From the February 20, 1980 issue of the Smoky Lake Signal.
Smoky Lake Business Report
Gwen and John Onuczhko, of Smoky Lake
MacLeods store have retired, as of early November. Carrie and Nick
Homeniuk have bought out their former partner's share and are carrying on
the operation.
Nick Homeniuk was born in Opel and attended school in Thorhild. When World War Two broke out he joined the army. A week after D Day he landed in France. For a month the army was pinned down in the small beach heads around Caen. When the break out came it was fast and furious rush up the French coast to Holland and finally into Germany itself.
Nick was a driver in the anti-tank platoon with the Winnipeg Rifles. Their job was to follow close behind the infantry and set up in a defensive position in case of a counter attack by German tanks. "The guns were never fired," said Nick.
The war had turned and with the rapid advances the battle lines kept pushing on ahead. By war's end the rifles were in Germany. They were pulled back and spent 5 - 6 months in Holland before being demobed.
Back in Edmonton the 24 year old Nick worked as a carpenter for the next few years and then went back to his parents farm. His dad wanted to retire and so with wife Carrie they farmed for 9 years in the Thorhild district.
When they decided to look for something else to do, they teamed up with his sister Gwen and her husband John and bought in the Smoky Lake Macleods store. now 10 years later John and Gwen are retiring, and Nick and Carrie are carrying on.
(Click here to jump to a story about Carrie Homeniuk in 2001!)
Smoky Lake Laundromat
Smoky Lake Laundromat, formerly owned by Elmer Oshann has been sold recently to Lor-Col Investments. The Lor stands for Lorraine Bittner, the wife of local Bank of Commerce manager, Harold Bittner and the Col stands for Jean Cole the wife of local Shell Bulk fuel agent, Roger Cole of Coles Farm Supply.
Jim Switzer - New Man at Mohawk
Jim Switzer is the new man at Smoky Lake's Mohawk Service Station. This is the first station the 42 year old mechanic with tickets in both automotive and heavy machinery, has leased on his own. But he's worked in and managed alot of them over his long career in the auto repair industry.
Jim was born and raised in Winnipeg where he finished high school and started apprenticing as a mechanic at the age of 17. Most of his work has been in the Manitoba capital with a five year stint in Edmonton as an Esso Station manager in the late 60's.
Jim and his wife Helen have two sons and two daughters. The eldest two Betty and Bill have married and are living in Edmonton. Brenda (16) and Art (13) are living with their parents in Smoky Lake.
Used to the long hours that operating a service station entails Jim feels he'll be able to make a go of it. "The location is the best in town," said Jim "and the town is the best one between Edmonton and Cold Lake, so it should work."
Puff's Pizza and Burger Bar
R and E Burger has also changed hands.
Puffs, as its now called, has been bought out by Berangere Brousseau and
Elena DeSilva.
Berangere, not wanting to see the burger stand go when her husband Ernie Brousseau and his partner Ron Oranchuk wanted to sell the business, put together a group of wives and relatives to buy it out.
The girls plan to operate the take out or eat in pizza parlour and burger stand the year round. It's open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. week days and 10 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.
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