Photos, Fun, and Family (in alpha order)
B – Bevilacqua, Darlene [See Dean, Darlene (Bevilacqua) below]
C – Cameron, Bev [See Siggs, Bev (Cameron) below]
D – Dean, Darlene (Bevilacqua)
Darlene says, “I won’t be able to attend as we will be out of town. I am sad to miss it 
. We will be out on our sailboat with our new puppy!
G – Gray, Gabrielle [see Hoffer, Gabrielle (Gray) below]
H – Henry, May (Lee)
May says, “Remember the JO Pep Rallies, Monday Night Basketball and Mr. Braverman’s Biology labs? That was just the beginning of our journey. After graduating from UBC, my rewarding career of 35 years as a K-3 teacher in SD43 followed. Along the way, with Frank, my husband of 47 years (and counting) we raised two awesome kids, Lori and Mike. We enjoyed many dance recitals, ringette and hockey games. Life has now come full circle and we are doing the same with our granddaughters, Danyca and Nico.
Before covid, we loved to travel; our best trips were to the Great Wall in China, Machu Pichu and Europe. For the past 2 1/2 years, we haven’t had any extended family gatherings. Instead, we do smaller 1-2 bubble gatherings.
Lori put together this Henry collage to share with you all. In the back row, you have my sister, Mona, (JO grad 1972), me and our daughter, Lori. In the middle row, is Frank, Steve and Betty (Aimee’s Mom and Dad), Danyca, Nico, Aimee (Mike’s wife) and in the front is our son, Mike.”
H – Hoffer, Gabrielle (Gray)
Gabrielle says, “Hi everyone – I’m sorry to miss the reunion, but will be with you in spirit. I was looking for some photos to share with you, but there aren’t too many with me in them, as I am usually the one behind the camera! The first picture is with my hubby John. In the next photo, I am paddling in a dragon boat race and we are on our way to winning 2nd place. The last one is at our farm near Fraser Lake, BC. Before retirement, I worked in administration for many years. For the last 20 years, I have volunteered in prison ministry…a most rewarding endeavour. I look forward to hearing what everyone else has been up to.” Gabrielle (Gray) Hoffer
L – Lee, May [See Henry, May (Lee) above]
M – McGillivray, John
John says, “I am truly sorry to be missing our 52-year high school reunion on June 15th. I had a wonderful time at Jayo and will miss the opportunity to catch up with the people who made it so special to me.
After a two-year hiatus, my wife and I are back in France for our usual Spring biking vacation. I have been retired for almost ten years after teaching for 22 years at Churchill (I know, Churchill was one of our big rivals). I have been married for 42 years to Ali. She retired from Little Flower Academy after 32 years of teaching. One of the great things about teaching was that I was forever coming in contact with old JO people like Harold Braverman, Pat (Gamble) and Steve Spencer, Hugh Marshall, Bonnie Brazier (Bliault), Marlene Noble and Brent Loader.
As in high school, sports have been a big part of my life. For the last 45 years, I have been very involved in rugby as a player, administrator and volunteer. I played for 20 years for the Trojan Club out of South Memorial Park. It has enriched my life and I still get out most weeks for a game of touch with my over 40 Evergreens team in Stanley Park. Over the years I have also spent a lot of time at Whistler Mountain skiing. Retirement provided a great opportunity to spend even more time at our condo at Whistler, often in the company of old JO friends like the McPhies, Hardins, Connollys, Stewarts and Charters. Retirement and covid have allowed me lots of time to golf. I am truly surprised that you can play that much and still be that poor at the game.
I wish everyone all the best. I know I will miss a great time.” John McGillivray
M – Macdonald, Mary (JO Teacher)
An email from Mary on June 10, 2022: “I am sorry I cannot be at the reunion, I have been thinking about it ever since I received the notice.
Those I taught will remember I was always “a rule follower” and my GP told me it would not be wise (at 90) to attend any gatherings. (I even do my Catholic Masses by live stream). I have vacillated but finally decided to do as she told me. (I know Mr. Marshall is even older than I and he will be there.)
I have so many good memories of those JO days. I arrived there in 1963 and your class came in 1965. Mr. Kelly was a wonderful principal.
The gym was always full of active young people -we had great teams and coaches – and I hardly ever had time to even go to the office except to sign in – it was fun to be there. Remember the trips to Memorial Park for our classes. And the square dance parties!
After class, were school team practices then Monday and Tuesday night basketball. Then I would go to my own practices in Senior A women’s Basketball- Monday and Wednesday or Volleyball – Tuesday and Thursday.
I would be up early the next day to coach a 7:30 am school team practice! Weekends were for tournaments.
I was part of an excellent PE staff -both men and women- and we all got along really well. I always said, “I was going to school – (not to work).
The Block Club was so helpful. We had the wonderful world-famous school choirs drama club and many other school activities – there was always something good happening.
Life has been good to me – I have a great family, good friends and many happy memories of the students I taught. Except for an old injured basketball knee (which limits my mobility – like The Queen!), I keep active and healthy.
I have managed to avoid Covid and am trying to continue that way.
Sorry to have missed seeing you all!
Three Cheers for old JO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is an email address if you want to contact me: bbretreds@gmail.com
(My email signature expresses a lot of my philosophy – Sport for Life!)
M – Marshall, Hugh (JO Teacher)
| On a cold (6°C) and rainy morning in April, we found Hugh Marshall, a member of the West Point Golf Club since 1992, chatting about golf, after his round. He was thoroughly chilled, a little damp but happy. Hugh was a physical education teacher at John Oliver for 36 years. Two of his students were Al Kennedy and Bob Cox, who both later became (well known) Golf Professionals. Years after graduation, they approached Hugh wanting to donate their time to teach golf to all the Grade 11 students, both boys and girls. That was Hugh’s first introduction to golf, where he caught the golf bug. Hugh and his family spent their summers in Chilliwack and when his kids got summer jobs at Aquadell Acres, Hugh golfed there and at Meadowlands. When he retired from teaching school, he took up golf in earnest and now, at almost 94 years old says “I feel that golf has really helped my longevity”. Not only that, but he says that the companionship and comradery he found through golf is second to none. These days, Hugh plays golf twice a week (rain or shine – see opening sentence), takes advantage of the new “forward” tees at the Vancouver Parks Golf Courses and walks the course! Vancouver Parks Golf staff all agree that Hugh is the oldest golfer playing our three courses who does not ride, but walks, when he plays. Any time you talk to Hugh, his love of life pours out. It is always a real pleasure to spend time and chat with Hugh! He cannot emphasize enough, how important golf was and is for his social, emotional and physical well-being. |
M – Martens, Jim and Nena (Simpson)
Jim says, “Our granddaughter, April, drew this a few years ago as a gift for Nena. Our granddaughter Lake—Scott and Elly’s daughter—is not in the drawing as she was born just nine months ago. Our eldest daughter, Tracy and husband Paul, live in California with their four kids: April, Hannah, Sydney, and Luke (L). Our daughter, Stephanie and her husband Tre are with their daughter, Piper, and dog, Koda. They live in Langley. Our son, Scott, is with his partner, Elly, and sons, Tripp and Dax (R). They live in Tsawwassen where Nena and I have resided for the past 42 years.”
M – Moseley, Mark
“Hi everyone, it’s Mark Moseley, sending greetings from England!
I am really sorry that I could not be at the reunion. Unfortunately, unlike all of you who are now sensibly retired, I’m still trying to meet the needs of a variety of demanding clients, and I wasn’t able to make the trip.
As some of you may know, I have spent a number of years in the international development business. After graduating from UBC in ‘76, I practised law in Vancouver for some time before moving to one of the large global law firms headquartered here in London. I then joined the World Bank in 2005, primarily doing infrastructure projects around the world. During my last few years with the Bank, I was seconded to the Global Infrastructure Hub, an international organization created by the G20 Group of countries to help foster infrastructure investment in every part of the world. The Hub was based in Sydney, Australia, and I lived there for a number of years, retiring as the Chief Operating Officer in 2019. At that point, I decided I would create my own consulting firm, and debated whether I should base it in Canada or in the UK. I thought that it might be best to operate out of London but, perversely, my first client turned out to be the Canada Infrastructure Bank! Since then, I’ve done a variety of jobs for various governments, plus the World Bank and other development agencies.
I have also done a little bit of teaching, giving some lectures at the Harvard Kennedy School plus other universities in the UK and Australia.
In short, I have bounced around a bit. I’ve lived on four continents and have worked in dozens of countries, from Bhutan to Botswana. It’s been a lot of fun.
And I have been blessed with a truly wonderful family who has put up with this nonsense. The photo on the screen shows my lovely wife Michelle and me celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary in 2020. And we have three extraordinary children. Our eldest daughter, Angélique, is a published poet, currently living in Sydney, where she is engaged to be married later this year to a wonderful Australian bloke. Our son Luc is living the ‘millennial dream’, having used his skills in artificial intelligence to make enough money to quit work so that he can now spend his time backpacking through Africa. And our youngest daughter, Céline, is just completing her Master’s degree here in England, studying – wait for it – the legal aspects of international development.
In short, it’s been quite an adventure. And I do believe that the groundwork for the great times I have been able to enjoy is due, in no small part, to the life lessons I learned with all of you when we were together at Jayo. Those of you with an exceptionally good memory – or with access to the 1970 Yearbook – may recall the following words being said on the night that we graduated:
“Jayo has given us much more than just a well-developed mind and body; it has given us its soul. This is not something which can be learned from a book; it is something which must be experienced with other people. And this is where the real benefit of Jayo lies; in its people – no matter where they are or what they are doing”.
I believed those words when I said them in 1970, and I still believe them today.
I hope all of you have a great reunion party and, again, I’m really sorry I cannot be with you in person – but I am definitely there in spirit.
All the best to everyone at the reunion.”
Mark
S – Siggs, Bev (Cameron)
Bev says, “We are away on our first holiday since then (see caption above), so we can’t be with you all. I know it will be a wonderful event. I retired in 2015 after 40 years with the Surrey School board, teaching Special Ed, primary, intermediate, computers and French. We have 3 adventurous children, in Banff, Kamloops and Squamish who have generously included us in their travels to places like New Zealand, Ireland, and the Bowron Lakes. It seems impossible that we are all approaching 70 this year. How did that happen? I have fond memories of pep rallies, Flicker Club, the annual square dance and, of course, Choir! Enjoy, Everyone!” Bev (Cameron) Siggs.
S – Simpson, Nena [See Martens, Jim and Nena (Simpson) above]
S – Smith, Grant
Grant says, “I am disappointed that I will not be able to attend our JO 52nd reunion due to my impending hip surgery which has been delayed until June. It has been almost a two-year wait. As many of us will turn 70 this year, for me it is late August.
I put a collage together of our Smith family. (In centre left picture) My older brother is on the left and my younger sister is on the right. My mom turns 95 this August and we will be coming down to White Rock for that. The rest of the collage photos you can figure out by reading below.
Beth and I will have been married for 42 years next month and have three sons, Brian 38, Peter 36, and Michael 31.
Brian, Tea, and Zoe (3 ½-year-old granddaughter) live in Barrie Ontario, an hour north of Toronto. Brian runs his own small tech company and Tea is a cancer surgeon. A brother for Zoe is coming in August. We have daily video calls with our granddaughter but have only been to Barrie once in the past 2 years due to covid. Peter and Salina were married in December last year in Hong Kong and moved to New York in April on company transfers. Peter is a research and portfolio director, and Salina is a human resources manager. Michael and Becky live in Lethbridge Alberta and are both Registered Nurses.
Me, I spent 37 years in the Forest Industry as a registered professional forester in BC and retired in 2013 after spending the last 27 years with Canfor Corporation. Beth taught ESL at the College of New Caledonia in Prince George for 15 years. In Penticton, she is assessing language levels for local immigrant society on a part-time basis. We lived in Prince George for 25 years and my retirement bonus was our move to Penticton in June 2014.
As for travel, we have been to many parts of the Caribbean, Hawaii, Palm Springs, New York, Toronto, and to Alaska on a cruise. After short vacation rentals in Palm Springs for about 10 years, we decided to become landowners by buying a Park Model trailer (396 sq ft) in March 2018 in the Desert Aire RV Resort in Indio California. That is now where we spend our winter (from November to March). Beth is a pickleball enthusiast and I love building and upgrading our cozy home. After my hip operation, I hope to golf again, and we hope to get back to hiking and biking in Indio. In Penticton, we spend the summer at Skaha beach, in our backyard renovated sunroom and now e-biking on the de-commissioned KVR (Kettle Valley Railroad).
I have included a photo of Russ Wong and me paddleboarding on Skaha Lake in Penticton in 2014 on Russ and Donna’s visit. Russ is a natural of course and this was my inaugural paddleboard, and the water gods did not get the best of me.
I hope you have a great reunion by seeing your classmates again and will miss seeing you all.” Cheers, Grant Smith
W – Wong, Russell
Russ says, “Here’s a photo of my family on the occasion of my 70th birthday in January. I’d like to wish everyone who has turned or will be turning 70, to have a great post-pandemic 2022. Looking forward to seeing everyone on the 15th. Cheers, Russ.”
Please send in your photos (recent or past) so we can add them to this page.
If you want to add some text, please do. Send photos to jimmartens52@gmail.com