Image: Image shows the outside of the Girouxville Museum which features a totem pole, 1990 (SPRA 007.002)
Roland Deslauriers, son of Ernest and Monique (Lapointe) Deslauriers, was born in Montreal, Quebec on October 9, 1912. He moved to Alberta with his family in 1928, first arriving in Dreau, and soon thereafter settling on a homestead near Girouxville. Roland filed for his own homestead, SW 04-78-22-5. He married Germaine Viens, from Fahler, on December 30, 1941. Serving in the army in WW II from 1942 to 1946, Roland was posted in BC – Vancouver, Victoria, and Prince Rupert – operating anti-aircraft guns, before going to Holland and Germany. After returning to Canada, the family farmed their homestead for 2 years, and in September 1948 Roland started work at the Co-op store in Girouxville, becoming manager for 30 years. During this time, he was elected mayor from 1954 to 1958, and he played a big part in bringing water, sewer, natural gas, telephone and other services to the village. In 1970 he was named “Notary Public”. For nearly 50 years Roland was organist in his church. Roland and Germaine moved to BC for a few years, and then settled in St. Albert AB. The Deslauriers had 5 children: Louise, Roger, Evelyne, Annette, and Paul-Henri.
Source: Reflexions pp. 483 (photo)
Soldier Spotlight highlights veterans from the Archives’ online Soldiers’ Memorial. Each week, our volunteers select a remarkable individual to showcase in this blog series. The Soldiers’ Memorial commemorates more than 1,100 WWI veterans and 2,300 WWII veterans from our region. Three dedicated volunteers have contributed over 1,200 hours to this project by researching and writing biographies. Our goal is to have all South Peace soldiers acknowledged for their service. If you know of someone who lived in the South Peace and should be listed on the Memorial, or would like to get involved by researching a local veteran, please contact the Archives.