- 2007, Tuesday November 13, The Almonte Gazette front page
Merv Tosh Remembered for his Persistence and Determination
Almonte lost a living part of its history on Saturday (Nov. 10) when Mervin (Merv) Clark Tosh died peacefully at the Almonte General Hospital. He was 85. Tosh, who was this area's last remaining survivor of the 1942 Almonte train wreck, was also a World War II veteran having served with the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR). He was also a member of Branch 240 of the Royal Canadian Legion and the White Ensign Association. "Yes, he was in the navy for a few years and served on the ship known as the Matapadia during World War II," explained Mr. Tosh's younger brother Orval Tosh. "He was also quite a sports guy in high school and, after the war, he went to Queen's University where he received his Bachelor of Science. I am not entirely sure of his educational background, but I do know that he graduated from two different places, which later helped him in his career with the Canadian Board of. Transport Commission. This is the governing body for all Canadian railroads. He was there for a while and, at one time, also worked with the Canadian National Railway (CNR) in the same capacity." Mr. Tosh, who was born in 1922, grew up in Almonte before heading off to war. His time in the service along with his later career resulted in his living in places such as Montreal and Ottawa before he and his wife Caroline finally settled in Almonte in 1965. He was home from the navy for a Christmas visit, in 1942 when he was on the train that was struck by the troop train," Orval Tosh stated. Long-time Almonte resident Herb Pragnell was friends with Mr. Tosh. "We really got to know each other through annual Christmas parties and things like that," Pragnell noted. "We were good friends and he was a very intelligent man but a very lonely man after his wife died a few years ago. He used to come to our house two or three times week for tea." Pragnell said that Mr Tosh would, never talk about his time in the navy very often, but thanks to his involvement in and knowledge of the Almonte train wreck, the train memorial located at the scene of the accident was able to become a reality. "He was thoroughly involved with that and able to give us a lot of information," Pragnell added. In recent years, Mr Tosh was renowned for his keen interest in both local and provincial issues that impacted the town he called home. He would often put his educational background to use when concocting professionally worded letters for this publication, municipal legislators or the provincial government in an effort to make a difference in his community. "He was the best letter-writer I have ever met," Pragnell said. "He would always put together these huge letters for the newspaper or the government. He always has some sort of issue he was concerned with such as the dumping of contaminated soil from the old Baker property onto his family's land, the re-routing of services for the White Tail Ridge subdivision. and so on. He was very interested in what was best for the community." Mississippi Mills Mayor Al Lunney, who was often on the receiving end of letters from Mr. Tosh, confirmed Pragnell's claim that Mr. Tosh always had an issue he was willing to fight for or against: "He was the most sincere person I met since I came into politics," Lunney said. "He never let anything get past him, but he was never vindictive. He presented a great number of issues to council and he was always looking out for the good of the community. I have a stack of letters from Merv and you always had to really read them through them because there was always something very accurate in there that made a lot of sense." Lunney reiterated his earlier point that Mr Tosh was a very sincere man. "Sometimes he could be a bit stubborn, but he always stuck to it," the mayor added. "During the first election I ran in, he actually came to my house with one of my brochures. But, it was a corrected version as he claimed to have found all sorts of grammatical errors in what I had originally published. He had essentially redone one of my pamphlets and brought it back to me." As for the issues Mr Tosh had concerns with in recent years, Lunney added to those mentioned by Pragnell with the Union Street stop signs issue, the hanging of a plaque from the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway) to honour those who died in the 1942 train wreck and concerns about the parking situation at the Almonte General Hospital. "His theme was always the public interest," Lunney said. "He was a good and loyal friend," Pragnell stated. "We did have our differences at times, but we never let that interfere with our friendship." "We didn't always see eye-to-eye, but he was my brother," Orval Tosh remarked. Mr Tosh was predeceased by his wife Caroline C. Wacowich and his brother Stuart. He is survived by his brother Hartley (late Anne) of Oakville and Orval (Joan) of Almonte as well as several nieces and nephews. Friends may call at the C.R. Gamble Funeral Home and Chapel, 127 Church St., Almonte for visiting today (Tuesday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. A service will be held in the chapel on Wednesday (Nov 14) at 2 p.m., Rev Jim Ferrier officiating. Cremation to follow. Royal Canadian Legion members are asked to assemble in the chapel of the funeral home for a service at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Donations may be made at the funeral home in memory of Mr Tosh to the Almonte General Hospital / Fairview Manor Foundation and would be most appreciated. Mr Tosh had been in the hospital for more than six weeks before his death. He even celebrated his 85th birthday in the hospital. "His 85th birthday was on Oct 22," Orval Tosh said. "It was a really good day. He really enjoyed the day and was really up for it."
|
1922 - 2007 (85 years)
[1] 
