In Memory Of Charlie

With a great deal of sadness, I announce the passing of Charlie McAteer, Friday July 24 2026, in his 87^th year.

If I ever called him “Charles” I would be quickly rebuked. “It’s Charlie NOT Charles!”

Charlie became part of our auction family in 2010. Estate clean outs and pick ups, loading the trucks for auction day, setting up the auction, holding up during the sale, and clean up after, Charlie was an essential part of our business.

I am reminded of the first house call Charlie and I did together. We were struggling to move a large brass cash register out of the basement, and it started to slide and pinned Charlie up against the wall. I thought I was going to lose him on our first day!  Fortunately, he worked with me for another ten years.

Charlie was highly principled, devoted to his family, and placed great importance on a good day’s work. When he started working with us, he was around 70, and he gave his everything for ten years until I had to shut down the live auctions due to the pandemic.

He often told me he loved going to auctions, and then getting paid to be at an auction was the best of both worlds for him!

Charlie and Donnie worked together for all those years and became very good friends. We dubbed them “The Sunshine Boys” and they had there own following in the auction community. Both noted for their big hugs!

Charlie and I had a running joke over the years. He told everyone how hard I worked him and how little I paid. It always got a laugh from the crowd, and I encouraged Charlie to take shots at me during the auction. Years later he told me he thought I paid him very well, but I told him to keep that a secret between him and I.

His favourite joke about me went like this. “All the auction handlers got together and voted for who was the best auctioneer to work with. Rob came in second. Everyone else tied for first!”

But seriously folks, Charlie was there for me whenever I needed him, without fail. He was dependable, hard working, and the truth is he didn’t need the job; he just loved doing it.

The pandemic shut down our live auctions in 2020, so I had to move to online auctions. Unfortunately, online auctions do not require the staff live auctions did. Charlie had turned 80 and was experiencing some mobility and health issues but our relationship did not end there.

Charlie and Donnie would continue to visit me at the online auction hall locations until Donnie passed away in 2021.

I retired in 2023 and Charlie and I made a point of getting together almost every Thursday.

Charlie would bring me a coffee and 4 of his home baked cookies. No more than 4 cookies, because he knew I would eat them all during the visit.

We would talk about politics, life in general, and the auctions in particular. “ Remember when” became an important part of our conversations. We reminisced about people we knew, experiences during pickups, near disastrous auctions that fortunately did turn out well in the end.

Many times, he reminded me of the time we were carrying items out of a house down a very long icy driveway. Charlie was carrying a very nice cranberry lamp in a box and when he started to slip, I grabbed the box and let him go down! That was Charlie’s version, in reality I am 50% sure I tried to save both of them.

Usually, our visits would last one hour and 20 minutes. Charlie would look at his watch, stand up and say it’s time to go. There was never a lull in our conversations or awkward silences. To me the visits were never long enough.

The visits continued until three weeks before he passed. I didn’t realize that would be the last visit. Two weeks later he called to say goodbye and tell me how much he enjoyed working with me. One week later he passed in hospital surround by family. He left us in true Charlie fashion.

Mom has passed, Donnie has passed, and now Charlie. I do feel an emptiness now, but I take comfort in the wonderful memories.

Charlie McAteer, I will certainly miss you, but I am so glad to have worked with you, and so proud to have become your friend.

I am always going to miss my “Thursdays With Charlie”