Come Unto Me

Left Hand Panel (the figure of Miriam): in loving memory of Lillian Beatrice Mundy Towns, 

May 3, 1896 – November 22, 1941, erected by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Mundy.

Lillian Beatrice Mundy was born at Dorset, Ontario, in 1896. When she was a child, she moved with her parents to Bracebridge, where her father went into the grocery business. Lillian Mundy completed her early education in Bracebridge, attending the local public and high schools and then moving to Colgate, Saskatchewan, where she attended Regina College. She returned to Ontario, residing in Toronto until her marriage to Mr. William Towns in 1922. Mr. and Mrs. Towns operated a guesthouse called Wiltown Lodge. Sitting at the brow of Hunt’s Hill, the lodge was a familiar landmark to the citizens of Bracebridge. William and Lillian Towns had one son, William. (The name of William Towns has continued for 6 generations in this family.) Lillian Towns died suddenly at her home, Wiltown Lodge, in 1941. 

Mrs. Towns was a very accomplished singer and pianist. She was a faithful member of the church choir, the Women’s Auxiliary, and the Clef Club of which she was president on more than one occasion. (The Clef Club was a well-known ladies’ musical organization in Bracebridge.) 

Central Panel (the figure of Christ): in loving memory of Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Mundy, Sarah Louise Phillips Mundy, 

November 14, 1869 – September 10, 1954, and Alfred Edward Mundy, August 30, 1866 – February 16, 1948, 

erected by their daughters, Laura and Kathleen.

Alfred Edward Mundy was born in 1866, in Romford, Essex, England. In 1888, at the age of twenty-two, he came to Canada and took a position with the Gilmour Lumber Co. in Trenton, Ontario. When the company first began operations in Algonquin Park, he was transferred to Dorset, where he worked as a book-keeper. It was here that Alfred Mundy met Sarah Louisa Phillips, who had also been sent to Dorset as a book-keeper for her uncle’s business. In 1903, Mr. Mundy severed his connections with the Gilmour Lumber Co. and purchased a flour and feed business in Bracebridge, on Manitoba Street, immediately south of St. Thomas Anglican Church. He later sold this business and moved to Saskatchewan where he resided for 7 years. In 1916, Mr. Mundy and his family moved back to Ontario, and settled in Toronto, allowing his children to take advantage of the educational opportunities of the city. The family remained in Toronto until 1931, when Mr. and Mrs. Mundy returned to Bracebridge.

Alfred Mundy was a member of the Methodist Congregation of Bracebridge and later Bracebridge United Church. He was a member of the Masons and had been decorated with the membership jewel of the Masons for his long service. During World War II, he was instrumental in setting up the British War Victims Fund in Bracebridge and was successful in raising money for that organization.

Sarah Louisa Phillips was born near London, Ontario, in 1869. She came to Bracebridge as a very young girl and received her education here, and training as a school teacher. Miss Phillips entered her profession at the age of 15, teaching in Macaulay Township. Several years later she went to Dorset to do bookkeeping with her uncle, Newton Langford. It was there that Sarah Louisa met and married Alfred Edward Mundy. 

Mrs. Mundy became a member of the Methodist Church as a young girl and continued in the United Church, giving exceptional service in the many congregations with which she was associated. She was involved with the Sunday School, the choir, and the Women’s organizations. Her special interest was in the work of the Women’s Missionary Society, in which she held office as president, secretary, and treasurer at various times. 

When her husband died in 1948, she returned to Toronto where she and her daughter made their home. Mrs. Mundy died in 1954.   

Right Hand Panel (the figure of Dorcas) : in loving memory of Mary Elizabeth Phillips Scoville, 

August 7, 1875 – November 19, 1951, erected by her children, Winifred and Lorne, and her sister, Roxyna.

Mary Elizabeth (Lill) Phillips was born in Bracebridge, in 1875, and attended the local public and high schools. Mary Elizabeth married George Alexander Scoville in 1902, at the home of her parents which was known as “The Pines”. Shortly after their marriage, she and her husband moved from Kemptville, Ontario, to New York City where George held the position of City Librarian. Their first child, Winifred, was born there. The Scovilles returned to Canada and settled in Toronto but another job as librarian took the Scoville family to Minneapolis. Here, George was diagnosed with Bright’s Disease and poor health forced him to give up his position as librarian and return to Kemptville. In 1916, her husband died, leaving Mary Elizabeth with the sole care of two young children. She returned to her native Bracebridge where she remained for the rest of her life with the exception of a few years spent in Sudbury where she tended to her brother who required home care. Mrs. Scoville died in 1951.

Mrs. Scoville’s life was spent in the service of others. She was always active in church work serving in The Women’s Temperance League, The Women’s Missionary Society, and The Ladies’ Aid. She had a beautiful contralto voice and belonged to the church choir for many years. She was a great lover of children and they reciprocated this affection. Children were delighted by the fund of stories that she would tell them. To many of her grandchildren’s friends she was simply known as “Gran”.