Major Ernest Wakefield Kendall

1908 - 2010  (101 years)

• Name	Ernest Wakefield Kendall
  Prefix	Major
  Born	1 Aug 1908	Guelph Township, Wellington Co., Ontario, Canada   [1, 2]
  Gender	Male
  Died	26 Jun 2010	Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  Hall of Fame - Waterloo Region	Bef 2012	, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3]
  Military	WW2
  Name	Ernie Kendall
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-31946P
  Person ID	I31946	Generations
  Last Modified	6 Apr 2024

  
  

  Family	Grace Jowett,   b. Abt 1912, Of, Elmira, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 2007, Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age ~ 95 years)
  Last Modified	7 Apr 2024
  Family ID	F41209	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos

  Ernie Kendall

  
  

• Notes

  Centenarian Ernie Kendall passes away Elmira resident, 1010, was a longtime teacher at EDSS [Elmira District Secondary School] and supporter of community events by Katie Edmonds Friends and family of Elmira's Ernie Kendall are raising a glass this week and toasting a life well-lived. Kendall, a retired teacher, war veteran, athlete, volunteer, father, grandfather and friend passed away June 26 in his home in Chateau Gardens at the age of 101. "He is going to be missed around here," said Chateau Gardens administrator Joan Norris. "Although it may seem as though losing a person at a nursing home is simply part of the job, it's not. It is like losing a member of our family. We all feel a great loss with Ernie gone." Kendall was a man who wore many hats, but he is best known for his role as an educator. He began his studies at the Ontario Agricultural College Campus in Guelph, graduated in 1932 with a degree in entomology but then transferred to teaching shortly after. He taught sciences for 37 years at Elmira District Secondary School, followed by supply teaching for 14 more years, and retired at age 75. His tenure as an educator was only interrupted by his service with the army during the Second World War, where he rose to the rank of major. While at EDSS after the war, he formed and supervised Teen Town, a place for teens to socialize, and was leader of the cadet program for 23 years. "He was a patriarch not only for his family, but also for Elmira, " said Norris who has known Kendall for upwards of 20 years. "So many people know him or were taught by him at one point. Education in this town has been so greatly influenced by Ernie. Jack Tabbert, a student of Kendall's in the early 1950s, spent considerable time this week thinking about the lessons learned from his former teacher, many of which went above and beyond the school curriculum. "One spring, he taught all of us how to graft apple trees while we were in the class, " said Tabbert. "Then he came out and visited each and every one of us students to check on how our apple trees were coming along. He made each of us feel like we were the only student." Athletics were always a passion for Kendall. He excelled in sports at OAC, breaking records in aquatics and long-distance running. In retirement, Ernie helped with the Moms and Tots program at the local swimming pool, sometimes swimming the length of the pool with kids on his back. He did back flips until he was 75 and swam until he was 97 years old. Canoeing was yet another passion, and in 1981, at the age of 75, he greatest canoeing accomplishment was a two-week canoeing trip on the Yukon River. In the past few years he has established athletic scholarships and an academic scholarship at the University of Guelph and also at EDSS. For his many achievements, he was named Citizen of the Year in 1978 by Elmira and Woolwich Chamber of Commerce, has been inducted into the Waterloo County Hall of Fame and received the Governor General's Award in 1992. "It is just astounding to me all of what he has done and accomplished," said Tabbert. "If you live by Ernie's morals, you really can't go wrong." As a resident of Chateau Gardens for the past eight years, Kendall continued to participate in and lend his support to community activities. He was the guest speaker at the Remembrance Day services: last November, Kendall didn't let the cold wind prevent him from participating in the Legion's parade. He even attended the Kiwanis Club's Lobsterfest earlier this summer. "He came to every possible event he could attend," said Norris. "He had a true zest for life that was contagious." He transferred from Chateau Gardens Assisted Living Centre to the long-term care facility in May 2006 where his wife Grace was also a resident. Grace passed away in 2007. Kendall is survived by three children - John, Jane and Amy Grace - and eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Observer of Woolwich and Wellesley Townships, July 3, 2010 _________________________ Ernest Wakefield KENDALL (Ernie) 1908-2010 Ernie had a great run at life and ran the victory lap and passed away, peacefully, surrounded by family at Chateau Gardens Nursing Home, Elmira, on June 26, 2010 in his 102nd year. Ernie was predeceased by his wife of 72 years, Grace (Jowett), his parents, Ernest and Estelle Kendall, his sisters, Margaret Anderson and Lois Tuthill and his brother, John Thomson Kendall. He is survived by his children, Amy Grace and Gary Wobeser of Saskatoon, Jane and Al White of Harriston, John and Sandy Kendall of Elmira, as well as his grandchildren, David White, Andrew (Sally) White, Sara (Brent) Hughes, Keith (Rachel) Wobeser, Bruce (Bridget) Wobeser, Heather Kendall, Laura Kendall and Ian Kendall and great-grandchildren, Jürgen, Natascha, Alan, Mathieu, Sofia, Lila Grace, Liam and Mackenzie. He will also be missed by his special friend Joanne Dillon. Ernie was raised in Guelph and attended the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) where he met his wife Grace Jowett. During WWII he served with the Highland Fusiliers. Ernie was a championship athlete at OAC both in track and swimming and has stayed involved with his friends at the University of Guelph up to the present. In the past few years he has established athletic scholarships and an academic scholarship at the University of Guelph and also at Elmira District Secondary School (EDSS). Ernie's vocation of teaching was well chosen. He put his heart and soul into it. He was active in his community volunteering his time and efforts for over 70 years in activities from Boy Scouts, to running the cadet program at EDHS/EDSS, coaching, assisting with children swimming at the pool, Chamber of Commerce Countryside Tours and numerous other activities. He also started and ran the Teen Town Program at EDHS/EDSS for over 20 years. Ernie remained active in his church and was keen to see the new Gale Presbyterian church completed. His contributions to his community were recognized by numerous awards including his induction into the Waterloo County Hall of Fame. Ernie also enjoyed gardening and sharing the fruits thereof, as well as time spent in his bush near Bayfield and at Muldrew Lake where he summered for over 90 years. His greatest joy in his later years was playing with and watching and supporting his grandchildren and great-grandchildren in their endeavors be they scholastic, athletic or otherwise. Ernie received exceptional care while at Chateau Gardens. The family would like to extend their thanks to all the staff for their dedication in providing a truly caring environment who, along with Dr. Jones and Rev. Linda J. Bell, meant so much to him. Ernie focused his life and has continued to give so much to young people. It has been a heartwarming experience to have his last few weeks spent surrounded by young people. They have brought special moments that have brightened up his days. A big thanks to Ginni Connors, April Hammell, Courtney Martin, Kate Trimble and Craig Wood. The family will receive friends and relatives at the Dreisinger Funeral Home , Elmira, on Tuesday, June 29, 2010 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. with the funeral at Gale Presbyterian Church, 2 Cross St., Elmira, on Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at 11 a.m. A reception will follow in the activity room (ground floor) at Chateau Gardens Nursing Home, 11 Herbert St., Elmira. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Gale Presbyterian Church Building Fund or to the existing Scholarship established in his name at EDSS presented annually to the graduating student outstanding in both Academics and Athletics would be appreciated. www.dreisingerfuneralhome.com A LIFE WELL LIVED. www.lifenews.ca 2010-06-28 ______________________ He taught me (as much as I would learn, which wasn't much) and was my home room teacher one year. I think he passed me to get rid of me : ) I was also a frequenter of Teen Town at Elmira District High School, as it was named in the 1960s. Although I didn't see it, the story is that he would stand on the sidelines of the dance floor and if a couple was dancing too closely, he would get out his ruler and make them move to be 12 inches apart ! Sleigh rides, with real horse-drawn sleighs, were part of Teen Town activities and Ernie would run and walk the whole distance alongside the kids sitting on the straw bales. Of course, I thought he was old then. Marion Wilken Roes 2010

  
  

• Sources

  [S1125] News - ON, Waterloo, Elmira - Woolwich Observer (ObserverXtra), Centenarian Ernie Kendall passes away - July 3, 2010. [S655] z Vit - ON - Birth Registration, birth certificate 52693 (1908), Ernest Wakefield Kendall. Ernest Wakefield Kendall Date of Birth: 1 Aug 1908 Guelph Twp., Gender: Male Birth County: Wellington Father's Name: Ernest Wakefield Kendall (teacher of Manual Training O.A.C.) Mother's Name: Gertrude Estella Thomson [S220] Waterloo Region Hall of Fame Waterloo Region Hall of Fame.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 1 Aug 1908 - Guelph Township, Wellington Co., Ontario, Canada Died - 26 Jun 2010 - Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Hall of Fame - Waterloo Region - Bef 2012 - , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth