Dave Croft was born in Luscar, Alberta in 1941. His father William (Bill) John Croft, a steam fitter from Alberta married Mary Julie Meilke who was born in Quebec.
His father worked in the Luscar coal mines in a small town in western Alberta in an area once known as the Alberta Coal Branch at the end of the CN Railway line and 30 miles south of Hinton. The original underground mine at Luscar opened in 1921 and produced steam coal primarily for railroad markets; nothing remains of the town today.
His older brother Billy was born in 1939 but drowned in a slag pool at the tender age of 22 months.
Dave's parents moved to Vancouver in the early 40s where his mother started a boarding house while his dad worked in the shipyards in North Vancouver. His brother Ken was born in Vancouver in 1948. Ken is a retired teacher and he and his wife Liza are enjoying their retirement in Campbell River.
Dave attended school up to Grade 4 in Vancouver. In 1951 the family moved to Prince George and his father got his start in the hotel business.
The trip to Prince George is still quite memorable for Dave and he said, "My father moved us and our belongings to Prince George by first taking a steamship from Vancouver to Squamish, then the Pacific Great Eastern (PGE) rail line from Squamish to Quesnel and finally a bus from Quesnel to Prince George.
"The roads were really bad back then and I can remember that our first trip back to Vancouver took two days.
"My father partnered with John Bailey and Dave Thomas and together they built the original McDonald Hotel. Years later he partnered with Don Gillis and Dave Thomas in the National Hotel. The present owner of the National Hotel, which is now the Alibis Show-Lounge, is my son-in-law Peter Wise."
The Croft family moved back to Vancouver and one year later they returned to Prince George. Dave's father purchased the Corning Hotel and changed the name to the Croft Hotel.
Dave grew up and attended grades 4 to 7 at the Sacred Heart Catholic School and then on to Baron Byng high school and Duchess Park.
He was working three nights a week tending bar at the Croft Hotel when he decided to enlist in the navy. Dave said, "I served from 1959-1961. The military training back then was excellent and I feel that my years in service were the start of a good life.
"I played the tuba in the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). We jokingly called my tuba a plumber's nightmare."
Dave returned from the navy and worked for Andy Stettner as a furniture mover for Handlen Transfer and eventually bought the company. He met and married Faye Herrington in 1965. Faye was born in Tisdale, Sask. in 1946. She was the second youngest of 12 children. Her family moved to Willow River in 1954; three years later they moved to Kelowna.
Faye laughed and said, "I moved back to Prince George in 1964 looking for a job because the word was out that the pulp mills were hiring and I found Dave instead. I was living out on Giscome Road with my brother when I found a job at the A&B Answering Service working for Ethel Bliss in the basement of a building at 300 Brunswick St. We took messages for many companies and one of them was Handlen Transfer.
"I moved into town and rented a place in the Millar Addition on Gorse Street. It wasn't long and I found out that Dave lived nearby on Elm Street. We courted, got married and as they say the rest is history.
"Our first home together was on Carney Street. Seven years later we moved to Voyageur Drive and less than a year ago we moved back to the Millar Addition into Magnolia Gardens. I find it interesting that in these past 53 years we went full circle and ended up where we both lived before we got married."
Handlin Transfer grew to a fleet of nine trucks. Dave had a postal contract and delivered parcels all over town. In 1982 he gave up the contracts and became a letter carrier until he retired in 2002.
Over the years Faye worked as an office manager for Northern Lights Wood Working; a division of AIMHI that made the smaller wooden products for IKEA. The company, which is now closed, used to be located on Nicholson Street where T&S Communications is now located.
In 1986, she started working in the office for the Prince George Art Gallery which is now the Two Rivers Art Gallery.
In 1992, Faye started her own business and called it the Image in White Wedding Gallery. She also provided limousine service; Dave drove the limo for all the new brides until Faye retired in 2010. Faye's daughter Kimberley took over the store and in fact opened a second branch office in Langley.
Dave and Faye had two children; Their son David and his wife Maria live in Calgary and Kimberley and her husband Peter live in Aldergrove. They have five grandchildren, all girls, and they adore them all.
Faye explained, "When we retired we used to go south in the winter. We looked at other cities and found no reason to move away from Prince George.
"I enjoy my volunteer work with Pat Kinsley helping her answer all the letters from the children at Christmas who send letters to Santa Claus.
"As a veteran Dave continues to help sell poppies for the Legion during their annual Remembrance Day Poppy Sales event even though he is now confined to a walker. He was diagnosed in 2008 with a rare condition called Cerebellar ataxia, neuropathy and vestibular areflexia Syndrome (CANVAS). The doctors are still trying to find out more about this condition that leaves Dave with no feelings in his legs. When he is in the dark he doesn't know where his legs are and without his walker he tends to fall. This condition continues to be a mystery because it has not been caused by a bacterium or an infection."
Dave concluded by saying, "I just want to mention that it was my father William (Bill) Croft who purchased and planted all the elm trees on Elm Street in 1967. He did it on his own simply because he wanted to celebrate the yearlong Canadian Centennial celebration held in 1967 when Canada celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation. It was a project that was near to his heart. The elm trees were only six feet high when he planted them."
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The Spruce Capital Senior's Recreation Centre at 3701 Rainbow Dr. will be holding a crib tournament on Saturday. The tournament registration starts at 10 a.m. and play starts at 11 a.m. Lunch will be available at $6 and coffee all day is a loonie.
President Dorothy Kempster said, "If you are coming to our senior centre please don't confuse us with the other portion of the building on Liard Drive. Use the lower floor or basement entrance below the old Legion wing building. The entrance is directly across the road from the bleachers at the ball park and next to our new sign. We welcome all new members and in fact we need more new members.
"If you are not a crib player then please feel free to check us out at our Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, Oct. 27th from 9 - 11 a.m.
"Any questions just phone us at 250-563-6450."
