John (Johann) Werlberger was born in Austria in 1936 and arrived in Canada in 1956. His wife Eva (Thon) was born in 1946 of Czechoslovakian and Russian decent. Eva was raised in Germany and arrived in Canada at the tender age of six years old. John and Eva met in Prince George and have been married for 52 years. Eva says, "We have had good times and sad times. We have both battled health issues but we are here and we are here together and that is all that matters."
John and Eva had three children John Thomas who currently lives in Germany, Anthony Dean (deceased) and Christina Reid of Prince George. They also have five grand children that absolutely light up their lives.
Eva says, "I worked for the post office for eight years and then I worked for Pacific Western Brewery for over 20 years. I was forced into retirement in 2001 due to a stroke that hit me shortly after the loss of our son. The journey of recovery from both events continues to be a lifelong process for me; a process that is both physical and a deep feeling of loss for our son. I work on my recovery every day. I have been a member of the Prince George Stroke Recovery Branch for the past 12 years; first under the direction of Vicky Stubbs and now Julia Cook. The group is a great resource and it also gives me a chance to get out and meet people. I enjoy volunteering and my goal is to help others."
John will soon be 78 years old; he is a cancer survivor and he tries to make every day count. He spends most days reading or just going for a walk. John is still a member of the Rheingold German Club even though the club is much smaller than it used to be. I asked him to tell me a bit about his working career and he said, "In the very beginning I worked for Stauble Sawmill and then in the construction industry as a brick tender. I worked for Hans Maack and also for Fred Lienert of Midland Masonry also as a brick tender. I was only 19 when I came to Canada and I only intended to stay here for two years. That was 58 years ago and I am still here in this great country and the great City of Prince George.
When I was younger I tried my hand at Judo and I also did some boxing under the direction of Harold Mann. In fact it was at Judo that I met Eva. I never got a black belt but I sure got a good wife. I thank God for every day and I just want to say how much both Eva and I appreciate all the great people in our lives. The ones that have passed on - we still miss them dearly."
For more information on the Prince George Stroke Recovery Branch just phone Julia at 250-563-3819 or go to: http://www.brainstreams.ca/resource/prince-george-stroke-recovery-branch
January Birthdays that I know about: Bill Bond, Charlotte Hellyer, Lillian Brown, Victoria Gutfriend, Beth Crewson, Ann Neville, Dean Veitch, Laura Sandberg, Franca Pascuzzi, Mike DePalma, Terri Meyer, Joy Wikjord, Ken Goss, Gerda Mariotto, Wayne Hamlin, Mary Hamlin, Martha Cook, Marilyn Hinton, Tanna Dofka, Rita Larson, Gail Horwath, Cecile Duffy, Mae Wallin, Carol Haugland, Sharon Vincent, Dianne Humphreys, Diane Rose, Keith Young, Richard Winnig, Gudrun Hamm, Sharon Clark, Tom Torraville, Barb Pierce, Robert Weed, Susan Weed, Wilma Carson, Richard Lazar, Olive Stewart (98) and Hilda Fichtner.
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