Cedarwood residents mourn loss of beloved peacock

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Residents of Cedarwood Village in Simcoe lost one of their most beloved companions earlier this month.

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Peter the Peacock died May 6 following a fatal encounter with coyotes. His age is unknown.

“There were a lot of tears shed that day,” Karen Smith, apartment coordinator at Cedarwood Village Retirement Apartments and Nursing Home, said. “He was so beautiful and so friendly.

“He brought a lot of joy to the residents and the staff here for a lot of years.”

Stories about how Peter came to be Cedarwood’s resident mascot vary. But the commonly accepted version has him arriving on the grounds at 500 Queensway West in Simcoe more than 20 years ago.

“I’ve been here 10 years and when I arrived, some people would say Peter flew in with a mate 10 years ago, some said seven and others said eight,” Smith said. “Apparently (the peacocks) came from a nearby farm.”

The peacocks belonged to James Cruise, who retrieved the birds only to have them return to Cedarwood. Cruise told officials to keep them, at which point Peter and his mate became fixtures at the property.

“Ironically, years later, Mr. Cruise became a resident at Cedarwood and he and Peter were reunited,” Smith said.

Some years later, Peter’s mate died after being hit by a car leaving Peter on his own, but well-cared for by those at Cedarwood.

Golden Belt Feeds provided food to Cedarwood to enable residents to keep Peter fed and healthy.

“Peter became a real focal point for everyone here,” Smith said. “People looking out the window or walking around the gardens would see him and he enjoyed spreading his feathers and putting on a show.”

Smith said the residents looked forward to July every year when Peter would drop all his tail feathers.

“There was this mad rush, people would be getting up early to walk around the grounds to collect Peter’s feathers,” Smith said. “Every year, we had to put out a warning ‘do not climb on the roof’ because some would go up there looking for feathers.

“Over the winter he’d grow his feathers back and he’d be beautiful again.”

Peter would occasionally wander off the grounds and Cedarwood often received calls from people saying “your peacock is on the road,” Smith said.

He would also fly up and perch on the second floor apartment balconies.

Peter will also be remembered for his morning squawks, Smith said.

On May 16, staff and residents gathered for a memorial service and to celebrate Peter’s time with them. A garden peacock ornament has been purchased in Peter’s memory to add to other peacock paraphernalia around the grounds.

“Peter is going to be deeply missed by ourselves and those who work at Queensway Therapy beside us are going to miss him as well,” Smith said. “He would go up on the porch there and they too would feed him.

“He really was a much-beloved community bird.”

Smith said Cedarwood was a good place for Peter and his presence was good for the residents.

“As much as Peter meant to everyone at Cedarwood Village, he is irreplaceable. We are not looking to acquire another peacock,” Smith said.

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