|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gladys Kontzie, the first child and only daughter of Edwin John and Rosetta (Schooley) was born in January of 1908. Gladys died on February 10, 1914 in Aylmer, Ontario while visiting the Drysdale family with her grandmother Jane Anderson (Drysdale) Kontzie when she became ill. She was just 5 years and 3 weeks old. She was buried at the Drysdale family plot in the cemetery at Dunboyne, Ontario.
Orval Frederick Kontzie, the first son of Edwin John and Rosetta (Schooley), was born in 1915. Orval married Jessie Hainsworth and had three children; Keith, Gladys, and Roy.
Orval and his younger brother Gordon took over the family farm from their parents in 1947. Then in 1971 Orval and Jessie settled about 2 miles east of the homestead and began farming there. This second farm was later owned by their son Roy, up until a few years ago. Orval and Jessie retired from farming and moved to the same lot in Waskada that his parents, Edwin and Rose had purchased in 1950. Orval died in 1991 at the age of 76, and Jessie is now living in a retirement home in the nearby town of Deloraine.
Gordon John Kontzie, the second son of Edwin John and Rosetta (Schooley), was born on February 17, 1917, at the family farm. He attended Verona School, a one room schoolhouse about two miles northeast of the farm, until grade 8. Grades 9 and 10 were completed by correspondence. A few years later, in 1938, Gordon travelled to Chicago, where he obtained an education in Diesel Mechanics at the Chicago Institute of Agricultural Engineers. He was known for his mechanical ability and likely would have become a mechanic if his brother Herb had not been killed in World War II. Gordon married Alberta Jean Bell in 1947 and took over the farm from his parents. Gordon and Jean had two children - Russell Gordon, in 1950; and Linda Jean, in 1955. Gordon and his older brother Orval farmed together until 1971.
Gordon and Jean were joined on the farm by Russell and his wife Diane Lynn (Strong) in 1971, when they built their own house there. Jean died in the fall of 1975. Gordon continued to farm until 1988 when he married his second wife Rita McCabe, partially retired from farming and moved to the same lot in Waskada that his parents, Edwin and Rose retired to. Gordon was fully retired by 1990 and enjoyed several trips with his wife Rita to various locations during their 13 years together.
Gordon died on Tuesday, August 28, 2001, at the age of 84. He had some health problems over the previous few years and was slowing down, but still managed to keep active. Gordon was admitted to the Deloraine Health Centre a few days earlier, he died because of a clogged artery.
Herbert Edwin Kontzie, the third son of Edwin John and Rosetta (Schooley), was born in 1919. Herb was going to become a farmer and would have taken over the farm from his parents, but he died at the age of 24 when his plane was shot down during World War II, in 1943. He was a gunner on the bottom of the plane, which crashed into the English Channel.
Fred J Kontzie, a son of Charles William and Helen (McCourt), was born on June 29, 1917. While serving in World War II, Fred was in a seaplane which went down in the area of the Aleutians. He spent several hours in the cold Atlantic, lying on one of the plane's wings with the two other men from the plane before they were rescued. Fred married Anita Malinoski, and in 1949, they moved to California, USA. Fred and Anita had three children; Don, in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1946 or 1947; Corinne, in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1948 or 1949; and Marilyn, born in Glendale, California in 1952.
Fred (his full name was likely Frederick John Kontzie) died in Los Angeles, California on April 9, 1996, at the age of 79. Anita was born in Canada on May 11, 1914. She died on August 17, 1991, at the age of 77, also in Los Angeles, California.
Donald Cassidy Kontzie, also a son of Charles William and Helen (McCourt), was born on August 7, 1919. Donald married Naomi M. Thiesen (also spelt "Thiessen") and they had two children, Gary Brian Cassidy and Lynda Charmaine Judith. They moved to California, USA in 1956. Donald died of a heart attack in Sierra View Hospital in Porterville, California on October 6, 1969 at the age of 50. Naomi was born in Canada in 1924, and currently lives in California.
Gary Brian Cassidy Kontzie was born in Canada on October 16, 1948. He died in a car accident in Porterville, California at the age of 18 on July 30, 1967. Both Gary and his father Don were buried at Fairlawn Memorial Park, in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, alongside Don's parents; Charlie and Nellie.
©2000-2002 Nick Kontzie