Born in 1925 in Consort AB, Joseph Fitchett was only 11 years old when his father died. A year later his mother also died, so he and his brother Bill and his sister Adele went to live in Lacombe Home, which was an orphanage near Calgary. As soon as he was old enough to do chores, a neighbor from Consort took Joseph in, to help on the farm. At 18, Joseph joined the Army in Calgary. After his discharge in 1946, Joseph worked in Alix and in the Red Deer areas. When he heard about the good land in the Peace River area, he decided to move north in 1948, and obtained a job at Bickel’s Saw Mill in Debolt. In 1949 he finally acquired a farm through VLA north of Debolt (S 1/2-147201-W6). Joseph met his future wife, Florence Gaboury who was from the Fitzsimmons area, and was working at the hospital in Grande Prairie. Marrying on January 21, 1953, they settled on Joseph’s land, and they raised 4 children: Alvin, Larry, Norine, and Darrell. Besides farming, Joseph worked on Highway 34 when it was being upgraded in the 1950s, worked in the oil fields for five years, and at Canfor for 17 years. While at Canfor he became one of the first Ederer crane operators in 1985. Joseph and Florence bought a new house in 1981, while the old house was moved to a farm in Valleyview. The government built an airstrip along the north side of their land in 1984. Being a lifetime member of the Royal Canadian Legion, Joseph was also active in community events. Since he retired in 1989, Florence and Joseph enjoyed travelling in their motor home, and cruising. Favorite hobbies of Joseph were golfing, playing crib, and woodworking. Florence died in August 1999, and Joseph continued to live at their home while renting out the land. Near the end of his life, he lived in Grande Prairie where he passed away on May 27, 2016 at age 91.
Source: Bridges to the Past pp. 35-36 (family photos)
Surname File – obituary