On January 29, 1941, Harry Malcom 'Mac' Lilley was born and 80 years later the longtime horseman is still very much a part of the harness racing industry.
Ruleen Lilley penned the following release on behalf of Mac Lilley Farms in honour of the breeding operation's namesake.
It was a cold and blustery day when Mac was born.
It was -10 degrees Celsius and the snow from the night before had collected in small drifts on the inside his mother’s and father’s bedroom windowsill.
His Mother, Cassie, had felt the well-known twinges of the early stages of labor as she packed the children’s lunches. She and her husband Harry already had nine children: three boys (Alen, Cliff and Don) and six girls (Flossie, Ella, June, Martha, Sadie, Peggy)
Mac would be their tenth.
Cassie squeezed Harry’s arm as he was bundling the older children up for their sleigh ride to school. “You might want to swing by and pick up the doctor on your way home. Number ten is on the way.”
Harry left their oldest daughter, Flossie, at home to care for her mother.
He made haste getting the younger kids to school and hurried back with the doctor in tow.
Harry Malcolm Lilley was born January 29, 1941.
He was special.
He not only shared the same name as his father, Harry Elmer Lilley, but also his grandfather, Harry George Lilley and now he also celebrated the same birthday as both men.
January 29th.
This year on January 29, 2021, Mac celebrates his 80th birthday.
These are some of his fondest memories.
The Lilley family was not prosperous in any material ways, but they had as much joy and love as any family could have. They were just like the Waltons.
They enjoyed skating on the ponds as they froze over each winter.
The boys loved hunting with their faithful hounds.
Even the most difficult tasks were made fun, by adding competition to the job. “I bet I can load this wagon with hay before you can fill yours.”
They had no running water and no electricity until well into the 1960’s.
Mac chuckles as he recalls a vacuum cleaner salesman that came to their house one day.
The salesman took a big bag of feathers and dirt and poured it all over the living room carpet.
He extolled the many fabulous things his vacuum cleaner could do, as he was assembling the nozzles and hoses. “Ok,” he said,” Now where is your electrical outlet, so I can plug it in?”
“We don’t have any electricity,” they told him.
His blank stare sent them into hysterical laughing.
No sale for that fellow, but a lifetime of laughter retelling the story to all the family, friends and neighbours.
The Lilley family got everywhere: on foot, on a tractor, or in a horse drawn buggy until 1957 when they purchased their first International truck for $1,700.
When Mac was 17, he had the opportunity to work on a pipeline in Stratford, to make the big bucks. He worked alongside John Jeffery and his sons from Appin. Mac would boast about his weekend escapades and dates to the crew as he worked.
When Mac knocked on the Jeffery door to take John’s daughter, Ann, on a date there was all hell to pay.
But as hard as John Jeffery tried to dislike this young buck, he could not help but see how good Mac was for his beautiful red-headed daughter.
Mac married Ann Jeffery on April 4, 1959.
Their first home was the Campbellton Schoolhouse. It was the same one room schoolhouse that Mac had walked to every day for his schooling. They soon filled the home with children. They had five boys (Dave, Jeff, Jerry, Doug and Hank) and a girl: (Barbara).
Farming was in their blood, so when a nearby farm came on the market, they traded their schoolhouse and $17,000 for the farm.
When Mac’s parents were ready to retire, Mac and Ann sold their first farm and purchased the 100-acre home farm for $20,000. This is the present site of Mac Lilley Farms.
In 1972 Mac and Ann started into the Standardbred breeding business by purchasing their first stallion, Zip Tar. Since that leap into the horse business, Mac Lilley Farms has stood over 50 different stallions and bred more than 12,000 broodmares.
From 2000 to 2013, Mac and Ann travelled to Georgia to manage the Hawkinsville Training Centre. They mentored their grandchildren when they came to help in the track kitchen, or help grandpa train the horses.
The Lilley Family circa 2016 in Mac's truck
In 2007 while training a young horse in Georgia, Mac was thrown from the jogger and had a massive head injury. The ambulance drivers were not sure he would survive the trip to the hospital. They did not realize what a fighter Mac was. He took quite a while recuperating from that accident.
A few years later, a slip on the ice broke his femur. A few years after that he had a spill from the jog cart resulting in broken ribs. These injuries finally convinced Mac he should take care of his precious self.
In 2017 the Raceway at Western Fair District inducted Mac into their Hall of Fame. What a wonderful night for Mac. There were hundreds of family members, friends, neighbors and fellow horse people that filled the winners circle for the race named in Mac’s honour. And to top off the evening, as if written as a Hollywood screenplay, it was a Mac Lilley Farm-bred mare that won the race.
Mac’s greatest joy came from a hard day’s work and the accomplishments it produced. He overcame struggles with the help of many friends and family along the way.
Mac and Ann will soon be celebrating 62 years of marriage. In those 62 years Ann has prepared almost every meal Mac has eaten. He once tried to make a grilled cheese sandwich when she was away, but the sandwich was a disaster. The butter was on the inside of the sandwich, so it stuck to the pan, and he had forgotten to take the plastic wrap off the cheese.
Mac has witnessed so many changes in his 80 years.
Now most nights you will find Mac sitting in front of his TV watching the races (when they run) and he cannot wait to tell his visitors how fast this horse or that horse raced. He can tell you the quarter-pole speed, the half and finish times, but do not ask him to make you a grilled cheese. That skill is still out of his reach.
Happy 80th birthday Mac!
(Mac Lilley Farms)