Charlie Comrie knows his story is unusual and that some may think he’s lost his mind. But for Comrie, a 96-year-old World War II veteran, it all made sense when he sold his home in Clinton, Ont., last December to move 3,000 kilometers east to a rural town on the island of Newfoundland. Comrie now lives in Plate Cove West, a village of about 800 people, all of whom have welcomed him and his best friend Shiloh, a Nova Scotian retriever, with open arms. But you may wonder why an old man would travel such a distance to live along the rugged coast along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. And the answer is simple. Love. While this is Comrie’s first year living in Plate Cove West, he and his wife, Anna, fell in love with Newfoundland and Labrador from the first of many visits beginning in 2000. Anna Comerie, Charlie’s wife, on their wedding day, September 24, 1949. (Melissa Tobin/CBC) Anna died in 2019, after 19 years of living with dementia. She still misses Comrie. After 70 years of marriage, being in a place he loved so much helps. “I think you can probably tell that I feel closer to Anna with this. I really do,” she said. It was, after all, Anna’s desire that forced him to make such a bold move — the kind of change he’s embraced several times in his life.
A fateful visit
Some of Charlie and Anna’s fondest memories were with Chris and Karen Ricketts, owners of the Round Da Bay Inn, a 16-room bed and breakfast on Main Street in Plate Cove West, located on the west side of the Bonavista Peninsula. Newfoundland. They vividly remember the couple’s first visit to Plate Cove West in 2015. “When we first met Charlie and Anna, it was obvious that Anna had dementia, but it was something about Charlie’s character, how he cared,” says Chris Ricketts. Chris and Karen Ricketts own the Round Da Bay Inn in Plate Cove West, NL They have hosted Charlie and Anna for many years and say Charlie adds so much to their community. (Melissa Tobin/CBC) They grew up and were called The Notebook couple, after the novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. “She had to take care of him. And he’s her man and he takes her wherever she needs to go, she wants to go. They traveled all over Canada,” said Karen Ricketts. The couple first came to Newfoundland the year of Anna’s diagnosis. After that they returned every year, exploring both the island and Labrador, but made a real connection with the people every time they came to Plate Cove West. It was on the couple’s last visit to the Inn in September 2019 that they met a group of singers who would have a huge impact on everyone. Mary Jane Maloney and her barbershop quartet, Close Quarters, were visiting at the same time as Anna and Charlie. Chris told her about the couple and suggested they sing some songs. Charlie Comrie and Mary Jane Maloney sit down to breakfast at the Round Da Bay Inn. Her barbershop quartet, Close Quarters, sang for Charlie and his late wife Anne, in this very room. (Submitted by Mary Jane Maloney) “When they finished their lunch, we got up from our table and just stood in front of them and sang some Vera Lynn songs. It was really moving,” Maloney recalled.
‘My man. Where are we going today?’
Later that fall, Anna’s health took a turn for the worse. He was admitted to hospital and later to a care home. Charlie and Shiloh made their daily visits, with Charlie helping with meals and other needs. But she could not communicate with anyone, not even her husband, for many weeks. Charlie Comrie and his dog Shilho walk the grounds of the Round Da Bay Inn. (Melissa Tobin/CBC) Comrie said he will never forget what happened next. “Two days before she died, they wheeled her in in the morning, and she said, ‘man’ — she didn’t know my name at the time. ‘Man. Where are we going today?” “And those were the first words he said to me in three weeks. “Where are we going today?” he said. LISTEN | Hear Charlie Comrie’s full story in a powerful documentary for CBC Radio’s Weekend AM: Weekend AM14:09 Starting at the age of 96, Charlie Comrie’s story Melissa Tobin’s story of Charlie Comrie moving to rural NL for love “And I said, ‘We’re going to have breakfast here. But where would you like to go?’ He said, “Newfoundland.” And I said, “We were there for six weeks. Yes. Do you want to come back?’ “He said, ‘But those ladies sang so beautifully.’ And those were her last words.”
The many chapters of Charlie’s life
After living alone as the COVID-19 pandemic began, Comrie returned to Newfoundland for a visit in the fall of 2021. Mary Jane Maloney was also there that weekend. He arranged an online call to sing for Comrie again. It was this gesture, in addition to other acts of kindness from the people of Plate Cove West, that solidified his decision to move to the rural Newfoundland town. So, at 90, Comrie begins a new chapter in life. He is busy helping Chris and Karen with their gardens, baking pies and even helping to renovate a shed into a ‘cocoon’ for extra sleeping. Change is just a part of life, something he has done many times before. Charlie is busy with work most days, including tending the garden at the Round Da Bay Inn. (Submitted by Karen Ricketts) He grew up in Toronto. At the age of 15, Comrie joined the militia to train to later join the Canadian Army. In 1945, aged 19, he made the week-long journey from Halifax to England to serve in World War II. He fought as a soldier in the battle and then served as a police officer in the Netherlands. He sailed back to North America with the US Army. He was to be stationed in Georgia. But when the atomic bombs hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, Comrie was sent back to Canada. After his discharge from the army, he went to work in the grocery store. He married Anna that same year, on September 24, 1949. The couple would have four children, three girls and one boy. They lived in southern Ontario, moving from time to time, including 13 years on a farm. Charlie and Anna at Plate Cove West in 2019, their last visit there together. (Submitted by Karen Ricketts) At age 59, after more than 30 years in the grocery business, the company was sold and Comrie was fired. Too young to retire, he found a new career in flipping houses. He would buy a house, fix it up, sell it and then move on and do it again. Seven houses and two cottages later, he gave it up to be a full-time caretaker after Anna was diagnosed with dementia. That’s when the couple started traveling. Comrie said it was easier not having to worry about meals when they were on the road. They had good memories and he knew that even when she didn’t want to go shopping with him, he could trust her in the car. “She loved the car,” he said. Kim Furlong and her new neighbor and friend, Charlie Comrie. (Submitted by Kim Furlong)
I always think of Anna
Now a widower, not a day goes by that Comrie doesn’t think of Anna. His new friends, however, make it easier. Along with Chris and Karen, he gets a lot of help from others in the community. There are always deliveries of fresh homemade bread, there is help clearing the snow, and even walks in St. John’s for medical appointments. One of his new friends is Kim Furlong. He works at the Round Da Bay Inn and lives just down the road from Comrie. Charlie Comrie drives around Plate Cove West, with Shilho sitting quietly behind. When he looks around at the geography of the Bonavista Peninsula, he knows Anna would be happy to be here. (Melissa Tobin/CBC) She helps him with household chores and helps him renovate a small structure in his backyard. She’s not the only one who has fallen in love with Comrie. Her whole family, including her teenage boys, have a crush on their new neighbor. “My sons love him, especially the oldest. [Tyson] loves his stories. And Charlie has a lot of stories to tell.” Tyson even invited Comrie to his high school graduation. Charlie Comrie stands next to Tyson Furlong at his high school graduation. The teenager loves to hear the stories of his new neighbor. (Submitted by Kim Furlong) Inspired by Anna’s last words, Charlie Comrie feels lucky to have found this place and its people. And even at 96, he said he’s not going to slow down. “I think it’s kind of important to have something to stand up for. I really do,” she said. He hopes his family can come visit him in Newfoundland soon. Meanwhile, he’ll be busy gardening, setting up his house, with his faithful puppy Shilho, following right by his side. When he looks around at the geography of the Bonavista Peninsula, he knows Anna would be happy to be here. Charlie Comrie wears a shirt specially made for him by his new friends at Plate Cove West to celebrate his 96th birthday. (Submitted by Karen Ricketts) Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
