By Rue Ford Strock. I am the step daughter of Major Victor Blochin. My mother Elizabeth Ann Blochin, Victor’s second wife of many years. I was never introduce as step daughter. I was his daughter he was my Papa & the only Grandfather my two children ever knew. It is only recently my son and I have become aware of the Aurora’s Woodland Pet Cemetery conflict.
No one knew my father better than I did. We corresponded every week with each other. His & Elizabeth Ann’s life was primarily dogs and the care of the breeding and showing their West Highland White Terriers, boarding dogs and the beautiful Aurora’s Woodland Pet Cemetery.
The Aurora’s Woodland Pet Cemetery was precious to them as it became as apparent as to the comfort it brought to the owners of their lost pets.
The grounds of Aurora’s Woodland Pet Cemetery were tended with love as weeds were pulled & flowers planted. Elizabeth Ann being of a social nature (very caring), would most often invite the owners of the pet’s into their lovely home for tea. Being born & raised in England this was a natural way of life for her.
This is what I know from letters I still have & personal conversations. After my mother was tragically killed by a car on Young St., Victor became more determined than ever to protect the property, including of course the Aurora’s Woodland Pet Cemetery. He wanted to find a way that the land would always be used for the betterment of animals lives, mainly dogs, having every chance of a new home before being put to sleep, in the most humane way.
The grounds of Aurora’s Woodland Pet Cemetery were tended with love as weeds were pulled & flowers planted.
Eventually he started to speak of two young men who had sort him out. They were kind to him and impressed him very much as having great interest in his desire’s for the land. He phoned me in California to speak about it to me. Victor told me he trusted them & how did I feel about it, as it effected my inheritance & that of my children. My response was to do whatever gave him a peace of mind. He was sure of the promise & did it in a legal way. Victor said he had a Trust set up in Newmarket, Ontario. I was young at the time, very naive. Today I would have been more aware of Victor’s vulnerability & state of mind, meaning his ill health, and his loneliness. It had only been three years having lost my mother. To sum it up, it would be a tragic loss of dream & sacrifice of a man’s later life work and my mothers.
Incidentally, Elizabeth Ann, my mother, represented The National Business Association at the Coronation of the Queen of England. Mother presenting an Oil Painting at the luncheon at the Palace from the Toronto Branch in Canada.
We have lots of pictures of Victor & Elizabeth if you wish to view them and of the Property in question. My heart felt thanks’ to all who have made so much effort to stop the proposed destruction of a such an historical land mark apart from the legal promise.
Sincerely,
Rue Ford Strock
CREDITS
[1] Photo Submitted by Rue Ford Strock.
Archived Comment submitted by Dean Newcombe on 2013-11-05: “When Victor Blochin sold his Bencruachan Kennels in Aurora around 1974, it was sold at a very low price on the contractual agreement, that the land would always be used for the protection of dogs. The land was sold to two young men and they need to honor the agreement that my Grandfather requested. My grandfather was a Russian Count and his first wife Ann Elizabeth Wilson Blochin was the daughter of Robert Wood Wilson, the famous American painter and author. The cemetery has historical value, as does the history of the Kennels, and the people who developed it. It would be a shame not to honor the wishes of the initial owner by destroying the grounds completely. Please try to archive the original sales agreement of my Grandfather which took place around 1974.”
Victor and Elizabeth were relatives of mine . Elizabeth was my mother’s cousin . I also visited them in 1971 .
Glad I that I was able to share these here and was given that opportunity.
Anna 🙂
Thank you
I am nearing 80 years of age. I remember many times going to Victor & Queenie’s. In fact, he was an excellent marksman and taught me to shoot a 410 shotgun, thereafter, I used to hunt rabbits on his property. He was in the dog breeding business and had a dog food business as well. My first dog, Freckles, is buried at Woodland Pet Cemetery.
When I was 13 years old in 1965 (70 now), my family moved to just outside Aurora and we were neighbours of Victor and Elizabeth. The following summer, they offered me a part-time job working in the dog kennels and pet cemetery as well as cutting grass and doing other yard work. I did that for about 3 years. I was just telling my wife about those times, and she looked up Victor’s name on the internet which brings me here. I’ll always remember the two of them fondly.
Thank you for sharing Al!