Josephus "Joe" Fillion

Josephus (Joe) A. Filion (1903-1965) was born in Alexandria, the oldest of a family of five boys and two girls. He attended the Alexandria schools but it was his father, Josephus Filion, who taught him his trade as a builder. A few years after marrying his sweetheart, Alice Poirier, he became a resident of Green Valley where he was known as a farmer, a politician, a carpenter and a building contractor.

Filion made many contributions to his community. He was Reeve of Lancaster Township from 1953 to 1959. A member of the Richelieu Club for many years, he served as its fourth president in 1952. He served as a Commissioner on the St. Lawrence Parks Commission from 1956 to 1965. In 1967, a plaque was erected in Glengarry Park by the Commission in commemoration of his great contribution. His interest in the schools and the education of children was illustrated in many ways; as examples, his visits to the schools with his home-made reindeer as Santa Claus and his fund-raising to purchase gifts for the graduating class at Maryvale Abbey, Glen Nevis. Filion took up curling in 1942 and was a two-term President of the Alexandria Curling Club in 1947-1953 and again 1955-1964, a total of 15 years.

When he became President, the club consisted of 30 active male curlers. When he completed his final term, the curling club included a ladies section, and the curling season was extended to five months thanks to the installation of an ice plant that provided the members with artificial ice surface upon which to curl.

During the years 1956-1957 and 1957-1958, there was great interest in curling locally and the club grew in size to numbers nobody had anticipated. This was largely due to the push and energy of Filion, the building contractor. He carried the mortgage for many years, saving the club from closure.

By 1957, enough members had subscribed as shareholders to make possible the installation of artificial ice in the fall of 1957. The fist curling on the new ice took place in January 1958.

Women curlers were encouraged to join the club and soon became a vital component of the sport in Glengarry. In the early 1960’s Filion was mainly responsible for bringing in the first curlers from north of Alexandria to play the “Roarin’ Game.”

Filion and wife Alice led the way on the social side of this great sport. Numerous fund raising dinners, bonspiels and trophy nights not only financed the club, but made curlers anxious to return for the next season.

Today, the Alexandria Curling Club has well over 200 members annually and provides competition for juniors, seniors, men and women from all parts of Glengarry County, every day weekly from the end of October to the middle of April.

Curling is a great game in itself but to bring people, rocks, ice and building together requires someone with outstanding energy, drive and dedication.

In Glengarry that person was Joe Filion.