Retiree News

WHAT STARTED OUT as a loose network of retired Local D366 (Mississauga, Ontario) members that stayed in touch with one another has grown into something more, says Pierre Pommainville, who retired in 2009 from the Mississauga Cement Plant after 35 years. Pommainville organized a get-together for coffee back in 2010, and was pleased to see 15 retirees show up. That first event went so well that the group has more than doubled in size. Retirees from the Ogden Point Quarry are also part of the group.

RETIRED MEMBERS OF Local 191, Victoria, British Columbia, received pins acknowledging their 60th year of membership with the union during ceremonies recently. Group photo, left to right, Local 191 BM-ST Jim Fitzpatrick and retirees Roy Gallop, Wes Morhart, Stan Betts, Darrell Walker, and Ernie Smith. In accompanying photo are 93-year-old Howie East, left, and Fitzpatrick. Not pictured are 60-year members Corky Bryant and Art Holland.

L-237’s Diaz pays tribute to U.S. military

THE SACRIFICES MADE by U.S. soldiers are not lost on Rudy Diaz, a retired member from Local 237 (Hartford, Conn.) now living in Cape Coral, Fla. A few years back, Diaz was inspired to honor those serving in the armed forces by designing and building a bronze statue.

Diaz’s concept would include an Iraq war-era American soldier and an Iraqi boy standing and saluting the American flag. The boy’s salute would symbolize his appreciation for the courage and service of the soldiers who fought to free his country from tyranny.

Wood carving takes Denkins around the world

HANS HOOGENDOORN, a retired member of Local 549 (Pittsburg, Calif.), has not lost his passion for the Boilermakers union.

IN LATE 1999, John Roberts faced a life-changing decision. After being diagnosed with Hepatitis C years earlier, he needed a liver transplant to survive. The retired Local 105 (Piketon, Ohio) member said he made a pact with God — if God would see him through the transplant, Roberts vowed to “spend the rest of my time serving Him.”

Couple travels to Mexico to teach children, maintain orphanage

FLORENCE AND JEAN-MARIE Nadeau, a retired member of Local 128 (Toronto, Ontario), are living part-time in Mazatlan, one of Mexico’s greatest vacation destinations. Their time, however, is not spent at an exotic resort, but in volunteer work at some of Mexico’s poorest regions.

Lodge honors retired BM-ST Snead

LOCAL 27 (St. Louis) held its 20th annual retiree reunion August 1 and honored the event’s founder, David Snead.

RETIRED LOCAL 105 (Chillicothe, Ohio) member Roscoe Cartwright Jr., 66, was inducted into the Ohio Military Hall of Fame for Valor for his service during the war in Vietnam. The induction ceremony took place May 1 at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus.