Stamlers honoured by chamber

Two long time members of the Rainy River and District Chamber of Commerce were the guest of honour at its annual general meeting Saturday.
Robert and Gill Stamler received accolades for both their strong support of the chamber and involvement in various community service clubs.
Outgoing president Ken Johnston said, “Robert and Gill provided me with a good example to follow in business fifteen years ago when I first became active in the chamber.”
Stamler, a hometown boy, returned home from university for a summer vacation some 30 years ago, after graduating as a pharmacist. He had no intention of working in Rainy River, but a short while later he changed his mind when the town council of the day recruited a full time doctor in the community.
Robert bought Rainy River Drugs and not too long after that he married Gill and together they ran the drug store until last year when Al Pratt and Sarah Berg took over.
In addition to running their business they both were president of the chamber, president of the kinsmen and kinette clubs, Gill was president of the curling club and Robert served on its executive, and they both were active in their church, Knox United.
They raised three boys, two of which have stayed in Rainy River to raise the next generation of Stamlers.
Robert and Gill also stepped up to the plate when the local hardware store was caught up in its parent company’s bankruptcy. They bought the shelving to keep it in town and eventually joined forces with other local investors to finance the mortgage so that Tammy and Dave Armstrong could reopen it as True Value.
Robert also was the founder of Rainy River’s Merchant Madness Days, held just about every spring since the early 1980s.
The couple was presented with a plaque that not only thanked them but awarded them life members.