For more than half a century, if you walked into Conroy’s Grocery, chances are Francis Conroy was there to great you.
Now, after 54 years behind the counter, the 91-year-old is officially retiring.
“I know everybody in the area,” Conroy said. “I think I know a lot all over the area because I was in the store every day.”
Conroy bought the Chapeau, Que. family grocery store in 1972 and spent decades slicing meat, serving customers and packing orders. He worked seven days a week and says he hardly ever missed a day.
His daughter, Shelley Conroy, says her father’s dedication shaped the values of their entire family.
“I can’t say how proud I am of my dad,” she said. “He makes me so proud, and he gave me such a good work ethic in life.”
Retirement wasn’t part of the plan, however.
After suffering a serious fall in December, Conroy and his family made the difficult decision that it was time to step away from the job he loved.
“It would break my heart to part it,” Conroy said. “But at least I can come and visit them, if I ever get back on my feet again.”
Over the years, Conroy became more than just the town’s butcher. For many customers, a trip to the grocery store meant catching up with a familiar face.
“Great guy, great family. You come to get a steak and you’re here for an hour talking to them,” said Rob and Michelle Shaver, who say they visit the shop every weekend while at the cottage.
Hundreds of customers stopped by the family-owned business to celebrate Conroy’s retirement, thanking him for decades of service, and as some say, ‘the best meat in the world’.
“I’ll miss seeing him,” said customer Shirley Hebert. “He’d do anything for you, however you wanted it. He was more like everybody’s grandpa.”
For Shelley Conroy, the turnout was a reminder of just how much her father meant to the people of Chapeau.
“It shows me really how important he was to this community and how much he meant to people,” Shelley Conroy said.
She says she still asks her father questions about how to operate the business on a day-to-day, adding she hopes to continue his legacy of serving the community.
Although he wishes he could still be behind the counter, Francis Conroy says knowing the community appreciated his work is more than enough.
“I didn’t expect a lot of credit for anything I do,” he said. “I just liked that people enjoy what I do, and I’m sure they do.”
