Happy Birthday Tim! You’d be 70! I wish you were here to celebrate with Lorraine and your kids and the rest of us. I can’t believe you’ve been gone for almost 31 years.

My parents - Stan and Alice Castle - had 9 children - Marilyn - Bob - Susan - Brenda - Harry - Ted - Philip - Tim and me! Tim was born in 1955 and me in - 1958.

I spent my childhood and youth - playing and hanging with my brothers - especially Phil and Tim. Yes - they were 5 and 3 years older but they included me in everything. I don’t ever remember a time when they told me to “get lost!” Through elementary and high school we were “in each other’s back pockets” - then Phil moved out west and next - Tim was off to college in Lindsay. After graduation Tim took a job with the ministry of Natural Resources up in Dryden and then Red Lake. I missed my brothers.

An interesting fun fact about the Castle children - we all married in order from Marilyn on down. Tim married Lorraine the summer before Randy and me - and as the story goes - Randy called Tim just prior to the news that Tim and Lorraine were getting married to say he was going to propose to me and Tim should get on with proposing to Lorraine!!! He did and the rest is history. We married the next summer after Tim and Lorraine.

Tim and Lorraine married in 1978 and lived in the north all of their lives together. They settled on McKenzie Island - (population 150) - across Red Lake from Balmertown. At one time, McKenzie Island was a thriving island community because of the gold mines operating there. Apparently there were two stores - The Bay and Kollman’s, a movie theatre, a drug store, a bank, a bakery, a butcher’s, a barber shop, a post office, a school and 3 airlines. Not so - when Tim and Lorraine lived there.

Randy and I visited Tim and Lorraine and their two kids twice in the 80’s. We made the long drive from Orillia - stopping to camp at Pancake Bay, Kakabeka Falls, and other campgrounds along the way that I can’t remember. I do remember the first summer we went - 1981 - I was pregnant with Zac and I threw up every morning as we drove north! I’d yell - “pull over” and when the car stopped, I opened the door and hurl all over the side of the road. I also remember staying at Kakabeka Falls because it’s such a cool name and because it was daylight until almost midnight. Our vacations at Tim and Lorraine’s home on the island were idyllic. Our babies were young together - we swam and boated and fished and picked blueberries and ate good food and laughed and played games. We were so young.

The call came on a Sunday night - just after midnight - the early hours of July 25th, 1994. I could tell from Randy’s voice that it was bad news - someone had died. As I listened I thought - probably someone from our church family - not ever imagining in a thousand years that it was my beloved big brother - Tim. My brother Ted was making the calls to each of us siblings - relating the very sad news - Tim had drowned Sunday afternoon in the McKenzie River.

I remember being stunned when Randy shared the story - or at least all that Ted knew so far. I was in shock. I got out of bed and my legs gave way. I felt like I was going to be sick to my stomach. I couldn’t believe the news.

We prayed - for Lorraine - the kids - my parents - our siblings - Tim’s friends - and tried to go back to sleep but sleep would not come that night and for many nights to come.

In the morning - we told our boys. They were young. Their hearts broke for my heart.

More important - I knew that four of my siblings had met on that Monday morning at my parent’s home - near Westport to break the news to my mom and dad…..they didn’t phone them in the middle of the night but would tell them face to face. Marilyn, Brenda, Phil and Ted met on the cottage road and wouldn’t you know it - my Dad was already walking their dog in the cool of the early morning - 7 am. Obviously, when he saw the four of them, my Dad knew that something was up. After they told him - his thoughts and words were only for Mom. ‘“Oh, Al! She’ll be devastated!” The five of them (and the dog) walked up the cottage road hill and Mom saw them from the kitchen window……”what?”

My siblings shared the news and Mom just kept saying - “Timmie. Timmie. Timmie!” Her beloved youngest son was dead.

Tim and his 14 year old son, Scott, had gone on a canoe trip for the weekend and were making their way back home Sunday afternoon. The two of them had spent the weekend canoeing, swimming, fishing, and enjoying being together. Scott told us later that on the Saturday night, as they lay looking up at the star-lit velvety black sky, Tim spoke of heaven. He spoke to Scott about the after life - about heaven - about the things that God is preparing for us - that we all need to be ready because we never know when our time will come!

As they approached Red Lake - late on that Sunday afternoon - they decided to empty their bags and equipment onto the shore and maneuver their canoe through the small set up rapids in the McKenzie River - something they had done many, many times before. There was some white water but nothing dangerous. They were both wearing their life jackets.

They were about halfway through the rapids when the canoe tipped them out in only about 4 or 5 feet of water. Scott swam to shore and Tim decided to stay with the canoe and guide it through the rocks. For some reason that day - the canoe started to go sideways and Tim was being pushed by the force of the water and the canoe. Suddenly the aluminum canoe folded in half and trapped Tim in it - under the water - between two huge rocks. The canoe wouldn’t budge - it was stuck. Scott immediately jumped into the river and tried with all his might to push on the canoe to free it so Tim would be released. It would take 28 hours before the canoe was freed - 28 hours before Tim’s body would be free from his watery grave. The OPP divers worked tirelessly all those hours. It was Tim’s best friend - Big John - who, early Monday evening - 28 hours after Tim’s body was pinned beneath the canoe - banged on the canoe and prayed - “Dear God - please release Tim’s body”. Immediately the canoe slid from the rocks and Tim’s body popped up the surface.

It was a long - sad drive north. All of us siblings made the journey to McKenzie Island to share in Lorraine’s grief and support and love her. We stayed on the island at a Mission Hostel - all of us together. Many of Lorraine and Tim’s church friends brought us food. We heard stories from his friends of how much he was loved.

I wept through the service. I couldn’t sing the hymns but I believed the words. “Day by day and with each passing moment - strength I find to meet my trials here!” “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow - because He lives, all fear is gone - Because I know He holds the future - and life is worth the living - just because He lives.” I was steadied by Tim’s pastor as he spoke the truth of God’s Word about heaven and the afterlife. I wept and laughed through Big John’s eulogy! He quoted Tim’s favourite poem. Tim knew it by heart. I also knew most of it because when we were teenagers - doing the supper dishes together - Tim rehearsed it over and over again - The Cremation of Sam McGee. “There are strange things done in the midnight sun - by the men who moil for gold - the Arctic trails have their secret tales - that would make your blood run cold; The Northern Lights have seen queer sights - But the queerest they ever did see - was the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge - I cremated Sam McGee.” There are 15 stanzas in this poem! (Check it out!) Tim memorized the whole poem in 1974 and 20 years later he could still say it without making a mistake.

And now - this July - it will be 31 years since that weekend - that started so happy - and ended so tragically. March 17th - Tim would have turned 70! I can’t but wonder what kind of man he would be today and yet I know! Loving. Kind. Gracious. Happy. Faithful. He always had a smile on his face. He was all those things and more.

And now - I also reflect that as he spoke of heaven to Scott - Tim was ready. He had given his life to Jesus as a young boy - was baptized in our home church in Cornwall and was a leader in his church in Red Lake. He knew where he was going. He graced the way for the rest of us.

Love you Tim. Love my memories of happy years as kids and teenagers. You were a fun and good big brother to me and a sweet little brother to the rest of our siblings. You’ll always be young.