You may recall the news stories about the house on 9th St NE that burned down on January 3 of this year. Former resident, Bill Watson, is now living in Morden, and his house was torn down Monday, April 18. 

Marie Jacklyn was there watching it while both saddened on the one hand and glad on the other.

"We bought the house and I think it was 1983," says Jacklyn. "That was our first house we bought when we moved to Portage la Prairie; me and my husband, Danny. It's very sad to see it burn down. My daughter lived in there with her children, so they feel really bad, too. You know, it's sad to see a house burn down. I don't know why it burned down, and they had to get that down."

She notes she called the city to ensure it would be torn down for safety reasons, thinking of children who might play around the burned remains and be hurt. 

Jacklyn says she'd like to talk to the former resident, Bill Watson, and recounts chats with him.

"He was always a sweetheart. He's always bragging that he was a millionaire. He said he has millions of dollars in the bank, he worked for the government, he's chief of this, and he was chief of that," chuckles Jacklyn. She notes she loved hearing him joke around. 

She remembers the day he first moved into the house.

"I came over and I was talking to him. He said, 'You know, I'm not looking for a woman.' And I said I wasn't looking for a man, either. He was comical. He was a nice old fella."

She adds she always loved the immediate neighbourhood and is now loving just a street away. 

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