years ago, Mona’s daughter, who was raised in Newmarket, suggested her mom join the local Legion so that she could apply for funding when it came time to go off to university. So she, her sisters and their dad all joined. Mona is now on the executive and, coincidentally, now heads up the bursary program.
As he looks forward to celebrating his 100th birthday, O’Hearn doesn’t have a lot of goals, other than getting his stamp collection — which he started when he was 10 years old — in order. But he and his daughters look forward to Friday dinners at the Legion where he’s treated as a celebrity.
“We’ve got a group of friends we’ve met out there,” says Marcia. “Dad is quite spoiled there. There, girls all give him kisses.”
“And I love it,” her dad quickly adds.
