The Bloor West Village was an extra special place for George and Irene Babiak.
The couple called the neighbourhood home for 37 years, according to one of their seven children, Lesha Babiak, who also lives nearby.
"We were quite young when we moved to Bloor West Village," recalled Babiak of the house where two of her sisters still live.
For many years, the siblings (six girls and one boy, who's the youngest) had noticed the number of park benches popping up along Bloor Street West, erected in memory of loved ones.
"We thought it'd be a nice idea for our parents," Babiak told The Villager last week.
When she contacted the Business Improvement Area's (BIA) Alex Ling, he told the family to choose three potential places for the bench.
"Our first choice was at Windermere and Bloor," Babiak said, explaining the location is close to a meat shop where her mother and father loved to frequent.
Alas, it wasn't possible. Fortunately, a close second choice - and still available - was adjacent to Shoppers Drug Mart, just a block east.
"We thought Shoppers was a lovely area," Babiak said, especially because it is so close to a favourite fruit market, where George and Irene had bought their produce long before and after it became Fresh and Wild.
"We went there from day one," Babiak said of her family.
Both Irene and George were born in Ukraine, but the two met in Germany during the war. Arriving in Canada almost four decades ago, George settled in Timmins shortly before Irene and two daughters joined him.
While in Timmins, George worked in the mines, but when one of Lesha's uncles died in a mining accident, her mother wanted her husband to get out. That's when the couple moved their family to Toronto, where the siblings still reside. They first rented an apartment on Dundas Street West close to Ossington Avenue before purchasing a house off of Clendenan Avenue.
"Like most immigrant parents, family was very important and owning a house was important," Babiak said. "Dad worked for the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway), mom was a cleaning lady at U of T."
After their retirement, George enjoyed reading the selection of books about Ukraine at the Runnymede Library while Irene loved to meet friends for a chat at McDonald's.
'In Loving Memory of Our Parents George and Irene Babiak,' reads the inscription on the bench.
Dedicating park benches began about a decade ago, according to Ling. There are now more than 30 on the street.
"We don't promote it," he told The Villager. "There is lots of communication that goes on within the community. It's word of mouth."
The benches were first a part of the BIA's effort to beautify the Bloor West strip. The benches cost the BIA $1,000, but can be purchased in memory of family and friends for $700. The business association takes care of the maintenance.