Waterloo Region Generations
A record of the people of Waterloo Region, Ontario.
Oscar William Solomon Weichel, MP

Oscar William Solomon Weichel, MP

Male 1894 - 1968  (74 years)

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  • Name Oscar William Solomon Weichel 
    Suffix MP 
    Born 26 Jan 1894  Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
    Gender Male 
    Occupation 1911  Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [6
    Residence 1911  Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [6
    Lutheran 
    Occupation 1923  Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [5
    Postmaster 
    Residence 1947  Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [8
    Died 1 Mar 1968  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [3, 4
    Hall of Fame - Waterloo Region Bef 2012  , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [9
    Interesting post, public service, life story 
    Military WW1  [7
    Name Mike Weichel 
    Name O. W. Weichel 
    Eby ID Number Waterloo-25957P 
    Buried Elmira Union Cemetery, Elmira, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [4
    Person ID I25957  Generations
    Last Modified 26 Feb 2024 

    Father John S. Weichel,   b. 10 May 1866, Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 15 Jul 1947, Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 81 years) 
    Mother Ida Elizabeth Ruppel,   b. 4 Dec 1870, Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 16 Jun 1927, Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 56 years) 
    Family ID F6767  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Olive Elizabeth Hughes,   b. 1893, Toronto, York Co., Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1966  (Age 73 years) 
    Married 25 Sep 1923  Toronto, York Co., Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [5
    Children 
     1. Weichel,   b. 10 Mar 1925,   d. 10 Mar 1925  (Age 0 years)
     2. A. Ross Weichel,   b. 1926,   d. 1994, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 68 years)
     3. Earle H. Weichel,   b. 1930,   d. 2002, Vancouver, , British Columbia, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 72 years)
    Last Modified 2 Mar 2024 
    Family ID F29182  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Photos
    O. W. (Mike) Weichel
    O. W. (Mike) Weichel

  • Notes 
    • Ex-Postmaster
      O. W. Weichel, Former MP, Dies

      O. W. (Mike) Weichel, former Waterloo North MP, died Friday at St. Mary's Hospital after an illness of three weeks. He was 74. Postmaster in Elmira for 35 years, Mr. Weichel resigned in 1958 to run as a Conservative candidate in the federal election of that year. He completed three terms before retiring in 1965. His election with a majority of 9,342 ended a Liberal reign in Waterloo North which extended back some 41 years. He was the first Conservative to serve the constituency since his uncle, the late W. G. Weichel, defeated Mackenzie King here in 1911. Mr. Weichel spearheaded the drive in the House of Commons which brought Canada its first national fitness plan. He was slated for a parliamentary secretaryship when the Diefenbaker government fell. Born in Elmira, he was a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Weichel. He was educated in Elmira, schools and after the First World War at Shaw's Business College in Toronto. He was employed at his father's hardware firm, M. Weichel and Son, Elmira before enlisting at the age of 22 and going overseas in the First World War with the 118th Battalion. He won the Distinguished Conduct Medal for bravery in the field and lost a leg in action two months before the end of the war. He was later awarded the Queen's Coronation Medal for civilian service and the Medal of Merit by the Canadian legion. The loss of his leg ended what might have been a long sports career. Two weeks before he was wounded, he signed a professional baseball contract to play in the Michigan - Ontario League, and he had been promised a tryout with the team which later became the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL [National Hockey League]. He had played senior hockey with the Ontario Hockey Association before the war and was active in soccer, tennis and track and field, carrying off the 100-yard championship for his regiment. With his sports career at an end, he turned his sports interest to executive work. He was active in the OHA [Ontario Hockey Association] as a coach, manager or executive for more than 30 years. He served on the Ontario Minor Hockey Association executive for nearly 20 years, including two years as president, and was still an honorary executive member of the Toronto Hockey League. In the 1930s and 1940s he coached and managed Elmira hockey and baseball teams and was a past president of the Elmira Badminton Club. Several years ago he was honored by the Ontario Sports Writers Association which made him a guest of honor along with such sports personalities as Floyd Patterson, Tiny Thompson and Don Larsen at the Association's annual Sports Celebrities Dinner in Toronto. Mr. Weichel never lost his keen interest in baseball and hockey. He was looking forward to another trip to Florida, this month to watch the Boston Red Sox training sessions.

      Gained 150 Prizes

      A past president of the Ontario Lawn Bowlers Association, he collected some 150 prizes in this sport. Active in veterans and miliary organizations, Mr. Weichel had been a member and trustee of Kitchener branch of the Royal Canadian Legion for nearly 30 years. He was also a member of the Waterloo, Polish and Elmira legion branches, the Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans Association, the officers' and Sergeants' Messes of Victoria Street Armory, K-W Naval Veterans Association, and Wing 404, RCAF [Royal Canadian Air Force] Association. He was a past president of Elmira Community Service Club, former group chairman of the Elmira boy scouts for 15 years and a recruiting officer during the Second World War. At one time in the war he served on the executive of 23 organizations. Besides heading war bond and savings stamp drives, he helped promote and build Elmira's present arena. Next to sports, in which his connections are too numerous to fully catalogue, his favorite hobby was music. One of the finest tenors in this part of the country, he formed a concert troupe, the Happy Cousins, which played more than 1,200 concerts in Canada and the United States before an estimated 300,000 people. He taught singing for nearly 15 years in Elmira and at one time had his own orchestra. In 1928 he won a gold medal for Ontario tenors. He had been a bass drummer in Elmira and military bands, and also played the violin. Chairman of Elmira centennial activities, he was also a member of the board of governors of Waterloo County Hall of Fame, a life member of Waterloo County Historical Society, the K-W Big Brothers Association, the Retired Businessmen's Association and former president of Elmira Polar Kings, who won the OHA intermediate B championship. Since his retirement, he spearheaded a $30,000 fund-raising campaign for the Waterloo County Children's Aid Society. A Lutheran, he attended St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Elmira and was an elder of the church.

      Married in 1923
      His wife, the former Olive Hughes of Toronto, predeceased him in 1966. They were married in Toronto in 1923. Surviving are two sons, A. Ross, city editor of The Record, and Earle H. of Oakville, former Kitchener alderman and manager of corporate public relations for the Ford Motor Co., of Canada, two brothers, Charles of Southampton and H. L. (Lefty) of Elmira; one sister, Mrs. F. C. Forwell, Elmira, and four grandchildren. One brother, Harry, predeceased him. The body will be at the Dreisinger Funeral Parlor, Elmira, until noon Monday when removal will be made to St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Elmira, for service at 3 p.m. Rev. Dayton Fritz will officiate. Interment will be in Elmira cemetery.

      The Kitchener-Waterloo Record 1 Mar 1968

      _________________


      M. Weichel & Son Sell Waterloo Hardware Store

      M. Weichel and Son Limited, Elmira, announce the sale of their hardware store in Waterloo on Saturday last to W. A. Schaefer and son, Kenneth, as the new owners. The Waterloo store has been a branch of the Elmira store for 53 years and was considered one of the better hardware stores of the district. M. Weichel & Son Limited have been established 73 years and it was only three years ago ago they celebrated their 70th anniversary. The Waterloo store was operated through the Elmira store with W. A. Schaefer as manager, for the past 15 years. Mr. Schaefer had been associated with the Waterloo store for 45 years and his son in recent years had worked with him. Since returning from overseas, Kenneth Schaefer had been with the firm for six years. He served overseas with the R.C.A.F. While under new ownership the store will continue to be known as Weichel Hardware. Several years ago the Waterloo store was completely modernized and modern new vitrolite front was installed.

      Elmira Signet, March 6, 1952

  • Sources 
    1. [S161] Census - ON, Waterloo, Elmira - 1901, Elmira pg 4.

    2. [S161] Census - ON, Waterloo, Elmira - 1901, Elmira (Village) B. Page 5.

    3. [S74] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Kitchener-Waterloo Record (1948-1994), Obituary of O. W. Weichel - March 1, 1968.

    4. [S98] Cemetery - ON, Waterloo, Woolwich - Elmira Union CC#4578 Internet Link.
      Weichel/ O. W. (Mike) Weichel/ 1894 - 1968/ His Beloved Wife/ Olive E. Hughes/ 1893 - 1966/ Thy Will Be Done

    5. [S721] Vit - ON - Marriage Registration, marriage certificate 5821 (1923), Weichel-Hughes.
      Oscar William Weichel, postmaster Elmira, Birth Place: Elmira Ont Age: 29 Estimated birth year: abt 1894 Father Name: J L Weichel Mother Name: Ida Ruppel Spouse Name: Olive Elizabeth Hughes Spouse's Age: 29 Spouse Birth Place: Toronto Ont Spouse Father Name: C C Hughes Spouse Mother Name: Annie Grey Marriage Date: 25 Sep 1923 Marriage Location: York, Toronto

    6. [S176] Census - ON, Waterloo, Elmira - 1911, Div. 49 Pg. 21.

    7. [S157] Military - Canada - World War I - Attestation papers.
      WEICHEL, OSCAR WILLIAM Regimental number(s): 751443 Reference: RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 10201 - 33 Date of Birth: 26/01/1894

    8. [S77] News - ON, Waterloo, Elmira - Elmira Signet (1893-1982), Obituary of John S. Weichel - 17 jul 1947.

    9. [S220] Waterloo Region Hall of Fame Waterloo Region Hall of Fame.

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBorn - 26 Jan 1894 - Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsOccupation - ? - 1911 - Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - Lutheran - 1911 - Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsOccupation - Postmaster - 1923 - Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarried - 25 Sep 1923 - Toronto, York Co., Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - 1947 - Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDied - 1 Mar 1968 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsHall of Fame - Waterloo Region - Bef 2012 - , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBuried - - Elmira Union Cemetery, Elmira, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth