Obituary-Ray Alexander MacKay

Roy MacKay was born at home on July 22, 1936 in the village of Dorset. He was the third son of mother Doveina, and father Norman, and had two older brothers, James and Norman.

The family farm provided much of their food and the community of friends, family, school and church provided the rest.

He met his wife, Heather, when she took a job as a school teacher in Dorset and needed to board her horse at the family farm. They were married in 1958 and son Sandy and daughter Adrienne soon followed.

With help from others in the community, Roy built his family’s home on property that was formerly his grandfather’s sawmill site on Little Trading Bay. He lived there the rest of his life.

Roy started his working life as a Forest Ranger for the Department of Lands and Forests in Dorset in 1955. The Department was changed by reorganization in 1972 to become the Ministry of Natural Resources and his job was moved to the new district office in Bracebridge where he completed his career as District Forest Operations Manager in 1991.

As an avid outdoorsman, he enjoyed hunting, fishing, trapping, canoe trips and activities that often included snowmobiles and ATVs. In spring, he made maple syrup and tended a large garden on his property throughout the summer. If you dropped by for a visit, you would often go home with a jar of his homemade pickles, jams or jellies.

He was an active community member. He served a term as town councillor, several years as volunteer Fire Chief and 40 years as chair of the Paint Lake Pioneer Cemetery Committee. In his later years, many organizations benefited from his charitable donations.

Whatever Roy did, he did with a strong work ethic and loads of integrity.

Roy was predeceased by his father Norm, mother Doveina, brother James and his wife Alice and his own wife Heather. He is survived by his brother Norm and his wife Alice, his son Sandy and his wife Lori, his daughter Adrienne and her husband Andrew, grandson Caleb and his partner Kaylin and grandson Ethan. He will be deeply missed by them and by so many in the community that he was such a significant part of.

A fall at home in early November seemed to set off health complications that could not be overcome. He passed away less than three weeks later in Huntsville Hospital on November 19.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Recreation Centre, 1051 Main Street, Dorset on Saturday, November 29th, 2025, all are welcome. The gathering will begin at 1130 a.m. with a short service at 12 noon. Lunch and visits with friends and family will follow until 3:30 p.m.

Donations in Roy’s honour can be made to Knox United Church or the Dorset Heritage Museum.

If desired contact Mitchell Funeral Home for assistance.

Obituary-Michael Buss

In Loving Memory of

Michael Edwin Buss of Dwight, Ontario

With sadness and gratitude for a life well lived, the family of Michael Buss announces his peaceful passing on August 13 th , 2025 at the age of 82. Mike was born on March 21, 1943 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the son of Waldemar and Della (Kaercher) Buss. In 1965, he married Joanne Kleinschmidt his wife of 60 years and they had two children, Gary and Jennifer. Mike is survived by his wife, Joanne, son Gary (Genevieve) Buss, daughter Jennifer McCague, grandchildren Madison McCague and Connor Buss, brother-in-law Michael DeLong, sisters-in-law Sally Jo and Terri Kleinschmidt and cousins, nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents and his sister Karen (Buss) DeLong and brothers-in-law Charles and Donald Kleinschmidt.
Mike attended the University of Michigan, obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Biology (1965) and a Master of Wildlife Biology (1967). He was employed by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources for 29 years, working as a wildlife biologist in North Bay (1967-70), Sioux Lookout (1970-73), the L.M. Frost Resources Centre in Dorset (1973-84), and as Regional Wildlife Biologist in Huntsville (1984-95). He also worked on Environmental Assessments of Forest Management in Thunder Bay during those years.
In retirement, Mike was Secretary of the Hunting Heritage/Hunting Future Working Group (1994-2004). He had a life long interest in history and the out of doors and was a true life long learner and mentor/teacher to many. His passion for responsible hunting, the use and history of flintlock muzzleloader hunting was legendary. After working with trappers for many years, he developed a keen interest in the history of the fur trade and developed a presentation for teaching that history, complete with the appropriate apparel, furs, a remarkable collection of reproduction fur trade items and the accoutrements of the fur trader. He felt strongly that many Canadians were not educated enough about the fur trade and its important role in Canadian history and worked hard to spread that information through various venue presentations.
Fond memories abound of his many hunting and fishing adventures with like- minded friends, family trips across Canada and special times spent at the family “camp” on Lake Penage. His grandchildren have made those lake times, and all times with them, his best memories. Mike and Joanne enjoyed road trips and often organized their travel around visits to friends and relatives. He was an artist and a craftsman, a log cabin builder, dog trainer and musher, and an avid environmentalist. He knew who he was, what he believed and acted on those beliefs.
An open-house in celebration of Mike will be held at the family home on Saturday, September 20 th from 1:00-4:00 p.m.  All Welcome.
We don’t have enough words to thank our friends and relatives for their support, the staff and Royal Victoria Hospital Cancer Centre, the Huntsville Palliative Care Team, nurses Lindsay and Julie and Dr. Deborah Harrold for their compassionate care.
If desired, donations in memory of Mike to RVH Hudson Regional Cancer Program in Barrie, Hospice Huntsville, or Knox United Church in Dorset are appreciated.                                             

RVH Hudson Regional Cancer Program
201 Georgian Drive
Barrie, ON
L4M 6M2
On-line: https://www.rvhkeeplifewild.ca/donate-today/ (note Cancer Program in comments)                                               

Knox United Church,  Box 213, Dorset, Ontario   P0A 1E0
Hope Huntsville Palliative Care Team
Hospice Huntsville
100 Frank Miller Drive
Huntsville, ON
P1H 1H8
On-line: https://www.hospicehuntsville.com/donate-form/

Obituary-Thomas Bath

Thomas Colin Whitney Bath, age 71, passed away peacefully at home in Huntsville on May 28, 2025.

Tom joyfully entered this world in Oakville, Ontario on December 16, 1953, born to the late Donald and Beverley Bath. Tom is survived by his siblings Peter (Catherine) Bath of Ohio, Mary (Larry) Greenwood of Huntsville, Susan (Tim) Grant of Calgary, Judy Bath of Huntsville, his 4 children, and extended family of nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews. Tom brought great energy and creativity to his places of work; as a manager in the forestry, pulp/paper industry, as owner/operator of a successful marina and as an international special projects consultant. He was passionate in his many hobbies such as woodworking, painting, skiing and sailing. Tom was generous in his friendships and enjoyed those connections immensely. Tom embraced his cancer journey with his family’s support, in particular his sister Judy with whom he lived and found great care and encouragement. Our deep appreciation to the Palliative Care Team, and if you wish, a donation could be made to the Huntsville Hospital Foundation in Tom’s memory. A Graveside service held on Sunday, August 24, 2025 at Maplewood Cemetery, 1160 Tally-Ho Winter Park Rd, Hillside at 1:00 PM.

Obituary- Rev. Dr. Dorothy Wilson

Reverend Doctor Dorothy (Sharman) Wilson peacefully passed away July 6, 2024 at Parkview Home in Stouffville, Ontario, at the palindromic time of 4:44pm. There is no doubt in the minds of her loved ones that she in now in that special circle of Heaven for the true and faithful shepherds for The Lord.

 She was born March 25 (year redacted by request, but trust us, she reached an impressive age that saw the world change in ways we can never fathom) to Milton & Annie (Cooke) Sharman in Bentinck Township, Grey County, Ontario.

 Predeceased by her husband Lieutenant Colonel Forrest Erwin Wilson, brother Stanley Sharman and sisters Phyllis Gritten and Elda Gorrill, eight dear sisters-in-law including Hilda (Wilson) Higley, Elaine (Wilson) Bloch, and Ruth (Wilson) Root.

 Survived by a plethora of wonderful, interesting, creative, passionate nieces, nephews, grands and great grands who loved her dearly.

 Ordained in 1957, Dorothy was a trailblazer who married academic theology with deep faith. She led many a congregation with caring wisdom and absolute grace, including Emanuel United (Emsdale), Burks Falls United, South River Chalmers United, Trinity United, Sprucedale United, Novar United, Harmony United, Sand Lake United Churches, and St. Paul’s Oak Ridges. She was also first choice amongst her family to hatch, match, and dispatch, which she always did most excellently until she decided she wanted some weekends free. She often wished she could remember how many people she had married (as a minister), though to the best of her family’s knowledge her only husband was affectionately known as Uncle Erwin, whom she wed in a drive-by chapel in Florida, March 1965.

 Among her other adventures, Dorothy attended a one-room school in Lamlash District Township, then Hanover High School. She went to teacher’s college in Toronto and even taught for a few years before attending Victoria College and Emmanuel College. She spent two happy years at Keady Pastoral Charge as untrained lay supply. After being ordained, she headed to St. Andrew’s University in Scotland, where she learned to despise shortbread, declaring that it was like “eating a mouthful of lard,” which is the only sacrilege to her name. Dorothy lived for seven years in Valois, Quebec where Erwin was the District Lakes Manager before they returned to Emsdale after he took early retirement. Her honourary doctorate was bestowed upon her by Huntington University for her many years of “faithful service to the churches in the north,” though she always felt there were so many more deserving of it than she was. Many a winter was enjoyed in Zephyr Hills, Florida, surrounded by her sisters-in-law. Dorothy was blessed with many wonderful friends and family and neighbours everywhere.

 Few things made her has happy as a bowl of “budadoes,” which she would happily eat for and with every meal, especially if there was gravy or butter. She was an avid and prolific letter writer, though her script was tiny and often illegible, but always fun to decipher. She was often known to advise us all to “save your fork, there might be pie.”

 And so

  “My sufficiency has been sufficed.”

            -Dr. Reverend (Aunt) Dorothy Wilson

 A Graveside service will be held at the Emsdale United Cemetery, Emsdale on Wednesday, July 17, 2024  at 12 noon.

A Memorial Service will be held at Trinity United Church, 33 Main Street, East, Huntsville on Wednesday July 17th a 2:30 pm, with a reception to follow in Trinity Hall.

In Lieu of flowers, donations to the Huntsville Hospital Foundation or Algonquin Grace Hospice Huntsville, would be appreciated.

https://www.mitchellfuneralhome.ca/obituaries-1/2024/7/9/reverend-dr-dorothy-wilson

Obituary- Rev. Graham Tipple

Graham Tipple was born March 1, 1924 in Burin, Newfoundland.  His father was a fish merchant in that small town, but his mother longed to get away from the area, having lost multiple male relatives to the sea.  The family – with their young son Graham – resettled in Toronto in 1925, and Graham grew up in the Earlscourt Park neighbourhood and attended Oakwood Collegiate.  He remembers his father signing Canadian citizenship papers during this time.  Graham was in high school when the war came along, and he remembers losing several friends during that time.  He chose to join the RCAF and went into the BCATP, attending training schools from coast to coast.  Graham was in Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba!  He was on the pilot training path, but was later selected for tower training and night flying operations, and on one occasion he was in a crash truck when he was ejected, sustaining a severe head injury.  The recovery from that ended Graham’s active service, and he was in hospital in Calgary for a considerable time.  His condition slowly improved, and the air force tried him at library duty.  That stimulated his desire to return to education, and Graham used his veterans’ benefits to pursue postgraduate studies in divinity.  He went on to become a minister in the United Church, serving communities in northern Ontario and helping to establish Algoma University.  Graham Tipple was interviewed by Scott Masters at the Parkwood Veteran Centre in London, Ontario in August 2023. 

https://crestwood.on.ca/ohp/tipple-graham/