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| The original finish is barely discernible under layers of paint. |
When Murray Fraser downsized in January 2012, we were sure to save this family treasure. The chair was indeed showing its age, a little unsteady and held together with strands of strong wire. A careful repair and refinishing job by The Furniture Guy revealed the true character of the chair and details that were hidden under layers and layers of thick paint.
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| Douglas Fraser, Sr.'s chair, looking glorious in its repaired and restored condition. |
It was indeed Douglas’s favourite chair, and he used it a lot. Two knicks on the back are the result of several years of hitting a desk. Douglas's feet have worn the top rung under the seat to half its original thickness. There is no doubt this school teacher spent long hours in his chair reviewing his pupils’ lessons.
The chair is also significant for another reason. Douglas Fraser, Sr. actually died in this chair in June, 1915. The fact was noted in his obituary published back in Turnberry township, Ontario:
Death came very unexpectedly to one of this community’s much respected citizens on Sunday last, in the person of Mr. Douglas Fraser, calling him to his reward in the sixty-seventh year of his age. Of recent years Mr. Fraser had not been enjoying very robust health, but was able to be around pretty much all the time. On Sunday he was feeling exceptionally well, when all of a sudden he expired whilst sitting in a chair, succumbing to heart failure.
His wife Catherine (Kate) noted the same in a very brief entry in her diary. Her next entry is two months later. Ever practical, she reports a hard frost on August 25 that froze the vegetables.
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| Douglas's death receives a brief mention between more mundane entries in Kate's journal. |
