Alfred Dorfman

1926 - 2019

Alfred Anderson O'Donnell Dorfman passed away peacefully on Sunday July 28, 2019 at Southbridge Pinewood, at the age of 92. Alfred is survived by his wife and sweetheart of 69 years, Kathleen (nee Wright). Also surviving are their children, Carol (Bill) Romanowski, Ian (Jackie) Dorfman, Joan (Glenn) Bailey, Owen (Michele) Dorfman, Lynn (Oscar) Arseneault and Ellen Yeast (Jim Bailey). The clan got a lot bigger with the addition of grandchildren Lisa (Ian) Guinn, Nikolas (Ashley) Romanowski, Melanie Dorfman, Michael Dorfman, Lauren Bailey (Ashlyn, Dave), Michael (Kerry) Bailey, Karyn Bailey (Matthew Teske), Carly Dorfman (Colm), Molly Dorfman (Kale), Adam Arseneault, Madelaine Arseneault (Jeremy), Holly Yeast (Emily), Stacie Yeast (Dave). We are now on the third generation with great-grandchildren Cayley and Emily Guinn, Aidan and Ethan Romanowski and Caelan and Arran Bailey. Alfred is also survived by brothers George (Beryl) McKinnon in Australia and Bill (Maggie) Gibson in England. Nieces, nephews and cousins are situated around the world. Alfred was predeceased by his parents, one brother and three sisters. Alfred was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1926. Times were tough growing up in the 1930s and Alfred left school at 13 to help support his impoverished family. He worked in a hotel kitchen and moved to Largs, Scotland to work in a restaurant there as an apprentice chef at the age of 14. He eventually had his own kitchen, sending money home to his mother. At the age of 18, Alfred joined the British Army. The Second World War was still under way and Alfred ended up assigned to the Royal Engineers, where he worked as a driver-mechanic for a bomb disposal unit. During the war, he met our mother, Kathleen Wright, at a dance in Essex, England. Dad was sent overseas after the end of the war and spent time in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine and Iraq. After his service was finished, Alfred returned to Kathleen in England and they were married in 1950. Eleven years and four children later, the family moved to Canada. They settled in Fort William and made their family home there. Two more children joined the group in the early 1960s. As a pastime, the family took up camping. Arrow Lake was a favourite spot in the 1960s. In 1978, several family members went on a camping trip to B.C., an adventure we fondly call The Trip from Hell. After the family was grown, Dad and Mum still camped and took up canoeing. Alfred worked at a number of places, including Superior Propane, Murphy's Fuel, Northland Machinery, Great Lakes Paper and his final job was at Lakehead Newsprint, where he worked until retirement. In between jobs, he sold Compact vacuums and Watkins products. In 1984, Dad and Mum took a three-week trip to England and Scotland. After Dad's retirement in the early 1990s, he and Kathleen did some travelling. They took a Caribbean cruise, went on bus trips to Hinckley and Winnipeg and enjoyed several trips to Branson, Missouri. Mum and Dad loved gardening and the back yard of their home on Rosedale Avenue was filled with flowers every summer. Age and infirmity took their toll and eventually the house was sold, after fifty years. Dad became ill and spent a lot of time in TBRHSC and St. Joseph's Hospital under excellent care. For the past two years Southbridge Pinewood has been his home. Thank you to Dr. Janhunen and the caring, compassionate staff at Pinewood Kingfisher for looking after Dad. Also, thank you to Northwest Funeral Alternative for their help and guidance. Alfred did not want a formal funeral. Cremation has taken place and a private interment will be completed at a later date. We invite family and friends to join us at the Slovak Legion Solarium for a casual celebration of life on Sunday August 11, 2019 from 1-4 PM.

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