- British Columbia, Canada, Marriage Index, 1872-1935 -
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Olga Thompson (Stuber)
1905-2002
Olga Thompson (Stuber) passed away peacefully on May 11, 2002 at the Pouce Coupe Care Home at the age of 96. Olga was born in Bessarabia, Russia on September 27, 1905 and moved with her family to Canada in 1912, settling in Irvine, Alberta.
Olga met Dan Thompson at the Gilchrist Ranch in where they were both employed. They were married June 14, 1927 and headed for the Peace River Country in 1928, arriving at Pouce Coupe. They later homesteaded in Arras, and then moved many times; first to South Dawson then to Sunrise and Two Rivers, later to Baldonnel and from there to Dawson Creek, Goodlow and Bonanza.
They retired in 1971 and moved to the Kelowna area, then spent three years in Medicine Hat, then back to Grande Prairie, and then to Kelowna again, where they lived until 1992, and celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. After Dan’s passing, Olga came back to Bonanza to be with her family, and later to the Peace River Haven and the Pouce Coupe Care Home.
Olga leaves to cherish her memory, one son Walter (Elaine) of Bonanza, and one daughter, Margaret (Bruce) Mills of Langley, BC, nine grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
Olga was predeceased by her husband, Dan, her daughter, Violet, her infant son, Ronald, her parents, John and Anna Stuber, four brothers: John, Jake, Fred, and Gottleib, and three sisters: Ida, Christine, and Erna.
No funeral by request. Cremation committal at a later date at the Riverview Cemetery, Pouce Coupe, BC. Any expressions of sympathy may be made to the Pouce Coupe Care Home, Pouce Coupe, BC.
I’m Free
Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free
I’m following the path God laid for me.
I took his Hand when I heard Him call
I turned my back and left it all.
I could not stay another day
To laugh, to love, to work or play.
Tasks left undone must stay that way.
I found that peace at the close of the day.
If my parting has left a void
Then fill it with remembered joy.
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss.
As yes, these things I too will miss.
Be not burdened with times of sorrow.
I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.
My life’s been full, I savored much.
Good friends, good times, a loved one’s touch.
Perhaps my time seemed all too brief:
Don’t lengthen it now with undue grief.
Lift up your heart and share with me.
God wanted me now, He set me free.
Arrangements were entrusted to Bergeron Funeral Services & Crematorium Ltd., Dawson Creek, British Columbia.
Lillias Kennoway Slowinski
1926-2002
Lillias Kennoway Slowinski died suddenly and unexpectedly on April 24, 2002. Mum was born on May 25, 1926 in St. Andrews, Scotland, the first of 6 sisters and two brothers. She met dad, who was stationed as a soldier in St. Andrews, in 1942. They emigrated to Canada with their two sons, staying in the area north of the Peace with dad’s uncle, Mike Slowinski, for a few months, until they moved to Dawson Creek, where they have lived ever since. Mum was a very private and independent lady who raised her family of four while dad had to work outside the Dawson Creek area.
Leaving her family in Scotland and arriving in Dawson Creek in mid-January did not deter her. She loved Canada and never wanted to return to Scotland. The opportunity to live and raise a family in new country more than offset her absence from her parents and siblings and the new obstacles confronting her.
Her glowing reports of this country inspired two sisters and two brothers to move to the West.
Her later years were spent looking after dad, their home, and pets. She took in many strays temporarily, and some permanently, as she hated to see their suffering.
She was very proud of dad and of the fact that they came to Canada with virtually nothing, and eventually were able to live comfortably without financial worries.
Dad was able to set up his own business, with Mum’s help, as she took care of the children, and provided him bookkeeping and business advice. Having no chance to pursue advanced education because of the burden imposed by WWII on her family, she was, nevertheless, well educated through her voracious reading.
Mourning her loss is her immediate family; husband, Vincent, sons, George (Audrey), Vince, and John, and daughter, Margaret, plus her many grandchildren, her sisters, and brother.
Mum was not one to attract attention, therefore a family-only service was held on April 27, 2002 at Bergeron’s funeral home. Sentiments of condolence can be made to the Dawson Creek Animal Shelter in her name.
Funeral Arrangements were entrusted to Bergeron Funeral Services & Crematorium Ltd., Dawson Creek, British Columbia.
Robert William (Bob) Bridge
1940-2002
Bob Bridge, resident of Dawson Creek, British Columbia, passed away on April 19, 2002 in his 62nd year. A funeral service was held at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, April 24, 2002 at Bethel Pentecostal Tabernacle, Dawson Creek, officiated by Pastor Gordon Warriner. Interment followed at the Brookside Cemetery, Dawson Creek.
Eulogy read by Marissa Thola:
Bob Bridge was born on December 24, 1940 in Edmonton, Alberta. His parents were Victor Bertrand Bridge and Ethel May Fielder who died in 1972 and 1986 respectively. He was the second of four children.
His foundation for hard work was rooted since he was a young boy. He worked for a milk farm, his father's auto body shop, oil field, construction field, and accounting offices to his own accounting business. Although he grew up not knowing his father, his father was instrumental in his career choice. He met his father when he was 17 years old and since then, they established a good relationship until his father died.
In 1970, he continued his education in Kamloops and later acquired his degree in accounting. He opened up his accounting firm in January of 1982 when he moved to Dawson Creek. Eventually, his clientele grew as he continued to gain their trust and confidence.
Bob enjoyed a variety of sports and developed a passion for hockey and baseball. He coached hockey and baseball teams for both girls and boys in Kamloops and Dawson Creek for about 23 years. He taught those children the value of friendship and sportmanship. Bob always found time to play with children amidst his busy schedule.
Bob had many good qualities, behind his serious and stem look was a very kind and compassionate heart. He also loved hunting and never missed a hunting season in his stronger days. Hunting gave him a great sense of fulfillment.
Bob had a very good sense of humor. It was never a dull moment with him because he could make you laugh until you drop. He was also a very private individual. One condition of his friendship was respecting his privacy.
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
- 2Timothy 4:7
This verse was taken from the second letter of Paul to Timothy and it characterizes Bob's journey to eternal life. His faith manifested his life journey. He never doubted the power of his Saviour. His faith made him better understand his trials and sufferings. In 1999, he was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). This did not stop him from doing what he enjoyed doing most, he continued working and hunting. In June 2001, he closed down his business and moved it to his home. He had a number of dedicated clients until the day he died. He valued their trust and confidence in him.
In the past three years. Bob endured his physical sufferings with ease and dignity. It was evident that the grace of God was always with him. He was also blessed with a very loving and caring wife who shared his faith and commitment. He peacefully joined our Creator at 9:00 am on April 19th in his wife's arms. Bob fought a good fight, he finished the race and kept the faith.
Eulogy written and delivered by Ana in honour of Bob:
I first met Bob in the spring of 2000, a few weeks after I moved to Dawson Creek. Before I met him in person, I already have an idea of what he was like. It is our human nature to offer some comments on people we know to others. To those who had talked to him or had dealings with him, you probably found him to be abrupt, very frank to the point of being rude, as some people would categorize his personality.
As I got to know Bob, I found him to be a true friend. His way of talking to you in a very frank manner showed that he cared for you. Only a true friend would risk telling you to your face what he thinks, observes or might just have heard from someone that may be derogatory. This would truly be hurtful at first but nonetheless gives you the chance to clear something that is not true or will just make you reflect on what he said to make you change and improve. Bob just cared to better yourself.
Bob also cared for his wife before himself, in one of my visits with him, I asked him, “Bob, is there something you wish me to pray for?” His response was, “Could you please pray for Gloria that she will no longer have the terrible and painful migraines.” This was the man who was suffering so much of his own disease but did not think of himself.
Bob was also a man of great and deep faith in God. He was the one who arranged that I receive the “Daily Bread” pamphlet from the RBC Ministries. The Daily Bread is inspiring to read; it has reflections on the scriptures that are part of our daily living. How it started was.. .in my first visit to their home, I had to use the washroom and there I saw a stack of daily bread pamphlets. This shows you that Bob read his scriptures anywhere. I told Bob of what I saw and that I got hold of a copy for that month and really liked reading it. So I asked him how to get it the following month.
He said, “Come by my office, I have an extra copy.” I went to his office at 102nd Ave. and on his desk, very visible, was his much read "Holy Scriptures". You can tell that he frequently read his Holy Bible. Not only did Bob give me a copy of the following month's Daily Bread; he also requested RBC Ministries to send me one every month. I thank Bob very much for this, as it made a lot of difference in my life.
Gloria shared with us what Bob said to his Doctor the night before he passed away. As he couldn’t talk, he wrote down on his white board "Jesus is coming to heal me". This truly reflects his great and deep faith. As we all know, Jesus said "No one comes to the Father except through me" and Jesus also promises all of us that "I will give you rest".
Jesus did come to take Bob to meet our Father in heaven. Bob, I was not able to say my goodbye to you in person. Now, I can only hope and pray that we meet again.
Bob was predeceased by his grandmother, his parents, and sister Cindy.
He leaves to mourn, his wife, Gloria, daughters, Phoebe of Kelowna, BC, and Glenna, of the Philippines, his brothers, Larry, of Edmonton, AB, and Gerry, from Vancouver, BC, as well as numerous nephews and nieces.
Funeral Services were entrusted to Bergeron Funeral Services & Crematorium Ltd., of Dawson Creek, British Columbia.
Petronella Anna Maria Wensvoort
1921-2002
Petronella Anna Marie Wensvoort, more commonly known as ‘Oma’, ‘Moeder’, ‘Moo’, ‘Mom’, ‘Nell’, ‘Nelly’, or ‘Big Oma’, sadly left us on Sunday, April 28, 2002, at age 80. A funeral service was held at 10:00 am on May 2, 2002 at Notre Dame Roman Catholic Church, Dawson Creek, British Columbia, with Father Chris Lynch officiating.- Interment followed at the Brookside Cemetery, Dawson Creek.
Nell was the seventh child born to Johannes and Maria Elgers, on July 19th, 1921 in Schiedam, Holland. Growing up in Holland with her siblings was a joyous time for Nell, and became the foundation of her ability to extract maximum pleasure from every occasion. It was widely known that a good time could be found at the Elgers household.
Her sense of adventure was ever present from her many bike excursions, to being on a sea based swim team, or just sneaking out with her brothers for a dance. It was during these times that the life long friendship with Bep Van Noortwyk was established, and when she met her husband, Johannes Wensvoort. Nell and Johannes were married on October 31, 1949 and started their family exactly nine months later with the birth of Ineke, followed by Maria and John. Persuaded by her sister Marie Englesby, a war-bride to a Canadian soldier, and already living in Canada, Nell courageously packed up her family and embarked on a long trek into the unknown and the promise of freedom. They arrived in Montreal on January 30, 1955 and traveled to the Peace Country by train. Nell soon learned a new kind of adventure; outdoor plumbing, freeze-dried clothes, and a foreign language.
She also had to learn to deal with isolation from her beloved family in Holland. Nell taught herself how to read and write english, albeit with a slight accent and the odd Dutch word thrown in here and there. In the following years, the family grew with the arrival of Tim and Rick. Nell kept herself busy raising five children, attending church, riding her bike to the grocery store and instilling Dutch traditions and heritage. Nell was always waiting at home when the kids returned from school and tea with chocolate was served promptly at 3 o'clock. With the untimely death of her husband Joe, at 52, Nell continued to raise the family until the last Wensvoort left the nest.
In 1974, Nell's bicycle was replaced with the now famous blue pinto. She'd put the pedal to the floor, eyes facing forward and ‘hair straight back’, stop sign or no stop sign, she had faith that everyone would get out of her way. The Pinto had only 40,000 miles on it, which consisted primarily of going from her house to church or to the Co-op.
One of Nell's lasting youthful passions was dancing, and what a dancer she was! At every dance it was important to her that she looked her best, which of course resulted with everyone wanting a spin around the floor with ‘Nellie’. She regularly attended the seniors’ dances and at one such dance, met her fiancé, Jim McAleny, some 12 years ago. Jim became a faithful companion, travel partner and part of the family.
Nell always enjoyed a good joke or playing a prank. She loved newborn babies and always took the time to oogle over them. Nell was like an anxious child waiting for candy when it came to her scratch tickets, or any competitive game, and a poker face she did not possess.
She looked forward to mass every Sunday followed by coffee at the Co-op or brunch at the George Dawson Inn. Nell loved Tim Horton’s coffee and honey crullers. She chuckled about memorable trips to Grande Prairie especially if they included Wal-Mart and the casino.
Nell never worried about materialistic possessions. If you commented to Nell how much you liked something, her first instinct would be to happily give it to you. Whenever you did Nell a favour she'd show up later with a smile on her face and a sparkle in her eye to give you a box of chocolates or some thoughtful gift to show her appreciation. For Nell, the most important aspect of life was her relationships with her friends and family, and she would comment frequently on how she was the richest woman in the world.
Nell cherished making and eating Sunday night dinners with her children, every week! Nell was adored by her children. How many 80 year old mothers can say that they saw, or at the very least talked to their kids almost every day of their life. Nell dearly loved her four grandchildren and relished either being in their presence or simply hearing of their latest success or adventure. Nell was also absolutely delighted by her two great grandchildren.
She also had a special place in her heart for her extended family; Aaron, Lyonel, Lorraine, Michelle, Colleen, Jason, Michael, and Marijke.
Nell is predeceased by her husband, Johannes, and siblings, Willem, Johanna, Henk, Clare, and Marie.
She is survived by her brother, Antonius Elgers, of Holland, sister, Thea Dikmans of Holland, her fiancé, Jim McAleny, her children Ineke, Maria, John, Tim, and Rick; her grandchildren, Lisa, Andrew, Jeffery and Cameron, and her great-grandchildren, Corey and Heather.
Nell leaves behind a legacy of: love, strength, courage and always finding time for a laugh. And so, as Nell would say, ‘Ja, now we're up to date.’
Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Bergeron Funeral Services & Crematorium Ltd., Dawson Creek, British Columbia.
Adele Rose Froehlich
1926-2002
Adele Rose Froehlich of Prince George, B.C. formerly of Dawson Creek, passed away on April 18th, 2002 at the age of 75 years.
A memorial service was held on Saturday, April 27th, at 10:00 am from Reynars Funeral Chapel. Father, Chris Lynch officiated interment followed in the Dawson Creek, City Cemetery.
Adele was born to Paul and Mary Ehman on December 14th, 1926 in Regina, Saskatchewan.
On September 10th, 1947 Adele married Leonard Froehlich. After the marriage Adele and Leonard moved to Vancouver, B.C. where their first child Patricia Ellen was born. Later on they moved to Dawson City in the Yukon, where they ran a hotel and their second child Thomas was born. Leonard and Adele later left Dawson City and moved to Dawson Creek, B.C. where they started a Janitor Supply shop. It was there that their third child Susan was born. After eight years in Dawson Creek, the family moved to a farm. Adele loved animals and had a variety of animals throughout her life.
Adele was predeceased by her husband Leonard, she is survived by her children Patricia, Thomas, and Susan; her grandchildren Mary Ellen and Jason; and her great grandchildren Cloey and Sakura.
Adele will be remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother; and will be missed greatly by all those whose lives she has touched.
Arrangements were under the care of Reynars Funeral Chapel and Crematorium Dawson Creek, B.C.
Clifford Elven Pepper
1912-2002
Clifford Elven Pepper, resident of Dawson Creek, British Columbia passed away on March 30, 2002 in Dawson Creek, at 89 years of age. A funeral service was held on April 3, 2002 at the Bergeron Funeral Chapel, with Beverly Dunsmore officiating. Cremation followed.
Cliff was born in Kingsland Saskatchewan, the seventh of nine children. In 1930, the family moved to Rolla, BC. They settled at Rolla and also at Bear Flats, near Hudson Hope.
Cliff met Anne, and they married in 1939 in Ft. St. John, and stayed in the Peace River area for most of their 55 years together. Donon, the first of their seven children was born in 1940, followed by Shirley, Lois, Bob, Cori, Bryan and Janice in 1956.
The family moved to Progress, initially Cliff had his own repair shop, but by 1950, he was working for S.D. #59 as a bus driver. In 1951, the family moved to Dawson Creek and Cliff continued working with S.D. #59 eventually assuming the roll of Supervisor.
Hunting was one of his great interests. He loved his sports, from horseshoes, ice curling, floor curling, hockey to baseball. His overflowing trophy chest was a tribute to his success as a sportsman. His love of the land showed in the bumper crops he produced. He always had a great love for animals and always had at least one pet.
His mechanical expertise "saved the day" on many occasions. He was an extraordinary inventor creating the most amazing things from what looked like nothing. He had very high expectations of himself and all that he undertook.
Upon retirement, Cliff and Anne moved to Vancouver. After ten years, they returned to the Peace River Country, settling in Bonanza, he had always yearned to return to his roots in the country.
A lasting memory is of Cliff walking with sort of a foot-dragging-chicken-farmer stride with his slip-on boots, blue jacket and brown pants, sweater tucked into his pants and a cap.
He stood for honesty and integrity, his word was worth more than a contract filled out by a dozen lawyers.
In his youth he developed a love for playing the violin but had little support from his family. He "let it go" for 40 years, but was inspired to take it up again 10 years ago. After his wife Anne died, the violin filled some of the empty times.
His music opened the door to a new love two years ago. Upon moving to the senior's lodge, he met Betty, who played the piano, and they began to practice their music. He said he had not laughed so much in 50 years. They married in August 2000, sharing many common interests including their love for life, music, sports, exercise and humor as well as their love for each other.
Cliff was predeceased by his first wife, Anne, son, Donon, brothers, Percy, Lawrence, Harold, Norman, and sister, Mary.
He will be lovingly remembered by his second wife, Betty; his children, Bob (Marilyn) Pepper, Bryan (Malou) Pepper, Cori Ellingson, Lois (Laurie) Ross, Janice (Doug) Charlton, and Shirley Smith; grandchildren, Charyle and Michael Ross, Clancey, Carrie, and Tanner Ellingson, Greg Smith, Jardey and Corby O'Genski, Jaysen, Nicholas and John Pepper; great-grandson, Jarod Smith; step-father to Nancy MacLennan; step-grandchildren, Hugh (Janet) MacLennan, Michael (Holly) MacLennan, Dennis and Shari MacLennan; step-great-grandchildren, Sarah MacLennan, Terence, and Haley MacLennan; brother, Howard Pepper, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral Arrangements were entrusted to Bergeron Funeral Services & Crematorium Ltd., Dawson Creek, British Columbia.
