John Domstad was born in Hoffer SK, near Tribune, in 1913. He moved to the Peace Country in 1928 and settled in Sexsmith. In 1937 he married Lorene Donna Burns, and he bought the Sexsmith Dairy which he ran until he joined the army in August 1940. After the war, he bought land in Lake Saskatoon area (SW – 2-72-8-W6) through the Veterans’ Land Act. The family moved to the town in 1946. The following year, John began driving the horse drawn school van which he did for several years. When he bought a threshing machine, he did free threshing for other farmers who helped on the machine. On June 22, 1956 John was injured in a fatal car accident where Lorene and their daughter, Gerry, were killed along with a passenger. Since John was in the hospital in Edmonton for a long time, he was unable to attend the funeral. The farm was sold in 1964, and John moved to Grande Prairie for a while until he moved to Edmonton. In 1970 he married Viola Jackson, and they lived in Edmonton until John passed away in 1986.
John and Lorene had 4 girls: Jacquie Donna (1938), Inez Darlene (1940), Cheryl Nancy (1947), and Gerry Lorene (1953).
Source: Wagon Trails Grown Over p. 1149 (Name in Roll of Honour)
Lake Saskatoon Reflections pp. 133 – 134 ( 141, 176 – also mentioned) Family Photo p. 134
Herald Tribune – July 20, 1956 p. 9 c. 4 (Wife, daughter fatal accident)