Obituaries

James Gibson (Jim) Balkwill passed away suddenly at home in Trochu, Alberta on September 16, 2019 at the age of 88 years. Jim was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on May 21, 1931 to James Hessie Balkwill and Olive Cavaghan. Six months later the family moved to Calgary. Jim spent his early years in the community of Rosedale and attended Calgary Normal School and Balmoral School. The Balkwill family moved to Trochu in 1944 where Jim attended Trochu Valley School and made many lifelong friends. After hi

March 7, 1941 - August 29, 2019 - A golden leaf has fallen off of the Howlett family tree. Ethel Louise Howlett (Gibbons), cherished wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, age 78, of Stettler, Alberta quietly passed surrounded by her family on August 29, 2019. Ethel, the eighth child of Harley and Jennie Gibbons was born on March 7, 1941 in Blackfalds, Alberta. She grew up in the Blackfalds area and attended Blackfalds School for Grades 1-8, and the Nelson School in Lacombe for Grade

Irma was born on MacKay family farm near Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia on March 28, 1926, the eldest child of H. Guy and Gladys (Spares) MacKay. She attended school in Mill Village and nearby Shubenacadie to Grade 11, completing her Grade 12 in Truro, some 25 miles away by train, boarding with relatives there during the week. One of her fondest memories of that period was of her father meeting her at the train each Friday evening. Although she had always wanted to be a nurse, she was too you

1937 - 2019 - Jim was born in Andyk, the Netherlands in December 1937, the sixth child in a family of seven. When he was very young the Netherlands was invaded by Germany and his family experienced the occupation. They emigrated to Canada in 1949 and bought a farm near Hamilton, Ontario where they grew produce and flowers. When Jim was 14 his Dad took him out of school to help on the farm. By the time he was 16 he was selling flowers on Toronto Wholesale Market. That was also the year he attend