Millersburg Honored Citizens to preside over Labor Day festivities

Sue and Qually Kimball are this year’s honored citizens in Millersburg. They will be riding in the grand parade through downtown starting at noon Saturday.

Sue is the daughter of Frank and Joanne Filipiak of Rogers City and Qually is the son of George and Ketto Kimball of Millersburg.

The Kimball clan came to Millersburg from Carsonville in the Thumb area. Robert David Kimball was an enterprising young man when he married Hannah Louise Lockard in October 1892 in Alpena. He bought 1,680 acres out by Baldy Hill near Kelsey Lake for $42.

THE WHITE Company had cut down all the trees and was moving to Wisconsin. The company wanted to dispose of the land as quickly as possible because they were skipping out without paying the back taxes.

When Robert sold the land some years later he had to pay all the back taxes and ended up with a profit of only $80 but it was just enough to buy a house and a cow in Millersburg. He married Dwretta Goodrick in 1923 and they also had five children. One of these children was Qually’s father George.

QUALLY MARRIED Sue Filipiak of Rogers City 31 years ago. They have two children, Heidi and Quade. Their grandchildren are Heidi’s boy Levi, age ten, and Quade’s two kids, Quaine, one-and-a-half, and Evelyn, four months.

The couple has followed the family tradition of acquiring land and fixing it up for rent or sale. They currently own seven homes in the area that they rent out.

“People around here refer to us as the ‘Slum Lords of Millersburg,'” Sue said with a laugh. In fact they have managed to take many places that needed repair and turn them into affordable places to live for young people just starting out in life.

Qually learned his handy-man techniques working in the Gould’s Hardware Store and helping in his dad’s shop, GK Auto Electric, where he learned how to repair alternators, generators, and starters.

“He’s always been interested in learning how to do things for himself,” his dad George said.

“YOU ASK anybody around town and they’ll tell you good things about him. We have some widows in town that needed things fixed and Qually does it at no charge. When they ask him, ‘How much do I owe you’ he just says, ‘I’ll get some cookies from you next time,'” George continued.

Sue’s mother, Joanne, added, “All we have to do is mention that something isn’t working around here and those two are over here fixing it up right away.”

and run a little faster, Qually did just that and ran right off the football field, turned right and never looked back, according to his dad.

“He got his first car when he was 17. I made the down payment and he made every other payment on time, that’s just the sort of guy he is. I’m proud to have him as a son and glad to know him as a man,” said George.

Qually and Sue added a new wing on their house recently with a large window at one end. The room is full of exotic houseplants that are Sue’s passion. The paneling and drywall are examples of Qually’s handy work.

They enjoy each other’s company and like to kid each other all the time, but it’s obvious that they love each other madly and are the perfect choice to be the “Honored Citizens” of Millersburg for 2005.

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