Abraham Saunburn Uttley -- 1879-1970

Abraham Saunburn Uttley was born April 26, 1879. He married Lecetta Wilhelmina Mahn, daughter of John and Augusta Mahn, in an old inn at the corner of Wellington Street and King Street in Berlin (Kitchener), Waterloo County, Ontario, on October 18, 1905. This was one of the same inns that Nathan stayed at when he first came to Canada. It had been converted into a house. He died in August, 1970. Lecetta died in 1950.

Abraham Saunburn Uttley was born in a little farmhouse a few miles north of Elmira. In 1885, he began public school at Waterloo Central. Bruce Uttley remembers stories Abe told of walking to school in winter with newspapers under his coat to keep warm. He must have walked by the Seagram Distillery in Waterloo as old Joe Seagram would give him a greeting as he passed by from time to time.

He obtained his first job at the Waterloo Woolen Mills in 1892. He was thirteen years old and his pay was three cents per hour. His six day work week of 56 hours allowed him to get to the ball game on Saturday afternoon. He later played ball for the Scotch Grays - at no pay.

While working in the mills in Waterloo, he learned a great deal about fabrics (wool) and saw how the woollens were cleaned.Abe moved to Chatham, Ontario in 1900. He worked in the Chatham Woolen Mills there and learned trade of makiing blankets. His pay was $1.50 per day. Board cost him $3.00 per week.

During the last six months of 1900, he came back to Berlin (now Kitchener) to Rumple Felt where he worked at finishing of felt. In 1901 he went to Oshawa and the Schofield Wollens Mill with no raise in pay. Learned washing and finishing of underwear.This in time gave him the idea of cleaning men's woollen suits.

His father Nathan passed away in 1903. The Waterloo Woolen Mills closed down late in the year. He opened his own cleaning and dyeing business in the building formerly housing City Cabs. His first partner was Fred "Fritz" Mahn. At the end of each week, they just split what was left over after take-ins and put-outs. There were no taxes or reasons to keep a reserve. In 1905, he got a new partner, Alan Moyer. They moved to Queen Street, into the Opera House.

He married Bob Mahn's Aunt, Lecetta Mahn.

In 1906, Bill Graber became his third and last partner. They were together almost forty years. He moved the business to the Sattler Block on Queen St. S. His business was now called the Berlin Dye Works.

He raised poultry and showed them at Winter Fairs. In 1916, some soldiers decided to paint the side of the Berlin Dye Works a brilliant yellow. He changed the name of the firm to Kitchener Dye Works. After 27 years in business, in 1928, Abe had his first government audit. Tremendous bookkeeping work. Settlement was $30.00 for each partner and they had to hire a bookkeeper.

In 1932, he bought a farm in Bridgeport, near Kitchener. All the family was to work on the farm. He raised show hogs. In 1936, he bought Bill Clement's house at 71 Heintz Ave, Kitchener. With the war over in 1945, there were lots of uniforms to dye. He bought out his partner, Bill Graber. In 1946, he bought the Pearl Laundry business and property on Queen Street from the Knipfels when his boys returned from the services overseas. He moved to Weber Street in Kitchener in 1951 after his wife died. He was appointed to the Executive of the Dry Cleaners and Launderers Institute (DCLI) in 1952.

In 1959, he was appointed Life member of the DCLI From 1959 to 1961, he was Chairman of the Mid-West Division. In 1964, he was still playing golf and still shooting in the low 100's.

In 1969, a big room was rented at a local motel to handle the people that came to wish him well at his 90th birthday. "I made it" was the theme of the evening. There was a family gathering at Grandpa's house in July of 1969 on the night that Neil Armstrong first stepped onto the surface of the moon. The weather was warm and the group spilled into the back yard. Abraham would not come inside to watch the climax of the event on TV. He said he just couldn't believe it.

In 1970, he still played some golf that summer and kept active. The garden continued to be a particular passion. He died in August after a short illness.

He started with a washtub on his mother's back porch, and ended as the owner of the Pearl Laundry with a staff of more than 50. Abe had the first drycleaning service in Ontario.

He is buried at Woodland Cemetery, Kitchener, Ontario, Section K,L.

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Most recent revision December 1997