Belleville is in mourning as we take time to honour the memory of a man who both saved lives and also enriched many lives in the Friendly City.
The flag at City Hall has been lowered in memory of Ralph Boomhauer, a legend in the local fire department and one of the longest-serving lynchpins of any community-focused program.
Boomhauer passed away last month at the age of 86. The service is this Saturday morning at Saint Michaels Catholic Church.
It has been years, but I remember talking to Ralph a number of times about the program he led for decades.
You see, in addition to his time on the Belleville Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee and leading the Warf Street Debate Club, Ralph was the president of the Belleville Firefighter’s Toy Drive for over 50 years.
As if saving and protecting lives and putting your own on the line wasn’t enough, he spent every holiday season working tirelessly to make sure that children of all backgrounds and means could have a few presents under the tree to make the season truly merry and bright.
His generosity of time and spirit was truly worth of Old St. Nick himself as he helped hundreds of families each year, bringing joy to tens of thousands of local children.
Instead of flowers, they are asking people to donate to the Toy Drive instead, a fitting tribute for someone who knew the laughter of children was the greatest gift of all.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
