Clarenville legend and Christmas staple Ralph 'Boonie' Lethbridge dead at 80
Lethbridge, 80, was known in area for selling Christmas trees
A Newfoundland man known for his enduring acts of kindness, iconic bushy beard and his decades of cutting down the Christmas trees that adorned countless homes has died.
Ralph "Boonie" Lethbridge of Clarenville died on Monday morning, his family said. He was 80.
His family told CBC News he was found by his wife Virginia in his pickup truck in their home's driveway. He had planned to go into the woods.
Last year, Lethbridge spoke with CBC News about his enduring love of the outdoors, his battle with cancer and his 40-year-long career of going into the woods to cut down Christmas trees that he would sell.
In those decades, he became known for his "Boonie Trees" with people travelling distances to get one.
However, his illness meant he had mostly stopped cutting trees by last year,
When Lethbridge spoke with CBC News, he said he'd continue his battle with cancer and that he wanted to resume his Christmas tree business the following year.
"I'm going to go out with a bang with this Christmas tree outfit," he said at the time. "I'm going to try it one more year if I'm alive. I got to."
Along with his wife Virginia, the couple developed a reputation for helping others in the community. They had become known locally as Mr. and Mrs. Kindness.
In 2016, the Clarenville man shaved off his iconic beard after raising $51,000 in two weeks for the ALS Society of Newfoundland and Labrador. He was inspired to raise money after his close friend Larry Boyd was diagnosed with the disease. He had lost other friends to ALS.
Along with his son James, Lethbridge received a medal of bravery from the the Governor General of Canada in 1983 for saving a man from drowning in Trinity Bay.
Lethbridge was the oldest of 16 children and went on to work in a variety of fields, including as a sailor, fisherman and logger. He would also hunt and trap.
His nickname Boonie is a reference to the famous American frontiersman, Daniel Boone.
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With files from Terry Roberts
