Over eighty years ago, a young teenager from a well-known
baking family in Hamilton, Canada, began experimenting in his
mother's kitchen. The family now laughs when they recall the
messy curtains and counters a patient Mrs. Linkert continually
cleaned up many mornings. His first job (at eight) was going
with father, Ed, on the bread wagon pulled by their faithful
horse, Harry. Eventually, using ingredients bartered in exchange
for working in his uncle's bakery, Murray Linkert developed a
preoccupation with fruitcake that became only more intense with
the passing years. Even during his ten years as a flight
instructor and Air Defense pilot with the R.C.A.F., the cake
still turned up from a small kitchen oven in his apartment on
base. Only able to bake four cakes at a time, he nonetheless
would turn out about 400 pounds over a period of months for
friends and relatives. In between his teens and service time
came several years working for one of the larger and more
recognized centres of the profession in the southern part of the
province. The cake formula was changed many times, reflective of
his belief that "it can never be quite good enough ". In the
late fifties, Murray settled his family in a beautiful, eastern
section of the Haliburton Highlands, just south of Algonquin
Park.
Many local teens had summer
 jobs with Murray and brother Jack. One girl applied at age 14,
was told to come back next year", and as Murray now smirks “And
darn it, she did!". After high school, and 12 years of travel
and various job experiences, she returned to the Highlands to
find her former boss doggedly pursuing that same goal. She
trained with him four years, long enough to convince them both,
that Janet Barker and Murray Linkert (as partners) made the
right team to carry on the dream. For 27 years they worked very
hard, building upon the foundation laid down by Murray over the
previous years. Their motto became “The difficult we can do, the
impossible may be a bit more of a challenge.” Many times the
challenges seemed insurmountable but by God’s Grace, and with
the help of extremely loyal employees, such as Theresa ‘Mikey’
Davidson and Candy Hutchinson the accomplishments achieved were
many.
 At 81, Pappy was forced to stop lifting
heavy pans, and restrict his involvement to non-physical work.
Still a daily fixture, he was always a welcome presence who
brought daily laughter and light to the bakery environment.
After several frustrating months in 2008, Pappy was set free
from his suffering, and in January 2009 he went home to be with
the One he so loved and respected, his Friend Jesus. He was an
amazing mentor and friend, and anyone who knew him felt honoured
to have him in their lives.
He was and is, dearly loved and missed
beyond measure. |
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