Today we lost a Canadian pioneer!
Olive was born in Desford, MB and was raised near the farming community of Boissevain, MB. In 1950, after completing Home Economics training in Brandon, she responded to a newspaper ad for work at the Trans-Canada Motel and Restaurant at Westhawk Lake, MB. There, she met Adolph and they were married in 1951. They built and for 10 years operated, a tourist resort, Lakeside Cabins, on Westhawk Lake in the up and coming recreational area which would become the Whiteshell Provincial Park. They were innovators and by the spring of 1951, Lakeside had five cabins in a row and the lakeshore ones had electric lights (from a 32-volt Delco plant) and cold running water to kitchen sinks. They were deemed the most modern cabins in the Whiteshell! Many of the strangers that came to Lakeside for a week or two each summer became their lifelong friends.
In 1962, they sold Lakeside Cabins and built a new home at the Toniata Junction, between the townsites of Westhawk and Falcon Lakes. Olive went to work at another tourist resort, Tall Pine Lodges. She was also very active in the community through the Tea-Time Ladies Club in the early ‘50’s, West Hawk United Church, Toastmasters and the Birchwood Ladies Club. She did a lot of the organizing for the fall feast dinners and ‘Owl-i-days’ She was a contributor to the Whiteshell Echo paper for many years.
Olive was a gifted seamstress, quilter, knitter and crocheter. Her greatest joy came from helping others, whether it was teaching girls how to knit and sew, baking for the baking sales and fall dinners, mending someone’s clothes or sewing costumes. Our home was always open and there was always a place at the table for any and all of our friends. She also wrote and published a hardcover book, the History and Folklore of the Whiteshell Park – South, a collection of anecdotes from the early residents and cottagers who established the new park as a cottage country. This book is still in demand after a second printing and has become a cherished keepsake in many cottages of the Whiteshell.
In 1999, as the burden of living in the remoteness of the Park became too much for them, Adolph and Olive moved to Victoria to be closer to their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and to have a chance to have them more in their lives.
Unfortunately, dementia stole her personality, mobility and communication in the latter years of her life. She was a favourite of the staff members at Sidney All Care Residences, where she lived since 2018.
Olive was pre-deceased by her husband Adolph in 2011, her parents, siblings Ralph, George and Frances. She is survived by her youngest sister, Elizabeth (Oakbank, MB), children Wayne (Jo-Anne) and Audrey (Lewis), five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
As Olive closed out the History and Folklore of the Whiteshell Park – South:
“The time has come to close the book –
Like closing the cottage each fall,
We will go back – for just one last look –
One last glance, one last memory, ….
Finally, this year it’s coming to ‘the End’.”
Be at peace, Mom.
No service

In Loving Memory of David Stuart Smith

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the peaceful passing of David Stuart Smith on September 16th, 2025, following a long and courageous battle with kidney failure. Though David passed away in hospital, far from his children and grandchildren, he was surrounded in spirit by the love, thoughts, and prayers of all who knew him.

David lived a life defined by strength, kindness, and quiet perseverance. Despite facing ongoing health challenges, he met each one with dignity, resilience, and an unwavering sense of humour. His storytelling was one of his greatest gifts—especially when sharing memories and moments involving his children and their families.

David will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by his children, Kassandra Scott and Riley Smith, their spouses Tyler and Brianna, and his cherished granddaughters: Isabel, Juliet, Lilian, and Violet. He is also survived by his stepmother, Beverley Smith.

David’s beloved father, Lynn Smith, passed away just 16 days later, on October 2nd, 2025. May they find eternal peace together on their next great adventure. David is also predeceased by his loving mother, Sharon Werry, and his older brother, Michael Smith.

He will be remembered for his generous spirit, gentle heart, and the thoughtful wisdom he offered so freely. His presence enriched the lives of all who knew him.

The family extends their heartfelt thanks to the medical teams and caregivers at Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, BC, for their years of exceptional care and compassion. In lieu of flowers, donations in David’s memory may be made to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation in support of the Renal Unit.

A celebration of life will be held in Ontario at a later date, to be announced.

Though distance separated us in his final days, David’s love and light remain forever close in our hearts.

“Elbows up & fight every day.”

This season of Riley’s hockey is dedicated to Smitty.

Rest in peace, Dad. The pain is gone. May your spirit always surround us with love.

Topping, Brandon, born May 23, 1982, passed away August 20^th, 2025.  Brandon was predeceased by his mother Dawn, Auntie Cheryl and his grandfather – Oril.  He leaves behind his Grandmother Lu, his Aunties Cindy (Rick), Nancy and Uncle Brian (Wendy) and cousins Emily & Ignatious.  His son Benjamin (mother Angelique) and another son Hunter.

His struggles are over – his battles now rest.  RIP.

“The risk of love is loss, and the price of loss is grief – But the pain of grief is only a shadow when compared with the pain of never risking love.”

Elsie Annette Person, 89, of Pender Island, BC, passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of August 10, 2025, with her daughters by her side.

Elsie was born on March 3, 1936, in Tisdale, Saskatchewan, to Edwin and Almina Flaata, the children of Norwegian immigrants. She grew up on the family farm alongside her seven siblings, where life was filled with both hard work and laughter. She often told stories of farm adventures, caring for the horses, and the day a cow named Elsie arrived—prompting her father to give her the nickname “Bucky.” This story, one of her favorites, always sparked smiles and laughter whenever she shared it.

As a young woman, Elsie moved with some of her sisters to Jasper, Alberta, where she worked as a telephone operator and later at the local hospital. Though she once dreamed of becoming a nurse, her adventurous spirit led her to Kamloops, BC, with her sister Marion. It was in Kamloops that she met Ronald Person. They married in 1960 and welcomed two daughters, Kelly Jane in 1961 and Barbara Louise in 1968.

Kamloops became Elsie’s long-time home, where family life was rich with camping trips, fishing excursions, and gatherings with the Flaata sibling and their families. These reunions were always filled with teasing, storytelling, and the bubbling laughter she so loved.

Elsie dedicated 25 years of her life to working at the Ponderosa Lodge in Kamloops. In her role, she embodied the caring spirit she had dreamed of as a young woman, supporting patients and coworkers with compassion and cheer. Her dedication and warmth left a lasting impression on all who knew her there.

Elsie was a proud grandmother to six grandchildren—Matthew, Brent, & Stefani (children of Kelly & Mark), and Ayana, Josh, and Andrew (children of Barbie & Scot)—and later became a great-grandmother to three boys: Efrayim (son of Brent & Nicole), and twins Søren and Fynn (sons of Stefani & Chris).

In her later years, Elsie lived on Pender Island in a suite at Kelly and Mark’s home. She delighted in being close to family, enjoying Saturday outings with her son-in-law Mark, town trips with Kelly, catching up on her grandchildren’s work stories, and tapping her toes to the music of her great-grandchildren.

In 2024, Elsie was diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite surgery and treatment, the cancer returned in a rare and aggressive form. Surrounded by her loved ones, she faced this journey with courage and grace, never wanting to be a burden, but accepting the care that her family readily offered. She passed peacefully on August 10, embraced in love and prayer.

Elsie will be remembered for her warmth, her laughter, and the joy she found in family across three generations. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.

There are souls who do not walk the well-paved roads of life. Wandering the edges, searching for something the rest of us cannot name. Mike was one of those souls.

Born under a late August sky, he often looked to the stars for meaning. The moon and planets were his compass, and he trusted their constant cycles more than the fickle glitter and glory of the masses. In his youth, he crossed continents with little more than a backpack and a sense of curiosity. He was humbled by the raw beauty of nature and the teachings of those who spoke beyond words. The gentle hum of the forest, the rhythmic pull of the Pacific, and the Oldies blaring from a car radio along the open highway.

Relationships with him were often difficult, and many of us were left with distances we could not bridge. And yet there were moments of joy. Memories of when his sharp laughter broke through, his mischievous grin and blue eyes twinkling with conspiratorial glee. Moments when conversations felt like being graced by something rare and wonderful.

Yet the gift of feeling deeply comes with a cost. The same vulnerability that made him spiritual also left him exposed to loneliness, depression, and the solace of the bottle. Over time, the world’s noise became unbearable, and solitude became both his sanctuary and his prison. A hermit in a modern age, living by his own terms until the very end. Perhaps The Beach Boys said it best: “I guess I just wasn’t made for these times.”

May he find what he was always seeking. May the stars guide him home.