Glenn Carmody has been clearing snow throughout Fort Frances for 60 years
If all the snow he plowed was compiled into one snowbank, it would stand strong by Mount Everest. It is safe to say he has plowed every road in Fort Frances, before finally packing away his equipment and his lifelong trade after 60 years.
Glenn Carmody, 85, was born and raised on Pit Road #1. It is where he had the most fun, and he would not trade it for anything. It was a time when people made fun with modest incomes and means.
“It was hard for sure. Nobody had money or anything. But we didn’t know we were poor. We had fun. Kids had lots of fun then; they made their own fun,” Carmody said, as he fondly remembered his youthful adventures. “The gravel pit over here is full of water. We swam, fished, had bonfires and wiener roasts. In the winter time, we played hockey.”
As the oldest brother to three sisters, Carmody came to know responsibility and independence from a very young age. With a strong drive and willingness to work, Carmody had his first job hauling water when he was 10 years old. He would also cut Christmas trees and haul it to his neighbours.
“We all had to work back then. It was not like now where they get a big allowance,” Carmody said. “Everybody was looking for a job when you were 12 years old. We all wanted to work, but it was hard to work back then.”
Starting out with three customers, Carmody then started shovelling snow onto a pickup truck and then hauled the snow by hand. Not long after that, Carmody and his father purchased a Ford tractor and plowed snow around town.
Carmody’s snow plowing business then grew to become the leading one in town. He plowed day and night, for 60 years, until high insurance rates became an inconvenience. The last place that he plowed was McDonald’s where he has been plowing since their grand opening.
Carmody would get up at midnight and plow away until noon. He would then go back home, have lunch and be done for the day. When he first started, Carmody did not have a heater or a cab, which contributed to a tough working condition.
“It was really cold and not much fun,” he said. “Later I got a truck and built a plow for it and it had a cabin and a heater. I pretty much plowed for everybody in town at one time or another. Many of them are not there anymore. People wouldn’t even know that there was such a thing as creameries, butcher shops and bakeries.”
Carmody has had his share of equipment breakdowns, such as blowing hydraulic hoses and fuel lines freezing up. But being a man of experience and trade, he did his own mechanic work and never called someone for help.
Nothing stopped Carmody from getting on the road, even the famous March 4, 1966 snowstorm. Carmody had his loader uptown and the snow was piled so high that he could not walk in it.
“I literally swam in the snow to get to the highway,” Carmody said.
Carmody’s life has not necessarily been an easy one, but having a dedicated loving wife who took care of the children and did his bookkeeping was one true blessing.
Carmody met Judy in 1958 while he was doing some work for her dad. They got married in 1959 and had four children: Glenn Jr. Michael, Randy and Karen.
“Judy did all the books and back then you could not take your wife off income tax, so I had to pay her wage from my pocket, but later on, you could hire your wife,” Carmdoy said. “You could hire someone else to do the books, but you couldn’t hire your wife. I was paying her but pretty low wages.”
The Carmodys said they were really short on money back then, but Glenn’s business and entrepreneurial skills landed them a good deal, especially when Judy was having the babies.
“There was no hospitalization either. When we started having our babies, it was hard to pay. I went to the hospital and the clinic and told them I’d plow their snow to pay the bill,” Carmody chuckled. “I plowed the clinic all those years. That’s how we paid for our babies.”
In the summer, Carmody hauled sand and gravel in between the times he and his family would travel to the United States and internationally.
“We’d jump into the car and travel everywhere,” he said. “We’d head south and watch the weather and go wherever the weather was good. We really enjoyed our road trips. We’ve seen a lot of different things that you would never see flying over it.”
Right now, the Carmodys are still living on Pit Road #1, where he and his children grew up. He looks back to a very successful life, marked by dedication, hard work and milestones.
“Work,” Carmody said. “Do some work instead of depending on other people to look after you. Work never hurts anybody.”
