News

Trio of Valour Quilts presented to
PWL Wainwright veterans

February 21st, 2018

John Pelkey, Lova Johnson, and Joan Hofmann (pictured above) received warm honours recently for their military service to Canada. The Points West Living Wainwright veterans each received a beautiful handmade quilt, for comfort and thanks from the Quilts of Valour Canada organization. 

Recreation coordinator Shauna Lee Carlson spoke to the three veterans and family members to learn the stories of their service. Here is what she learned:

Service and sacrifice

John Pelkey joined the Canadian Armed Forces the day Pearl Harbour was bombed, December 7, 1941. He was stationed at a training centre in Eastern Canada where he trained and worked as a mechanic. He later served two-and-a-half years in the Korean war, again working as a mechanic. He was seconded to the British Army for a time as a member of their ‘recovery’ team, hauling broken down military vehicles to a compound and loading them onto ships heading for Japan. After the Korean war, John returned to Canada. He was stationed with his family in Germany, and retired from service in 1974.

Lova Johnson joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in the early ‘40s as soon as she finished high school. She was stationed in Rockville, Ontario where she worked as a bookkeeper/secretary. When the war ended, she married a man she had known since childhood. She wore her RCAF uniform on her wedding day.

Joan Hofmann joined the army in 1942, the year she finished high school. She served with the Queen’s War Aid Commission (QWAC) and worked in Victoria, BC as a plotter – working up charts and maps for areas vulnerable to enemy attack. She met her husband in a bingo hall there and loves to play bingo to this day. Joan is proud to be a veteran and was quite involved with the Legion in Calgary, researching and gathering information, and managing displays on women in the military. She went to every QWAC reunion over 50 years.

Quilt presentation

The quilt presentation was held on January 31, with MLA Wes Taylor, members of the Legion, and Lezley Zwall, founder of Quilts of Valour Canada. “The presentations took place just before dinner,” Shauna Lee says, “with family members and residents as guests. There was a real sense of pride and gratitude as each quilt was displayed and presented.”

Now, when she sees the quilts, Shauna Lee says, “Whenever I go to get residents for activities and see their quilts I am reminded of the work and dedication that so many have given for the sake of our country.”

Photo: John Pelkey, Lova Johnson, and Joan Hofmann received Quilts of Valour at a ceremony January 31 at PWL Wainwright

More photos at Flickr: Trio of Valour Quilts presented to PWL Wainwright veterans

(Written by Barbara Sutherland with special thanks to Shauna Lee Carlson)