Member Spotlight

Martha Nance (née Carlson) was born and raised on the Milk River Ridge in the hamlet of Jefferson, Alberta. Jefferson no longer exists, but Martha recalls that it was a thriving little community. There were stores, churches, three elevators, teacherages, a garage, residential neighborhoods, and its own Owendale post office. Martha rode her bike while her friends rode their horses; she is not an “animal person.” Martha believes to this day that Jefferson’s schoolteachers sincerely cared about the children and helped them do well in life. Schools closed in Jefferson in 1960-61, and all the children were then bussed to Cardston for their formal education. Jefferson eventually disappeared due to transportation making a close place non-essential.
Martha defines herself as being part of the Baby Boomer generation. She was from a family of five children, and she was the youngest child. She says that as the youngest, she always knew she was “privileged” and never had to go without.
Martha’s father came from Sweden to Canada as a teenager, avoiding conscription into the Swedish army. He was sponsored by the Strom farm family of Burdett to emigrate but went back to Sweden before returning to Canada permanently with his brother and nephew.
Martha’s mother’s family came to Canada from Norway with one child, and they had five more children after settling in Canada. Martha’s mother was born in Saskatchewan. Martha’s Norwegian grandmother always remembered seeing the luxurious Titanic ship in Liverpool while they were setting off for Canada on a much lesser ship. Once in Canada, they took an “immigrant train” to Saskatchewan. Martha’s Norwegian grandfather never returned to Norway, but her grandmother was able to go back 50 years after arriving in Canada.
Martha’s parents met in Jefferson. Her parents did well in farming, and Martha says this gave her family a good life. She describes her parents as successfully working as a team to operate, maintain, and grow their farm. Martha learned many life lessons from her parents, with financial literacy being a very significant one. She understands the meaning of hard work and perseverance in keeping a family successfully afloat.
Martha first went to Sweden at age 12 with her family but says she is not much of a traveler. She recalls that what she experienced on her Swedish trip demonstrated the difference between rural Canada and urban European lifestyles. She does travel to see her daughters, who both reside in the mainland United States.
Martha graduated from Cardston High School, then moved in with her grandmother and attended Lethbridge Junior College, taking Business Administration. Martha met Dave Nance in Lethbridge. He was working for his father in farm machinery, then opened House of Books as the University of Lethbridge was being built. Martha and Dave married and had two girls. When the girls were 5 and 7 years old, the family moved to Pender Island (in the Vancouver Island channel); they operated the general store and post office. As parents, they became concerned about the negative teenage social circles, so Martha took the girls to live in Victoria to change their social networks to something more positive. Dave sold the general store and became “retired” at 47 years old. This required a big adjustment for them, and Dave had to adapt to new roles, including learning to cook and clean.
Martha recalls that she worked outside the home for about four years before their children were born. She describes herself as a “jack of all trades and master of none.” Martha says her most important role was as a wife and mother. She has always seen herself as more of a support person to others than a leader and is most comfortable in that role.
When both of their daughters were at the University of Victoria, Martha and her husband moved to Osoyoos, BC, for six to seven years. Then, in 1994, they moved to Lethbridge to be closer to her mother. Martha and her husband were married for over 51 years. She was widowed six years ago.
Martha enjoys gardening, and her lovely established yard is a testament to that. She likes to cook and bake, though she can resist many foods that tempt her—except for her 5 p.m. glass of red wine.
Martha considers herself a Tibetan Buddhist in her personal belief system and philosophy. She was introduced to this faith system via her daughter. Martha stated, “Being mindful would simplify our lives; mindfulness is the tool to have harmony and balance; we need compassion.” She says she is trying to follow a ‘Patient Path,’ accepting things as they are.
Martha, an LSCO member for about 20 years, still feels the organization’s Mission Statement rings true to her. She keeps active and volunteers in the kitchen and wherever she is needed. She also regularly volunteers for the Lethbridge Horticultural Society, especially at the flower gardens by the Henderson tennis courts.
Martha likes the outdoors, enjoying activities such as walking and kayaking in the summer. She enjoys most kinds of music, such as country, classical, and jazz. She also enjoys knitting and Wordle. She says she is reverting to her “youth of play” by enjoying activities like ladderball and card games. Martha believes it is important to smile and laugh and not get lost in negativity. “Don’t take yourself too seriously, or you will lose your ability to laugh at yourself.”
Martha lives by the rule: “If you don’t have anything nice to say about somebody, don’t say anything.” She is not a proponent of “sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you,” as she says that “you can never take words back!”

Martha presents as a warm, friendly, and generous person, and I was pleased to learn this little bit more about her. She is a gift to the LSCO community!
Previous Member Spotlights can be found on our website at www.lethseniors.com/blog
If you are interested in being interviewed for a Member Spotlight please contact Hannah at [email protected] or 403-320-2222 ext. 302

Dorothy (nee: Brown) and William “Bill” Halma have been members of LSCO since about 2015. Dorothy can be found with the Knitters Group and William plays Crib and participates in Fit Ball.
Dorothy was born in Penticton, B.C. in 1945. She is the youngest of a family of 3 daughters. Her father was in the Canadian infantry in Normandy where he lost the use of a leg and became an amputee. Dorothy was raised in Banff, where she graduated in 1963 as part of Banff High School’s first graduating class. She then left at the age of 18 to attend secretarial school in Calgary while her parents remained in Banff. Dorothy has joyful childhood memories of Banff where ‘everybody knew everybody’. Over time, it would become a ‘tourist town’ with the town really “coming alive” from May to September.
William was born in the Netherlands in 1942, about a mile from the North Sea. He completed 6 years of formal education in the Netherlands before his family of 9 children came to Canada in 1954 for economic and security reasons. With Russia knocking on the doorstep of western Europe, William’s father believed that his children would have better prospects in Canada away from a communist system.
William’s mother went on to have three more children in Canada. William was placed in Grade 5 in Sunnyside School when the family arrived and he believes this school was a great introduction to Canada as many of his classmates were new Canadians. He learned a lot of English from comic books and Dick and Jane books. After moving to the Taber Area, William completed Grade 8 at Barnwell School when he was 16 before joining the Canadian Army in 1958 through the Soldier Apprentice Program. He was stationed for 2 years each at Shilo (Manitoba), Picton (Ontario), and with the Canadian Brigade in Hemer, Germany. In 1964, the ‘Honest John’ Nuclear Missile program was cancelled and William was offered a release or transfer to another unit. So, he returned to Lethbridge, then to Calgary to attend S.A.I.T in Land Surveying Technology (1964-65).
Growing up in Banff, Dorothy enjoyed sledding, outdoor skating, and walking across the ‘rink’ that was created over the Bow River in winter. In the summer, she climbed around Tunnel Mountain and rode bikes. She wanted to be a stewardess but did not meet the height requirements of the time and later discovered she doesn’t enjoy flying.
Willliam and Dorothy met in Calgary while he was a student at S.A.I.T and she was a clerk at the Calgary Police Service. They married in 1965 and moved to Edmonton where two of their sons would be born and Dorthy would make the transition to being a full-time homemaker. William worked in land surveying and decided to make it a career. They lived in an ideal setting for four years until William’s career took them to Grande Prairie so he could article as a land surveyor. It took 10 years of study and testing to finally achieve his Licensed Alberta Land Surveyor designation in 1979. Their third son was born in Grande Prairie.
William and Dorothy moved to Lethbridge in 1976. They started up Halma Surveys in 1979 and operated their small business of generally three employees. Dorothy was a homemaker and kept the office operating smoothly. William was proud of their timely service and their reasonable pricing and that in 30 years of operating there was never a WCB complaint against them. They sold the business in 2013 and William gave up his ALS commission in 2015.
Dorothy is best known for saying ”Are your feet clean?” This is a source of amusement, but it is also significant to her. William paraphrases a Bible quote “whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability, and your heart will feel glad.” William is active member of the Bethel Free Reformed Church in Monarch.
William like to keep a garden of vegetables and enjoys fresh veggies immensely, though he does describe himself as a ‘meat and potatoes man’. Dorothy says her comfort foods different types of salads, in-season veggies and chocolate.
Dorothy likes the music of Jim Reeves, Patsy Cline, Charlie Pride, Danny O’Donnell. William prefers light opera and can tolerate Elvis. William is a lifetime member of the Lethbridge Men’s Christian Choir. Dorothy enjoys jigsaw, crossword puzzles and reading.
William enjoys his little personally homemade “cabin” near Police Lake. This is his regular getaway and they both appreciate it, as they worked so closely together for so many years, they are happy to have this bit of independent time. Like Dorthy says “houpel op” which translates to “get lost for a while”. They feel they have drifted into their retirement and seem to enjoy its simplicity.
William and Dorothy are pleased that all three sons and their families live and work in Lethbridge. They have four grandchildren, all in Lethbridge between the ages of 16-19.
Dorothy and William were a pleasure to meet and get to know. Although a couple with differing backgrounds and interests, they seem to share a sense of humour, enjoy each other and their retirement, and their 59 year marriage.
Many Congratulations!

Darlene Dahl was born the middle child of her family. She was born in Winnipeg, but her two siblings were born in Bassano and Edmonton. She describes her childhood as turbulent and challenging because the family moved around a lot. Darlene says she learned basic homemaking skills at a young age as she was “Mom’s little helper.” She developed a love of music because they usually sang while they worked together. She left home at age 14 and married at age 16. She got a high school Honours Business Diploma by age 17 and began working as a clerk-typist, residing around Westlock and Athabasca.
Darlene gave birth to her first son at age 19, then her second son at age 21 in Westlock. Her first son was born with a congenital heart defect and underwent open heart surgery at two days old; he also suffered a cardiac arrest at one month old resulting in mild cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Darlene became his health care aide and advocate with guidance from various health care professionals. She left her marriage with her sons and moved to Nakusp, BC to be near family, and then Calgary for better access to health care. She upgraded her technology skills and worked as an Accounts Payable Invoice Analyst, while parenting her two sons. Stress and a serious health scare had her moving to Grande Prairie and family. Only one year later, her special needs son passed away at age nine and her world turned upside down.
In an attempt to find a new purpose, Darlene spent one and a half years at Grande Prairie College and commuted back and forth to Fairview College for two years, to obtain an Animal Health Technologist Diploma. She then married her second husband and moved to his farm near Pickardville, AB. A broad variety of employment followed: auction mart cattle runner; assistant dairy herdsman; oil rig cook; housekeeping aide, cook, and inventory-order clerk in seniors’ facilities; and a personal care aide to a Multiple Sclerosis patient. She took classes and became a Registered Massage Therapist and a Level 2 Reiki practitioner in 2005.
After 13 years of this demanding lifestyle, she moved on from her second marriage, and relocated to Calgary where she focused on her massage therapy career.
Darlene came to Lethbridge in 2010 and was feeling grateful, optimistic, and excited. Her second son lived in Lethbridge, she was building a successful massage clientele, and she met a man she describes as ”the love of her life.” In December 2011, she and her partner were in a motor vehicle accident in which she broke her neck and he broke his collarbone. They supported each other as he mended and she learned to walk again and regain the use of her hands. Darlene says she had a miraculous recovery and was back home in less than three months. Unfortunately, Darlene’s partner collapsed and passed away suddenly in 2013. Once again, her world was turned upside down.
Darlene joined LSCO in 2016. She is a regular weekly volunteer at Winners Bingo and she is involved in the LSCO Foot Clinics. Darlene is an active member in the LSCO Karaoke Group.
Darlene has a variety of interests and hobbies: e.g. arts & crafts, stitchery, card games, puzzles, board games, painting and sketching, and tv shows. She is a good cook and prefers her own cooking, but she does enjoy chocolate.
Darlene is proud to be a mother. She says her children shaped her as much a she shaped them. She is also proud of being in a negotiating team that managed to secure a CUPE pension plan for a group of workers that looked after seniors in Westlock, Alberta.
Darlene’s favourite quotes/advice are: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” and “To have tried and failed is better than to never have tried at all.” Darlene has often been told to write a book about her life’s journey, but she says she needs a ‘ghostwriter’ to help her do so.
Darlene can be found at the LSCO dining room from time to time. She loves to meet new people and is quite willing to share a table and have a chat.

This posthumous Spotlight was not able to be completed before John’s illness took over. John’s sister, Ruth, provided some additional information to complete this article. Please read about this extraordinary Member/Volunteer, who you likely saw at LSCO, but did not know.
John Unrau hailed from Coaldale, raised by German-speaking Russian Mennonite parents who married in 1944. His parents were not allowed to practice their faith in Russia, causing them to move to Canada in the 1920s but kept their roots by speaking Russian in their home until John and Ruth’s public schooling transitioned their household language to English.
Growing up secluded on a farm near Coaldale, only venturing off for school and church, John and his sister Ruth shared a tight bond, spending their days cycling, playing, and studying together. Despite Ruth’s attempts to convince him otherwise, John modestly dismissed his intellect, though Ruth emphasizes John’s common sense and numerous competencies that she does not have.
Tragedy struck early with their mother’s passing when John was 18, followed by their father’s remarriage, which both siblings embraced wholeheartedly. John graduated from Kate Andrews High School in the mid-1960s and delved into music briefly, mastering a few piano pieces before moving on.
His academic journey led him through science courses at Lethbridge Junior College and culminated in a Diploma in Chemical Technology (Biochemistry) from SAIT in 1968. His professional career bloomed at the Lethbridge Research Station, where he dedicated 29 years to soil technology before retiring in 1997.
Post-retirement, John found joy and camaraderie at Green Haven Nurseries and the Mennonite Central Committee Thrift Shop, developing lasting friendships. Despite facing multiple brain surgeries starting in 2006, John maintained a matter-of-fact attitude about it, never allowing adversity to overshadow his positive attitude.
While not a frequent traveler, John cherished his visits to Hawaii and Washington, D.C., particularly relishing his time at the Smithsonian. Described as a homebody, John poured his energies into various hobbies like gardening, stained glass, petit point, woodworking, and writing, showcasing a multifaceted talent. His skills were of a such a high quality, there was an exhibition of many of his petit point pictures at LSCO in 2011 (See Below)

His love for classical music permeated his home and workshop, where he indulged in refurbishing wood to install wainscotting in his home (as an example) and creating stained glass pieces used to decorate his house and others.
John was also known for his loveable features like wearing shorts all year round, reading dictionaries for obscure words, baking his renowned Christmas cakes, biking to work for years and recycling before it became the thing to do. He loved “old things” and living life “plain and simple.”
John’s playful nature also shone through his occasional pranks. He once auctioned off his sister’s ‘long lost coffee mug’ at a Christmas party and it cost her $62 to get it back. John liked cheese, peanut butter, and dill pickles, but especially loved hot sauces. A little hot sauce in anything could do no wrong, in John’s estimation.
Despite being rather shy, John forged deep friendships, especially with women from diverse backgrounds, embodying kindness, humility, and empathy. These traits made him an excellent volunteer at the Lethbridge Soup Kitchen, as he was non judgemental and able to identify with marginalized people.
His commitment to community service earned him accolades like Lethbridge Senior of Distinction Award in 2014; a certificate from Canadian Blood Services for donating 200 times; and an Honorary Life Membership at LSCO for his thousands of hours of service. His loyalty as a volunteer to this organization was legendary as he could be found dishwashing regularly and would be called upon ‘last minute’ to fill-in for many years. He will be remembered as a kind, gentle, and caring man.
John passed away at St. Michael’s Palliative Care Unit on January 31, 2024. To borrow from his special friend Anne, “Walk softly in the world, help others, be true to yourself & others, and keep a bottle of hot sauce with you whenever you eat out!” He is lovingly missed by his LSCO colleagues and friends.

Millie Shewchuk was born on Fair Island, a small island community off of Newfoundland. She recalls life being rather simple there as they could only grow the basics like potatoes, cabbages, and carrots in their small garden. She attended primary school on the Island before the government moved families off the small islands around Newfoundland as winter services were limited when the sea froze over.

Millie’s dad was agreeable to such a move so his children could be more conveniently located to educational and medical services; she appreciates that he was progressive in this regard in order to create more opportunities for his children.

Their family home was moved to the mainland area called Centreville. Other families soon followed and it became a small new village. Her father was a seasonal cod fisherman, and a hunter during the winters. Her mother was a full time homemaker who also helped her father bring in the cod. As a child, Millie never felt the need to complain about their meals as she was fed a steady supply of fish and moose.  She has many positive memories about playing in the fresh outdoors with her 6 half-siblings and 6 full siblings

As a teenager looking for new adventures, Millie moved to the city of Gander, Newfoundland. She worked in hotels where she met her future ‘Prairie boy’ husband, Rick who was stationed there as part of his ice patrols, all over northern Canada. After they married, they lived in Yellowknife for over 4 years where Rick worked in the weather office. They later moved to Lethbridge in 1973 where Rick continued his work in the weather office here. Millie recalls that they arrived during a Chinook and acclimatized to Lethbridge very easily. Millie worked at Southland Nursing Home and St. Mike’s before she retired from paid employment about 10 years ago

They had 3 children, 5 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. They lost their two adult daughters some years ago and she describes the experience as a “life changing nightmare” to live through. The rest of her family live close by in Calgary and Innisfail. Many of her extended family are still in Newfoundland. Millie tries to get back to Newfoundland every other year for a month or two. She loves to visit Fair Island, where many of her family members still have holiday ‘cabins’. She also has some extended family in St. John’s.

Millie is a dedicated LSCO food service volunteer and can regularly be found serving lunch meals; she believes that volunteering here is “good therapy” for her as it makes her “happy” and brings her “pleasure”. Her favourite meals are a Turkey dinner and Beef stew.

She enjoys watching golf and rooting for the Blue Jays. She also enjoys listening to easy and classical music, Irish folk music and jigs, she attributes her love for music to her very musical family. She spends the remainder of her time trying to improve her fitness with LSCO’s fitness programs and classes. Millie also likes to read non-fiction stories and history (e.g. WWII , the holocaust).

Millie believes that “what goes around, comes around” and that “family is everything”. She is most proud of her children and her adult granddaughter. As a result of her upbringing, she believes in “doing things for people”; she tries to give of herself and be “kind”. And she always believes, “the best is yet to come.”

Be sure to look for Millie’s friendly, happy face at the kitchen volunteers’ table in the dining room.

There are some famous pairs in the world: Holmes & Watson, Tweedledum & Tweedledee, Tom & Jerry etc. These pairs are instantly recognizable to us or among the circles or groups they frequent. The LSCO isn’t exempt from this experience as we have been blessed with our very own famous duo: “The Library Ladies”- Rosemary Howard and Mary Lancaster.

Acquaintances before they started volunteering together at the LSCO library about 5 years ago, the twosome have become good workmates ever since. They can always be found at the Library on Tuesdays from 9-12 and are especially glad that the activity around the Library has significantly increased ever since the Library was moved across the main hallway.

It surprises no one to learn that they are both voracious readers. However, neither belong to a Book Club as they cherish the freedom to choose their own reading material. Rosemary prefers biographies and autobiographies while Mary prefers murder mysteries and non-fiction.

The ‘Library Ladies’ always look forward to their weekly commitment to the Library as they enjoy tending to the donations of books, puzzles, DVDs, and CDs that come to the Library from members and friends of the LSCO.

Given the fact that they were “on the same page” when it came to their volunteerism and what they hoped to achieve for the library, they were eager to develop an organizational system which is currently in place. Fiction, Non-fiction, Auto/biographies, and Large Print books-these are the main categories that govern their catalogue. The Library’s September Free Book Giveaway refreshes the collection; and any funds put in the Donation Box are appreciated and go towards benefiting LSCO programs such as Meals on Wheels.

A former volunteer coordinator had the fantastic idea to involve this dynamic duo with ticket sales, raffles, and other special projects (e.g. Christmas dinners, Mother’s Day functions, St Pat’s Day pubs, BBQs). This has led to varying volunteering commitments that has given them the opportunity to promote ideas that enhance the organization.

Rosemary began her LSCO experience prior to her retirement, as she started taking Chair Yoga classes in 2016. She has been an LSCO member for 9 years. In 2017, she retired from her 44 year career at the University of Lethbridge as a Library Technician; she especially enjoyed the international aspect that inter-library loans brought to her role.

An “air force brat” from a family of 8 children, she was born in Duncan, B.C. Her family came to Taber in 1968 for her Dad’s career. She obtained a B.A. in History from the UofL in 1972. She thanks her Dad for promoting higher education and her lifelong interest in learning.

Mary began her LSCO membership 5 years ago; she was still working part-time, but taking Tai Chi and other fitness classes. She is a true Lethbridge native, born and raised and graduated from CCHS.

Mary and her husband have one daughter who lives and works in Oman. Her daughter is her greatest source of pride because she is a strong, independent woman. Mary always looks forward to her regular visits so she can ply her with the specialties of home. She spends her ‘off’ hours keeping very busy in her flower garden, doing various needlecrafts, puzzles, and watching TV/ Youtube.

Between the two, their favourite meals are roast beef dinners, popcorn, and a traditional turkey dinner. They both enjoy 50’s-70’s Rock and Roll music, but one prefers Country & Western, while the other prefers Classical music. If you are curious who might share your preferences, you will have to stop by the Library to meet the Ladies.

Mary describes Rosemary as being “open to do anything” and a great friend while Rosemary describes Mary as the “idea lady” with a great sense of humor. They make quite a pair and are a gift to LSCO, quietly going about their tasks that keep the organization running smoothly.

They would always like us to remember: “Reading is to the mind, as exercise is to the body”.

If you would be like to be the next member featured, please fill out this form.

Keith is currently the President of the LSCO Executive Board; He has been the President since 2017 when he first joined the Board. He was ‘nudged’ into the organization by Charlie Brown, a prior president of the organization.

Keith views the Board as planners for the long term goals of the organization. He believes that the LSCO is not just a “membership club”, but an organization that can and performs many roles for individuals in the community regardless of their membership status. This he believes is achieved with the variety of services the LSCO provides, be it Meals on Wheels, fitness programs & opportunities, etc.

He is a strong believer in “succession planning” as he does expect to turn the reins over to another member in due course. This is why he is doing his best to recruit new board members as much as possible.

Keith had a successful 37 year career in the Alberta Public Service with the Alberta Consumer and Corporate Affairs Ministry before he left paid employment 9 years ago. He describes his time with the Consumer Protection Legislation as “very satisfying”.

Keith is relatively ‘new’ to Lethbridge, having lived here for the past 29 years. He says that “Lethbridge has been good to me.” But Keith has also been good to this community. He has been able to contribute to the community in various ways. For example, he was a charter member of the local Dragon Boat Festival. Keith has also been involved with the Board of the South Country Treatment Centre. He also represented the Seniors sector in the City’s Economic Development efforts and found the experience to be very interesting and rewarding.

A favorite saying of Keith’s is “ The only real sin is not allowing a person to experience the consequences of their decisions.”

Keith enjoys ice cream and still savors the memories of his mother’s lemon meringue pie. He loves music from the 80’s and is an avid CBC listener. He prefers to read digitally, especially newspapers. He also spends his personal time exploring yoga and meditation.

Keith wants members to know that he is “approachable” and would appreciate being taken up on this if you see him around the Centre.

If you would be like to be the next member featured, please fill out this form.

As a typical retiree who tries to keep very active with a variety of commitments, Judy began her journey at LSCO when she signed up for Pound and Zumba. Classes she still enjoys when they fit into her busy schedule.

Judy’s father was an Austrian immigrant, while her mother’s family originated from Odessa. She was born in Taber and mostly grew up in Hays where she attended up to Grade 9.  She then moved on to Grade 10 in Vauxhall, and finished up her high school education in Lethbridge when her family moved again the following year. She has five siblings who were born in Saskatchewan, Medicine Hat and Taber.

Judy’s parents operated a radio show in Saskatchewan. This led her and her siblings to become very involved in music. She and two of them learnt to sing and play musical instruments from a very young age. She started competing in talent shows and became known as a successful ‘child’ singer. She fondly remembers the first song she ever performed publicly “Rye Whiskey”.

At the age of 6, she and her Dad’s accordion shot to the top spot at a talent show and won a monetary prize. By the age of 10, Judy was singing front and centre in a touring 4-person country music band; the band played in the Rolling Hills, Vauxhall, and Brooks areas. She really enjoyed this time of her life and is glad that she had the full support of her family to encourage her talent and passion. She recalls Saturday nights where family, neighbors, and friends would gather with their musical instruments and a great time would be had by all. She had hoped/thought that she would eventually go on to have a career in music but, life happened.

After Grade 11, Judy married Ken and they moved to Kitimat, where he worked as an electrician. They went on to live in Kamloops and Sparwood, where they started their family and had three daughters. They moved their family to Lethbridge where Ken worked for his Dad and eventually took over the business in 1990.

To Judy, having to juggle marriage, family, and becoming business owners meant a very hectic, but rewarding lifestyle. In 2001, they initiated Holmes Eco-Water and she feels good that this provided them the opportunity to hire reliable employees that were challenged in most other types of work. Judy retired from the business three years ago.

Always the active athlete, Judy played baseball and volleyball as a youngster. She and Ken were even involved in a family slow-pitch team for several years until their daughters’ activities took over. Judy and Ken are also avid curlers, they have twice been Provincial winners and they went to Canadian Nationals twice, once winning a bronze.

Judy still loves and enjoys all kinds of music and she always tries to make it a constant factor in her life. She has even been to the Los Angeles Opera production of ‘Evita’. Thus far, she has led one grandchild to music and he is helping her learn to read music. The family enjoys listening and singing along to old albums on the record player. She thoroughly enjoys karaoke, but hasn’t quite found the time yet to join the LSCO club. She still picks up her accordion and guitar to play for her own entertainment whenever she has the time.

According to Judy, she tries to remember that “life is short and to enjoy every moment!” She has been a volunteer at the LSCO Diner for about a year now and can be found there at least once per week doing food service. She also enjoys her volunteer fundraising work with the West Lethbridge Lions Club.

She and Ken love to travel to meet up with friends. Some of their favorite destinations are Mexico and Hawaii. Judy also enjoys reading, taking care of her four grandchildren, attending their sport events, and generally keeping busy.

She and Ken celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2023 and she is happy to report that they still enjoy each others’ company. Judy says she is most proud of her family, especially her four grandchildren.

A relatively new LSCO member, Judy is an accomplished addition to the cadre of its committed volunteers . Thanks Judy, and Welcome!

Heidi Brandt is a very new member of LSCO. Still learning about all that LSCO offers, she is excited about carefully “getting her feet wet.” She currently volunteers at the Boutique and has joined the needlework group.

Born in Augsburg, Germany, she and her family immigrated to Canada in 1960. Her father was concerned about a possible third World War so he wanted to get his family away from it; Heidi was a young child, but she remembers the rough ocean waters as they traversed by ship. The family first went to Calgary, and then moved to Lethbridge in 1962. Her father ran a European meat and sausage shop in Lethbridge until the family moved to the Crowsnest Pass.

Heidi received all of her formal education in Canada and had to learn English when she first came. She had some difficulties with her elementary grades, a result of being physically and verbally bullied by other children; but fortunately, this diminished once she got to junior high school. Although she found her German heritage to be a burden in her younger years, she is proud to be of German descent now and is still fluent in the German language.

Heidi trained at Lethbridge College in Hospitality, Marketing, and Small Business. She has a wide range of employment experience including in the hotel, marketing, child care, and property management industry. She became very knowledgeable about Crowsnest Pass history as she enjoyed her job at the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre very much. She is still interested in gainful employment, but only if it meets her interests and physical competencies. Heidi has lived in a variety of places in Western Canada and most recently returned to Lethbridge six months ago from Fort St. John, B.C and is quite happy to be back in Lethbridge.

Heidi has one daughter who is a social worker who also resides in Lethbridge. She says that her daughter has helped her learn to cook Canadian. She also has some extended family in Brooks. A woman of many talents and interests, Heidi enjoys scrapbooking and altering clothing. She also learned to do small renovation jobs from her father. She likes to read and loves animals; As a child, she thought that she might work with animals, but it never came to fruition for her. She also builds floral arrangements, especially from recyclable materials; she produced her own show in this field and would love to recreate something similar at LSCO. This writer saw photos of some of her creations and was very impressed. Heidi also enjoys cooking; she is very good at making tasty Danishes and Beef Rouladen with Rotcole. She also played sports, but is currently more interested in walking or light hiking. Heidi’s music preferences vary from the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac, to Whitney Houston, George Strait, and the Rolling Stones.

Heidi’s most memorable learnings from her father were: “think before you speak” and “do not be quick to judge”. She believes
these lessons have held her in good stead. She is always open and willing to learn, but also feels that she might have some skills to share with other members. We gladly welcome Heidi to the LSCO, a friendly and warm person who feels comfortable talking with anyone!

If you would be like to be the next member featured, please fill out this form.

Gerald “Gerry” De Bow was born in Moncton, New Brunswick into a very devout Baptist family. One of his earliest memories is hearing the sound of sirens “blowing all day” announcing the end of WWII, as a six year old. Gerry described an upbringing that completely insulated him within a Baptist environment.

He recalls favorable times at summer camp and also the times when he and his brother visited extended family on a farm. Gerry grew up with his maternal grandmother in his family’s home, and although she was not Baptist, he saw her as a great source of unconditional love and hugs.

At age 18, he attended Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Although it was a Baptist University, he was exposed to non-Baptist people and different types of mindsets. Although there was a church-abiding community at university, Gerry participated in more secular activities. He even played Piano regularly at the Kentville Legion.

Gerry got his BA degree, came ‘out west’ in the 60’s and got a job with the City of Edmonton Welfare Department . He found his time there very educational as he got to familiarize himself with people and their behaviors outside of his upbringing in the Baptist doctrine.

With support from his employer, he decided to upgrade his post secondary education Therefore, Gerry returned to Nova Scotia to attend the Maritime School of Social Work in Halifax, receiving his Master’s Degree in Social Work from Acadia University. In the 2nd year of his program, he did a 1 year practicum with two psychiatrists in a mental health clinic, where he gained the valuable experience of working within a professional team that practiced family therapy. There, Gerry realized that looking at the causes of behaviors was essential.

He returned to Edmonton to work for two more years in a family counselling type role. Then he decided to completely pivot in his career. This was the 1960’s after all. There was societal ‘chaos’ in that all things were becoming loud and to the surface: e.g. marijuana and other illicit drugs, the women’s movement, the Vietnam War, LGBTQ+ rights, racial issues, the Manson murders, man landed on the moon, Woodstock, etc. Some of these events prompted Gerry to decide to attend Law School at the University of Alberta in 1968.

Gerry married Shirley in 1966 and their three children were born in Edmonton. He finished his Law degree in 1971 and practiced for 12 years until 1984. He had a keen interest in a judicial role and he obtained his first placement as a Provincial Court Judge in Lethbridge. The role included criminal, family, youth, and civil courts. He acknowledges that this was a powerful role and he
tried to avoid the punitive aspect, while trying to understand what the people were going through; he strove to be objective and to avoid his “built-in prejudices”. He has found that he doesn’t miss the work, but he appreciates the effect it had on his view of the world and its people. He retired four years ago

Gerry has had the rich experience of backpacking through Europe and being exposed to many cultures, countries and ideas. He is now a widower and looks back fondly on his married life as extremely rewarding as they enjoyed so many of life’s experiences together. Gerry now enjoys spending his time learning how the internet and new technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, can enhance day-to-day life; he says that he can be found online “24 hours a day”.

You can regularly find Gerry at the LSCO dining room having lunch and good conversations with other members.

If you would be like to be the next member featured, please fill out this form.