John and alice (Gallant)
Married on March 4, 1946 at North Rustico, PEI
The kids are not exactly sure how John & Alice met. There is a story about an ice cream social. John's brother Joe was going out with John's sister Loretta at the same time - was double dating was a “thing” back then? Regardless, it was a small community where they grew up so their paths, luckily crossed at some point in their young lives. Their dating time was very short before and after his military service as he joined the Army in July of 1940, was sent for training in Quebec and Newfoundland until October, 1941, after which he was assigned to the front lines in WWII as a rifleman with the Royal Rifles of Canada. He returned home in the fall of 1945 after the war ended, and Alice was waiting for him. They got married on March 4 of 1946, a Monday (not a bad way to start the week) and they went on to have 5 kids in the following 7 years and a 6th child who came along in 1967. They were married for over 50 years before their passing.
"LE CLAN DE" John ET Alice
Known to us all as " Uncle John" or "Jean Leo" to the older crowd, his birthname is Jean Leopold . He was born on May 23, 1920. His wife, Alice Alvena Gallant was born on Feb 10, 1920. John joined the Canadian military in 1940 and after training he was assigned to the front lines in WWII. When he left his family and his girlfriend Alice in PEI, he didn’t know where he was going, it was Top Secret. He fought in the Battle of Hong Kong from December 8th to the 25th, 1941 (read the whole the story in a booklet further down this page) where his regiment eventually surrendered to the Japanese Army. He was taken prisoner and spent the next four years as a POW. His family and Alice had very little contact with him over the four years he was away - a couple of letters and a post card. See letters below, one from Meme (Mary his mom) and 3 from Army Officials to Meme and one note from John to his family where he referenced Alice. He and Alice married in 1946, shortly after his return from Japan and WWII. They started their family in Millbrook, next to North Rustico, PEI, where John worked as a carpenter for "Earl-Bob" and Alice, early on, worked in the fish factory and her family's store at Millbrook. Alice eventually became a stay-at-home Mom raising the children. John moved "out-west" to Olds, Alberta in 1965 to join Irving (his eldest son) and his brother Joe and Joe's wife, Loretta (Alice's sister) and their family. The 3 of them worked as carpenters around Olds then down to Milk River, Alberta for a while. They decided to move to Lethbridge and while they were in the area, made a side trip to Medicine Hat, Alberta to visit Louis Doucette (a fellow Islander). While there, John and Irv both got jobs (John with Plato's Roofing and Irv in the flour mill). Joe returned to Olds. Alice and the rest of the clan (5 kids) moved from PEI to Medicine Hat in 1966. Their youngest child, Kent was born in Medicine Hat in 1967. John started his own business, John's Roofing in the mid-1970's. In addition to employing his 2 sons Irv and Cletus, they also employed other Islanders along the way (St. Claire Trainer, Scott Gauthier & Donnie Peters). John sold the business to his son Cletus in 1985 when he turned 65 years old, then retired. Throughout her time in Medicine Hat, Alice continued to raise the children and was well-known for feeding many a relative that would make their way to Medicine Hat to visit Uncle John and Aunt Alice and the cousins - she was a wonderful cook and had a wicked sense of humor, as did John. John passed away April 18, 2004 and Alice followed in Nov 21, 2005. Both were laid to rest in Medicine Hat, Alberta where some of the children continue to live.