2 Thursday, April 14, 2022brooklintowncrier.com Brooklin's Community Newspaper Proud to be a Brooklinite Since 2000. Published 24 times per year. Editor, Richard Bercuson 613-769-8629 • editorofbtc@gmail.com • Circulation 8000 • Delivery via Canada Post Locally owned and operated. A publication of Appletree Graphic Design Inc. We accept advertising in good faith but do not endorse advertisers nor advertisements. All editorial submissions are subject to editing. For advertising information, contact: Email: mulcahy42@rogers.com Next Issue: Friday, April 29, 2022 Deadline: Friday, April 22, 2022 Brooklin TOWN CRIER.com The Mitchells: From men's wear to mayor A personal history by Nan Mitchell The floor of the Grass Park pavilion features stones engraved with the names of residents and business owners whose contributions have enriched the community. They were purchased by family members, like the Mitchells, who wanted their loved ones remembered for their place in the town's history. The Mitchell family saga in Brooklin has been both long and deep. It began with my grandparents, John Mitchell and his wife Jane, who, in 1939, moved with their two sons, Bruce, my dad, and Don from Toronto to a 50-acre farm and orchard they purchased at 5455 Ashburn Road. John continued to work for Tip Top Tailors on Lakeshore Blvd. in Toronto, following in the footsteps of his own father and brother. Bruce and Don eventually became cutters in the mid-1940s. Men's wear store John retired from Tip Top in 1952 and opened Mitchell's Men's Wear in Brooklin where he carried Tip Top's men's and ladies' suits, haberdashery, boys wear and Sisman's shoes. It was located at 46 Baldwin Street North and eventually moved to 6 Roebuck St. until the mid 1960s. He used to treat his six grandchildren to delicious licorice wrapped in striped black and silver foil. He even once bought us two ponies that produced some challenging rides through the orchard trying to avoid apple tree branches. His sons were avid sportsmen, playing for Brooklin teams in hockey, lacrosse and especially softball. According to family lore, with their father's encouragement, Bruce and Don started their own business. They bought McPherson Builders Supply Company, renaming it Mitchell Bros. Building Supplies, because commuting to Toronto after doing chores on the farm - with no highway 401 - was cutting into their baseball time. Softball player Bruce was an unrelenting competitor, (half) jokingly telling his daughters, "It doesn't matter how you play the game as long as you win!" A catcher, he played through injuries like split fingers and, on one occasion, he removed a wrist cast to catch a game. There was also the 23-inning game he caught against Dresden. He was a manager of the Brooklin Concretes softball team and also groundskeeper for the Brooklin Park diamond. The two brothers played multiple positions for the Guy Stevenson Motors and Brooklin Concretes teams. In 2021, when the Brooklin Concretes were inducted into the Whitby Sports Hall of Fame, they joined as players. A house divided Their property included a house divided into two small apartments and a small office as well as two large sheds with covered areas for lumber. Don and Ruth had two daughters and a son, while Bruce and Iva had three daughters. After flipping a coin, Bruce built a new home at 17 Albert Street across from the lumber yard on land purchased from Wes and Nora Schell who owned the gas station uptown. That couple became like a third set of grandparents to my two sisters and me. In 1967, Bruce and Don built a new two-storey office on the Mitchell Bros. property. While running Mitchell Bros., they also helped their father with the orchard, continuing after his death until 1981. Immersed in the community, Bruce and Don were members of the Brooklin Legion Local 152, the Brooklin Hunt Club and were on the Executive for the Brooklin Redmen Lacrosse team. Don was also a member of the Oddfellows Lodge. In 1948, they helped build the original Brooklin Memorial Arena. Supporters Mitchell's Men's Wear and Mitchell Bros. supported the annual Spring Fair with Mitchell Bros. sponsoring the log sawing and nail driving competition for years. Don and Bruce were volunteer firemen with Don becoming Fire Chief while his brother Bruce retired as a Captain. In the mid 1990s, with Bruce retired, Don Sr.'s son, Don, took over Mitchell Bros. and renamed it Mitchell Lumber until closing its doors in 2016. But, in November 2014, Don was elected Mayor of the Town of Whitby, bringing the family full circle. The original Mitchells, my grandparents, along with their sons and wives are all buried in Groveside Cemetery.