MANITOWANING—It’s been more than 30 years since Gerald Kitts (94) of Manitowaning retired from his truck driving job at Reimer Express and moved to Manitoulin Island and most of his fellow employees have passed on, leaving Mr. Kitts with little but his memories and a couple of retirement gifts with which to remember them—even the company itself is now long gone.
Two years ago on a visit to Little Current to do some grocery shopping at Orr’s Valumart one of the gifts given to him by his fellow employees at Reimer Express, a gold money clip, was lost. “I must have lost it either in the store or in the parking lot,” he told The Expositor. “Had it out to pay for my groceries but when I got home, I couldn’t find it.”
Mr. Kitts said that the clip was by itself and did not contain any money. “I was going to refill it,” he said. Mr. Kitts set about advertising for the clip’s return, first offering $50, then $100, but to no avail. “I am willing to pay $500,” he said. “It means that much to me.”
The gold money clip was part of a set that included cufflinks and a tie clip. Embossed on the money clip are the initials GWK (Mr. Kitt’s initials), his driver’s licence plate and the inscription “Presented by the Drivers of Reimer.” The retirement gift was especially dear to Mr. Kitts because it came from his fellow drivers. “The company gave me the traditional gold watch,” he noted, “but the money clip was special because they thought so much of me that they got together to get it for me.”
Over the course of 31 years driving the big rigs, long and short haul out of the Toronto terminal, Mr. Kitts made a lot of close friends in the company. “But most of them are all gone now,” he said. “I really hope someone can bring it back to me.” Memories are more precious than gold.
Anyone with information on the money clip can contact Mr. Kitts at 705-859-1399.
