Joe Penney
Downtown Georgetown continues to mourn loss of groundskeeper
Joe Penney - described as 'the mayor of the downtown' - was killed after being struck by a vehicle mere days before Christmas
Joe Penney is proof that a person’s absence can be felt just as much as their presence.
The late BIA groundskeeper was well-known among the usual downtown Georgetown cast of characters. He merged his job of beautifying the downtown with his social life, often shooting the breeze with friends and respected acquaintances about sports.
“It's really about being a downtown ambassador, getting to know the different people and characters and whatnot,” Drew Pullman of the BIA told HaltonHillsToday about what Penney brought to the organization. “He worked for the BIA for 27 years, which is a significant amount of time.”
But on Dec. 23, 2023, the 90-year-old's life was tragically cut short when he was struck by a vehicle on Mountainview Road in Georgetown.
“I’m not finished mourning. It’s going to take a long time. Everybody was celebrating Christmas. How does a family get ready to celebrate a funeral?” Penney's son Paul said as his voice cracked.
“I know how much they (the downtown business community) really misses him and how much they really appreciated him. Downtown was his thing."
“He was really smart,” said Gaston Larocque, who was part of Penney's social circle. “When he was working downtown in Georgetown here and cleaning up, he would stand in the corner and talk about hockey.”
Sandy Mackenzie, a local building owner, said he and Larocque used to chit-chat with Penney at Heather’s Bakery.
Every day like clockwork, Penney got up at 5:30 a.m., made his own breakfast and did his rounds in downtown Georgetown, saying hello to everyone he knew along the way. He often kept his cleaning supplies at the Foodstuffs shop at 89 Main St.
Completely beat at the end of the day, he would board the ActiVan bus on the corner of Mill and Main streets and head home. The next day, he would do it all over again. Same routine, different day. “We called him Mr. Penney because he was kind of like the mayor of the downtown,” Pullman said in speaking about the level of respect he garnered.
Penney exuded all things Newfoundland. The father of five very much had an accent, which his son also picked up from him.
He came from a working-class family. Even on his native soil, and before moving to Georgetown, Penney developed a positive reputation among his peers. He became famous for being the best hockey goalie on Bell Island, a skill that no doubt took his team to the local championships. He earned a place in the Bell Island Sports Hall of Fame.
The good times did not last, however. Each of the mines began to close one by one between the 1950s and the '60s. Penney could no longer stay on his home island.
He initially moved to Cambridge, where he worked an office job. But Paul Penney says this type of work was not for his father. It wasn't long before he, once again, started looking at new horizons in 1962.
“When things didn't work out in Cambridge, he came to Georgetown because we had relatives [here],” Paul said.
He landed a job with P. Graham Bell, a local steel factory at the time. There he stayed for 34 years, until he retired in 1996.
But Penney was not a fan of retirement. He needed something to do. His prayers were answered when he saw a job posting for a groundskeeper in the downtown.
Paul Penney attributes his father’s work ethic to his days in the mines.
“I follow in his footsteps too. I believe in a good day's work for a good day's pay. Give it all you got,” Paul said.
But Penney never imposed this work ethic on his children. He merely led by example.
Penney is buried in Greenwood Cemetery next to his wife. On the back of the card from his celebration of life is the poem Miss Me - But Let Me Go.
It ends with a line that appears to match Penney’s character. “When you are lonely and sick at heart, go to the friends we know. And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds. Miss me, but let me go.”
Joe Penney - described as 'the mayor of the downtown' - was killed after being struck by a vehicle mere days before Christmas
Joe Penney is proof that a person’s absence can be felt just as much as their presence.
The late BIA groundskeeper was well-known among the usual downtown Georgetown cast of characters. He merged his job of beautifying the downtown with his social life, often shooting the breeze with friends and respected acquaintances about sports.
“It's really about being a downtown ambassador, getting to know the different people and characters and whatnot,” Drew Pullman of the BIA told HaltonHillsToday about what Penney brought to the organization. “He worked for the BIA for 27 years, which is a significant amount of time.”
But on Dec. 23, 2023, the 90-year-old's life was tragically cut short when he was struck by a vehicle on Mountainview Road in Georgetown.
“I’m not finished mourning. It’s going to take a long time. Everybody was celebrating Christmas. How does a family get ready to celebrate a funeral?” Penney's son Paul said as his voice cracked.
“I know how much they (the downtown business community) really misses him and how much they really appreciated him. Downtown was his thing."
“He was really smart,” said Gaston Larocque, who was part of Penney's social circle. “When he was working downtown in Georgetown here and cleaning up, he would stand in the corner and talk about hockey.”
Sandy Mackenzie, a local building owner, said he and Larocque used to chit-chat with Penney at Heather’s Bakery.
Every day like clockwork, Penney got up at 5:30 a.m., made his own breakfast and did his rounds in downtown Georgetown, saying hello to everyone he knew along the way. He often kept his cleaning supplies at the Foodstuffs shop at 89 Main St.
Completely beat at the end of the day, he would board the ActiVan bus on the corner of Mill and Main streets and head home. The next day, he would do it all over again. Same routine, different day. “We called him Mr. Penney because he was kind of like the mayor of the downtown,” Pullman said in speaking about the level of respect he garnered.
Penney exuded all things Newfoundland. The father of five very much had an accent, which his son also picked up from him.
He came from a working-class family. Even on his native soil, and before moving to Georgetown, Penney developed a positive reputation among his peers. He became famous for being the best hockey goalie on Bell Island, a skill that no doubt took his team to the local championships. He earned a place in the Bell Island Sports Hall of Fame.
The good times did not last, however. Each of the mines began to close one by one between the 1950s and the '60s. Penney could no longer stay on his home island.
He initially moved to Cambridge, where he worked an office job. But Paul Penney says this type of work was not for his father. It wasn't long before he, once again, started looking at new horizons in 1962.
“When things didn't work out in Cambridge, he came to Georgetown because we had relatives [here],” Paul said.
He landed a job with P. Graham Bell, a local steel factory at the time. There he stayed for 34 years, until he retired in 1996.
But Penney was not a fan of retirement. He needed something to do. His prayers were answered when he saw a job posting for a groundskeeper in the downtown.
Paul Penney attributes his father’s work ethic to his days in the mines.
“I follow in his footsteps too. I believe in a good day's work for a good day's pay. Give it all you got,” Paul said.
But Penney never imposed this work ethic on his children. He merely led by example.
Penney is buried in Greenwood Cemetery next to his wife. On the back of the card from his celebration of life is the poem Miss Me - But Let Me Go.
It ends with a line that appears to match Penney’s character. “When you are lonely and sick at heart, go to the friends we know. And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds. Miss me, but let me go.”