South Kent Councillor Frank Vercouteren, January 11, 2016 (Photo by Jake Kislinsky)South Kent Councillor Frank Vercouteren, January 11, 2016 (Photo by Jake Kislinsky)
Chatham

Former CK councillor Vercouteren passes away

A former Chatham-Kent municipal councillor has died.

Frank Vercouteren passed away on Friday at the age of 86.

His political career started when he was 25 years old, being elected to the Ridgetown Council.

In 1980, he was elected to the Blenheim Council. He spent 15 years on the council, even being elected as Reeve in 1988.

Vercouteren was elected as a councillor in the newly formed Municipality of Chatham-Kent in 1999, serving until 2018.

He also spent time as the Commissioner on the Chatham-Kent Public Utilities Commission, President of the Blenheim District Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Blenheim Business Improvement Association, Chairman of the Blenheim Arena, Chairman of the Chatham-Kent Seniors Fair Committee, Chairman of the Agriculture Hall of Fame Committee, and Vice Chair of the B.F.I. Advisory Committee.

Vercouteren was also a member of the Chatham-Kent Fires Advisory Board, member of the Blenheim Mosse Lodge, and the Blenheim Royal Canadian Legion Branch 185.

A Celebration of life and Holy Mass will be celebrated at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church on Thursday October 17 at 10:00 a.m. He will be laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery beside his wife Theresa who passed away in 2014.

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