A popular New Brunswick bakery is back up and running as the husband and wife duo that owns it recover from a heart attack and cancer treatment.
Terry Cohoon and Francine Gauvin-Cohoon, who are back at the helm at Terry’s Bake Shop in Riverview, N.B., said they’re thankful for their customers’ unwavering support.
“In retail, you just never know. People are habit-forming. If they go to another place, it’s easy to form another habit there,” said Terry, adding that even when they were closed, people “kept calling and checking up.”
The couple has owned the bakery for 37 years.
They were forced to temporarily close the shop for a few months this past winter while Francine recovered from surgery, which was a part of her cancer treatment.
In March and April, Terry manned the shop alone — kneading each loaf of bread by hand as he always has — while Francine underwent chemotherapy treatment.
Then, their family experienced an unexpected turn of events.
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“Terry had a heart attack at the end of April, so we closed down for May and June,” said Francine.
“Luckily, he only had stents put in … And yeah, it’s been a hard six months.”
After Terry posted about their health struggles on social media to explain why the bakery would be closed for an extended period of time, the couple began receiving an overwhelming show of support.
A community fundraiser generated $21,000 to help them cover expenses. Some customers volunteered to mow their lawn, while others even offered to temporarily run the shop in their place.
“It was a surprise for one thing. Maybe surprise is not the right word, Riverview’s always been a tight community, but it was overwhelming,” said Terry.
“(Support came) from people we didn’t even know, not even (just) customers.”
Three weeks ago, Francine finished her course of chemotherapy. A week later, Terry passed a stress test and his doctor gave him the thumbs up to resume baking and serving customers.
Those customers were just as happy to see the couple as they were to get their sweet treats.
“The community pulled together for them, which was awesome, and it’s so great to see them back here again today,” said customer, Julie Nelson.
While their health is still touch-and-go, the couple are happy to be back in business.
“I’m not going to lie about that. It was nice having the time off. But it is nice getting into a routine (again),” Francine said.
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