MAPLES o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-03-15 published
JENNINGS,
Elizabeth (née
HARDINGE)
Suddenly at home Elizabeth (née
HARDINGE)
JENNINGS of London
on Saturday, March 11, 2006 in her 73rd year. She will be lovingly
remembered by her children Sue (Mike
MAPLES,)
Bill
(Jenni,)
Richard
(Liz MORRISON) and Heidi (Paul
CURRIE) and her grandchildren
James and Peter; Kane; Alexander, Victoria and Samantha; Ian
and Andrew and long time friend Ken
FRASER.
Cremation has taken
place. A private gathering for family and Friends will take place
on March 16, 2006 from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. at 3 Cardinal Drive, Woodstock,
Ontario (519) 537-0145. In lieu of flowers, donations to the
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario would be appreciated.
Forest City Cremation Service (675-0772).
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MAPP o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-12-24 published
Positive outlook made up for lack of education
By Glynnis
MAPP, Free Press Reporter, Sun., December 24, 2006
In his prime, Howard Lewis
GILBERT was a robust, muscular man
who did chin-ups every morning, took the stairs instead of elevators
and was known to open beer bottles with his teeth.
He was a Second World War veteran who fought in the Battle of
the Atlantic, was involved in the invasion of North Africa and
made Allied shipping runs to Murmansk in Russia.
GILBERT, who died December 15 after fighting prostate cancer,
was a Class A mechanic and a Class A father, said his daughter,
Susan HINCENBERGS.
Born on a farm near Arkona,
GILBERT dropped out of school at
age 11 and worked as a farmhand.
He was 16 when he lied about his age to enlist in the naval reserves
in 1940.
In 1942, GILBERT was posted to various ships, including HMS Beagle,
as a stoker helping fuel coal-powered vessels.
Jack AITKEN, a fellow stoker on the Beagle, described
GILBERT
as "an upbeat fella and a good buddy that never seemed to get
down about anything.
"We were at sea, the trips were rough, the weather was rough.
Some guys took it really hard… but he always made the best of
it," AITKEN remembered.
"He would sing old sailor tunes at the top of his lungs while
he was working. The English guys didn't know what to make of
him."
He also cheated death during the war: surviving a bout of malaria,
overcoming extreme cold while working on a ship in Russia, and
making it through a torpedo bombing aboard a destroyer.
After his discharge,
GILBERT settled in London and set his sights
on a young woman named Barbara, whom he met through his sister,
Laura. He and Barbara married on October 22, 1949.
With the war over, he began taking night courses at local trade
schools and earned mechanic licences. He opened Howie's Collision
Service Inc. in London in 1960.
His eldest son, Bob
GILBERT, described his father as an avid
Legion supporter "who always believed in serving his country."
He wore his uniform at formal functions and visited local Legion
offices during family vacations.
Howard GILBERT never had the money or opportunity to finish school,
but believed in education for his children.
"He always said you should go to school and pursue a career,
and if you couldn't go to school, you better be 'damned good
(at a) trade,' " his son said.
HINCENBERGS said she grew up in a household with a lot of love
and a lot of tools.
"We learned a lot of things from my dad: how to move anything
with a trailer hitch and chain… tie off an anchor before you
throw it overboard… so many things," she said. "The most important
thing was how to be a great parent."
GILBERT rode a bike around town until he was 75. Before he became
ill, he took up golf.
"He had a terrible golf swing, but he didn't care," Bob
GILBERT
said. "I think (golf) was the only thing my father wasn't good
at. He was always good at everything else."
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