Unfortunately, his father died suddenly when he was only 8 years old.  Five years later, his mother would also pass away after suffering from a brain turmour.    At the age of 13, he was sent to boarding school in Quebec with his sister Ida.  This was a difficult period of time for my dad, as boarding homes during this time were very regimented, often serving the same limited menu of food and having few fun or stimulating activities. My dad would sometimes share storeis  of sneaking out of school with his sister to find something better to eat and to enjoy local fairs.

 

Perhaps the most enjoyable part of his teenage years was spending summers with his well to do cousin 'Darcy's Coulson.  You can imagine how much he enjoyed the change from a boarding house 

 

When he was in his early 20's he served as a clerk

in the army.  When he was 25 he met my mom on a blind day through his good friend, Bill Pearault.  He was obviously smitten by my mother's good looks and east coast charm. I think this was the person he wanted to start a family that missed 

 

A few years later they are married and living in Ottawa and started raising their family.  In 1955, they moved to a new detached home on Inverness street in Carleton Place, a new community where many war vetrens settled. 

Having a large family in a 

​​

​

​

​

​

​