Showing 4445 results

John Olson was born in Oslo, Norway March 3, 1885 and started his life-long career as a butcher while there. In 1906 John traveled to the U.S.A. where he attended Park Region Lutheran College in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and later worked in Havre, Montana. John's next trip took him to the Peace Country where he settled in Peace River, Alberta. While there John, along with partner Henry Jarry, opened up a butcher shop in 1918.

John met his future wife Mary Reierson while she was working at the local R.C.M.P. office. Mary had traveled from Minnesota in 1921 and settled with her family in the Grouard area. It was at work that Mary was introduced to John and in November of 1922 they were married. In 1925, with the decision to expand the butcher business, John & Mary moved to Sexsmith. The Olsons bought the existing business of William Tarvey’s as well the whole building on Railroad Avenue which included a butcher, barber shop and a pool hall.

Four children were born to John and Mary. Their eldest son Harold arrived in Peace River, with children David, Roald and Marie born in Sexsmith.

Olson’s was truly a family business; John had all his sons working in the butcher shop and eventually the shop was called Olson & Sons Meat Market Ltd.

John was involved with the community; in 1928 he was elected Mayor of Sexsmith and was on hand when electricity was installed the next year.

John was an avid skier and instrumental in developing a ski jump one mile east of town where several ski events were held in conjunction with winter carnivals.

In November 1972 John & Mary celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in the Memorial Hall. John passed away in 1976.

Mary Olson (nee Buxton) was born at a midwife's house in Bowden, Alberta on April 28th, 1933. She came to Athabasca to teach school in 1951, boarding with the Loiselle family in South Athabasca. She married Carl Olson on November 1, 1952, and had two sons, Kelly, and Ken. She returned to teaching in Athabasca when Kelly started school. Mary taught every grade from kindergarten (a private class when Kelly was four and five, in the United Church basement) up to Grade 12. She attended summer school and obtained a Bachelor of Education majoring in English. She retired in 1989 and finishing her teaching career having taught English, Drama and Music. Mary retired at age 55 and taught private music lessons for about 25 years after that.

Mary always loved drama, from her Bowden school days, at university, teaching, and with the Athabasca Players. She was an actor until they needed a director which she enjoyed that more than acting. She also has directed several singing groups through the years: the Now Generation, Joyful Sound Choir, and Golden Memories Choir. She played organ at several churches from the 50's to the 2000's.

Eleanor June Lloyd, 1924 -2016, was born in Calgary, Alberta. Her mother, who was a graduate of Edinburgh's College of Art, gave Eleanor some instruction in how to paint and draw and in 1942 Eleanor took a correspondence art course through the Department of Education in Edmonton. Otherwise, she was a self-taught artist. She moved to Saskatchewan in 1949, after marrying Dean. She spent most of this time in the small community of Pense from 1960 to1985. Her art has been exhibited at galleries in Saskatchewan and Alberta since 1966, including 35 solo shows, and is represented in the collections of the Government of Saskatchewan, University of Saskatchewan, Canadian Wheat Board (Winnipeg), and International Harvester (Regina). She lectured on painting and drawing throughout Saskatchewan from 1965 to 1980. In 1981 she published a children's fairy tale, Tricksy Dee, which she wrote and illustrated. In 1985 she moved back to Calgary and worked designing collectors' plates until her retirement at the age of 80. In 2008 she published Tricksy Dee in Winter, a sequel to her first children's book.

Doreen Cummings, 1925- , was born in Cayley, Alberta, the daughter of Ted and Eva Eaglesham Cummings. She attended school there, followed by college in Calgary. In 1946 she married Jack Orman, 1925-2006, and they had two children, Richard "Rick" and Maureen. Doreen had a long career as a volunteer for over 40 years, primarily in an administrative capacity on committees and boards. She was extensively involved with the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) at the local and national levels, particularly with the Cooperation for Development Committee. She attended several YWCA World Councils as a Canadian representative. Her interest in international development led to her involvement with the Alberta Council for International Cooperation. She was active in the Women's Inter-Church Council of Canada, and helped to organize the annual World Day of Prayer. She was the Program Director for the Canadian Christian Festival held in Calgary in 1986. Other groups she volunteered for included Calgary Seniors' Resource Society, Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association, Knox Church (which ran the Knox Centre for adult education), Calgary Inter-Faith Community Action Committee (which produced a television series on social issues), Alberta Children's Hospital (where she created the Community Advisory Committee), and the Calgary Drug Advisory Society (which ran the Drug Information Cetnre). She was the first Calgarian to receive the Governor-General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case in 1992.

Biographical sketch is unavailable.

ZP1995 Andrew Osland, b. 1919, joined Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) in Winnipeg in 1937. He deployed for overseas service, but was struck off strength in 1940 to attend officer training school. He became a Lieutenant in 1943, and assumed command of a platoon of PPCLI in 1946. He was a Captain by 1953, and in 1956 or 1957 transferred to the Canadian Guards. By 1960 he was a Major, stationed at Western Command headquarters, with responsibility for liaising with units of the Canadian Rangers in the northern Territories and Pacific coast. Early in his military career, he became actively involved in the sport of boxing. He qualified as a judge and referee, and was manager of the PPCLI boxing team. He was the first President of the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association. He died in Edmonton in 1979.

Viola Overholt's birth parents were from Ontario and divorced before 1923. Vi was adopted by Harry and Mabel Overholt in 1923 at the age of 7. She attended Sawdy School and the Sawdy post office was run by Overholts. She married Walter Overholt, son of Lewis and Mary Overholt, in 1931. Walter died at the age of 45 of a heart attack in 1952. They had five children; four boys and a girl.