I would like to take this opportunity as part one in a two part series to recap the names and a short memory of the many interesting subjects of my column throughout 2014. These are just a few of the many people who have helped to make Prince George the great city that it is today:
- Dorothy Alderson (91) is the puzzle queen and a volunteer at the Gateway Lodge Complex Care Unit.
- Helen (Styles) Moffat (97), matriarch of the Moffat family and wife of former Mayor, Harold Moffat; 73 year member of Nechako Chapter #40 Order of the Eastern Star. Helen, who resides at the Simon Fraser Lodge said, Take the hand of the person behind you and help them out, do your part to make the world a better place. Look after your health and take some leisure time and your daily life will be a joy.
- Hazel McCrea (94) long time retired night matron and the director of nursing at the old Prince George Hospital. Hazel said, The lessons we learned are this; we all worked with our hands, our hearts and our heads and we all worked together.
- Dutch born Dick Voneugen (82) was the one and only person to be awarded the distinction of the Prince George Citizen of the Year twice.
- John Werlberger (78) and wife Eva have lived here for many years. John worked as a brick tender in the construction industry and Eva retired after 20 years from the Pacific Western Brewery.
- Drama queen Marlene Wenschlag (82) worked for the School District and the City teaching swimming for nearly 25 years. Marlene is in charge of the Drama Club at the ECRA. Her friends, both on and off the stage call her the Drama Queen and she likes the title.
- Charlotte Hellyer (86) and Millie Conklin (86) have been a Team of Two since 1994. Charlottes career was in bookkeeping while Millie worked for Kresges and then the Red Rock Nursery for 20 years. They both say, At this stage of our lives it is all about friends and family. Not much else really matters.
- Andrea McKenzie (94) retired nurse, mother of six and a 68 year member and life member of the Catholic Womens League. In 1981 she was awarded the Bene Merenti Medal given by His Holiness Pope John Paul II for service to the Diocese of Prince George. She said, My ultimate goal is to live to be 100 years old, God willing!
- Earl (deceased) and Jean Shiels (84) used to own and operate the Pine View General Store. Earl went into logging and Jean went to work at the Art Knapps south side store for 15 years. She cooked in logging camps until she retired in 1985.
- Forever Young Chorus director Janice Taylor (70) and husband Joe Anderson keep busy on a daily basis. Janice is an active member of the TELUS Community Ambassadors and belongs to the volunteer knitting group at the Kordyban Lodge while husband Joe Anderson is a retired photo copier technician.
- Retired nurse Doris Lawrence (88) has been a dedicated member of the Order of the Eastern Star for 64 years. Doris says, Life is great so dont let it pass you by. Live each and every day to its fullest. If you arent happy get happy and then stay happy.
- Pete Peters (86) has been an active Elks member and volunteer for 52 years.
- Joyce Burkitt (77) director of the Gospel Singers is a retired school teacher; husband Charlie retired as a jail guard after 25 years on the job.
- Spence Baker (91) was born in 1923 in Fort Steele. He was part of the crew that put the hydro lines in at Kitsault and worked in Hudson Hope on the Dam project
- Helen Wlasitz (85) of Hungarian decent arrived in Canada in 1930. Now at the age of 85 and with a twinkle in her eyes Helen says, The people in Prince George are wonderful and it is the best place in the world to live. Yes, Prince George is a great place, we have plenty of everything here - plenty of mosquitoes, plenty of rain and plenty of snow.
- War brides Iris West (95) and Kay Bond (93) both arrived in Canada at totally different times at Pier 51 in Halifax, Nova Scotia as War Brides. The years went by and nearly 50 years ago Kay and Iris met one another here in Prince George at a War Brides luncheon; they are still friends to this day.
- Paul and Diane Duperron helped form a board of directors and resurrected the Prince George Chapter of the Kidney Foundation; they have been completely involved ever since
- Doris Holzworth has been an active member of the hospital auxiliary for the past 56 years and said, I am now 88 and all my life I have always tried to help out where I could and when I could.
- Bill Hoksbergen (90) was born in Amersfoort, Holland. His brother called him hobo Bill because he worked for the railroad. He worked for CN Rail for 40 years as a car repairman.
- Ann Wiebe is a retired real estate agent. Ann, affectionately known to her friends as Lady Lunch-a-lot, is now 83 years old and likes to have lunch with her friends - a lot!
Stay tuned next week to part two of this two part series as I continue to recap the names and a short memory of the many interesting subjects of my column throughout 2014.
