Oakville butcher Wolfgang Ordung celebrates 90th birthday after 38 years owning his own shop
The Florence Meats fixture decided to un-retire and return to the counter more than a decade after selling his first business.
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Wolfgang Ordung marked his 90th birthday Saturday with a celebration at Florence Meats on Spears Road in Oakville, where he's worked behind the counter for more than 16 years.
The German-born butcher arrived in Canada in 1959. He spent 38 years running his own shop, Mari's Delicatessen in Oakville, before retiring. But about a decade and a half later, he realized he missed the daily bustle of the shop floor and the genuine connections he made with customers. He un-retired, joining Florence Meats.
"I'm feeling great. I can't be any happier than I am right now with all of my friends and my customers that I have here," Ordung said. "Some of them I've known for years and years and years."
Florence Meats owners Damien and Carol Goriup organized a party Saturday. "He's not just putting in time, he's very busy," said Carol. "We look forward to him coming in." The theme was "Hungry Like The Wolf," with Ordung serving German-inspired sausages — a nod to his time in Germany before immigrating.
Regulars streamed in with birthday cards, gifts, and hugs. The event also served as a fundraiser for Oakville's Lighthouse for Grieving Children. The Goriups noted that Florence Meats' long presence in the community created a generational customer base — some of the people Ordung helps now, he's known since they were children who came into his original shop.
