WILNO – Leonard Daly has passed on, and will be remembered for his wonderful ability to string his quick–witted words together, and for his life in the Madawaska Valley.
Leonard was a resident of the area for 66 years, and was a wonderful member of the farming community.
Some would say he was a pack-rat, others will remember him as a farmer, but everyone knew him as a talented auctioneer.
He spent a great deal of his younger years following his father to as many farming auctions possible, admiring the way they would spill the words together and showed no fear even in front of a large crowd.
In 1972 he found the perfect place to gather his knowledge and put it to use, Riesch Auction College in Iowa.
There he learned even more about becoming an auctioneer, and all of the extremely swift ways of speaking.
Leonard was excited to be back on his own home grounds once again after graduating, and worked as hard as ever at the local farming equipment auctions.
It was at his first solo auction that he met his wife Irene Daly, and it was from that moment on that their wonderful life together began.
They had been married 40 years, and with a business to run and a farm to upkeep, Leonard was always on the go.
“The guy was always go, go, go,” Irene said. “He was a busy, busy guy.”
In the summer months they would spend their days auctioning, and would make a yearly trip to Pennsylvania, where they knew some fellow auctioneers.
Looking back, Irene remembered one year in particular.
Leonard had purchased five bags of cabbage, according to Irene, as they were too cheap to resist.
Once the couple had returned home, he had generously handed them out to friends and family.
“That year everyone made coleslaw,” she said with a laugh.
“He always put himself last and put other people first,” Irene shared. “He was very kind and generous, if anybody needed a hand he tried to help.”
In 1988 Leonard had decided to revisit his college years and returned to school in order to upgrade his almost mastered auctioning techniques.
However, he was not fond of the new ways of going about auctioneering, and was quickly frustrated with their new teachings.
Aside from being heavily involved in auctions, Leonard also had a kind heart, and was often fundraising or auctioning for churches, the new hospital in Barry’s Bay or the United Way.
“You name it, if somebody asked him, he would be there,” Irene said.
Things were changing for Leonard, and unfortunately for him there was not much he could do about it. With technology quickly uprising he was left in the dust, and was trying to cling to the past auctioneering ways.
Story continues in the October 24, 2012 issue of The Valley Gazette.