At 4 p.m. on Sept. 30 the door at Llewellyn Plumbing & Heating closed for the final time.
It signalled the end of a 77-year-old Innisfail institution.
Behind the closed doors, friends, family and employees gathered one last time in tribute to the company started by Lewis John Llewellyn in 1937 and taken over by his son Don, who had been working with him since 1967 until his passing in early 2014.
Since then, his widow, Chris, has been at the helm and decided to close the doors after months of intense soul searching and finishing up their last projects.
“Don lived spontaneously,” said Llewellyn of her late husband. “If he wanted to have a get-together, he would and just start inviting people. This was very much a ‘Don' style decision.”
Ruth Llewellyn-Handfold, a teacher at École John Wilson Elementary School and sister to Don, noted they (his family and friends) were not “going to let the doors close without a party.”
They didn't.
More than 20 people jammed their way into the front office drinking wine, pop, and snacking on the food friends and family put together with less than a day's notice.
“The planning for the get-together was done in ‘Llewellyn time',” said Llewellyn-Handfold. “I think around 6 p.m. last night.”
Jack and Danny Daines, close business and personal friends from the Innisfail Auction Market, showed up to pay tribute to Don and his legacy along with Brent Jackson of Jackson's Pharmasave, Bob Bilton of Bilton Welding & Manufacturing, Ron Bristow of Bristow Projects, Reid and Duane Howell of Howell's Excavating Ltd., and Roger Malcolm of Malcolm Contracting.
“I didn't realize it until a few minutes ago,” said Llewellyn-Handfold of the gathering. “But there is at least 200 years of pioneer business in this room with the Auction Mart, Jackson's and ourselves alone. If we include Malcolm's, and Bilton's, this is a special moment in Innisfail's history. This is really a significant moment.”
Longtime employee Mark Barlem looked at his job at the revered business as being part of a family.
“I've been here 25 years and every day I felt like part of their family,” said Barlem. “I will miss that, but it is time to move on.”
Barlem added he has no immediate plans for the future but thinks he might hang out his own shingle someday. For today, he said, it's time to celebrate with his family.
“I am so thankful to my friends, and the friends that Don made in his lifetime for their support these last few months,” said Llewellyn. “Closing the business was a hard decision given that it was the result of two generations of men's hard work and dedication to their customers.”
In addition to a 77-year legacy, the Llewellyn family were pioneers in turning Innisfail into a world-class water-skiing centre.
“Like Don, who was honoured at the U.S. Masters in Georgia this year for a lifetime of water-skiing support, our son, Jaret, was world champion for nine years, and his son Dorien who has just won his first world championship. Our family is creating another legacy,” said the widow. “I am proud of my children and grandchildren. Don and I went to 28 U.S. Masters to watch one of our kids compete and encourage them. It was a blessing to watch them excel.”
Meanwhile, Chris Llewellyn's future is now an open slate and she can look back with satisfaction that Llewellyn Plumbing & Heating was truly part of the community, and that the community supported them in return, a relationship she will always treasure.
