B12 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, May 10, 1995

A friend passes aw

I WOULD LIKE to dedicate this
week’s column in loving memory
of Victor Lloyd George Billson.
Victor passed away on January 8
this year at Mills Memorial Hos-
pita

Victor is survived by his loving
wife Olwen, and thelr children
George, David, Dorothy, Victor
and Valerie,

Victor was. born on November
4, 1918 at Chatham, Ontario; His
parents were George and Tabatha
Billson, .

Victor came from a family of
four:children. He had two sisters
— Kathleen and Dorothy, and a
brother named Bern.

In 1941,° Vic joined the air
force, _

His first R.C.A.F, posting was
Bella Bella in B.C. Bella: Betla
was an atrial and marine patrol
station, set up to ward off a pos-
sible Japanese invasion.

Vic’s next posting was to Syd-
ney, just outside of Victoria on
Vancouver Island, -

+ Then in:1943 Vie was sent to a
bomber base in northern England.

While he was there he met Ol-
wen Griffiths. Six weeks later, on
September 21, 1944, they were
married in a beautiful stone

church in Newton.

Standing in for them was Hope
Dawson, a friend of Olwen’s, and
flight ‘sergeant Bill Amistrong,
The happy couple was showered
With rose petals by friends stand-
ing outside,

And now a little about Olwen
Billson (nee Griffiths).

Olwen was bom on July 16,
1920 on a farm near Grand
Prairie, Alberta,

She came from a family of six
children — two sisters named
Margaret and Frances, and three
brothers named Stanley, Billy and
Edwin,

In 1943 Olwen joined the air
force in Edmonton, Alberta and
Was sent to Rock Cliff for basic
training. Then she travelled to
Toronto for her trade training.

From there she worked in Cal-
Bary as 2 transport driver and was
then sent overseas.

In February 1945 Olwen
received a compassionate leave
because Vic had been injured,
and she returned to Canada,

When she and Vic were togeth-
er again, Vic decided to buy a 40
acre farm near Lynton,

They raised chickens, ducks,
geese and pigs. And later they
raised their son George, who born
on December 10, 1945.

But they had a longing for the
west. So they loaded all their
belongs into a 1938 Buick and a
trailer and set out west,

The roads in those days were
gravel. It was rough and slow

- going. Finally they reached the

‘road’s end at Jasper and loaded
everything onto the railway to
Prince George.

They weren't satisfied with
Prince George, so Jett three days

later and headed west.

The road then was more of a
trail — just two tacks in- the
grass. Vic and Olwen moseyed
along, looking at the countryside,

Then on a Saturday evening in
September, 1947, they reached
the end of the old bridge over the.
Skeena at Terrace. The trailer
broke down, the sun came out
gloriously and everything looked
beautiful. ,

They looked at each other said
“‘this is it.”

» There wasn’t much work in
Terrace those days, but Vic found
- a job working at Frank’s farm.
Soon after they bought 10 acres
‘of land on Eby St, where the
‘ Pentecostal Church now stands.
There they lived in a little old log
* shack.
Vic found odd jobs digging
‘potatoes for Tom Olson and
working on putting the water line
in down Eby St,

Their son David was bom on
November 30, 1947 in that litle
log shack. Dr. Mills delivered
him.

In 1948, they bough five more
acres further down Eby St., and
moved into a one room cabin,
Their daughter Dorothy was bom
on April 16, 1950 at the old Red
Cross Hospital.

They left Terrace in 1950 to do
Some travelling, and moved to
Kitimat in 1955, when Vic got a
job working for the school dis-
trict,

They stayed in Kitimat for 15
years — Vic loved the fishing
there,

He also worked building altars
for some of the local churches,

In 1969 the couple moved back
to Terrace and Vic went to work
for Finning Tractor. Then ten
years later Vic had a stroke and
retired, ,

In 1995, Vic passed away. A
memorial service was held on

y

January 13, 1995 at the St. Mat-
thews — Anglican Church,
Reverend Dene Houghton of-
ficiated and Reverend Lance
Stevens performed the eulogy,

The Royal Canadian Legion
alsa played a touching role in the
service,

Victor Billson leaves behind his
loving wife Olwen, brother Bern,
sisters Kathleen and Dorothy, six

children, and many  grand-
children,

He will be sadly missed by his ROE
family and friends... - HER ERE .

YVONNE MOEN

» forthe Kids:

This picture was taken in 1944,

VICTOR AND OLWEN Bilson.
before they were married.

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