Force: Royal Canadian Air Force
David was born to parents Hjalmar and Laura (Bolduc) Tansem. Hjalmar and Laura were married in Grande Prairie on November 26, 1921 and had four surviving children: David, Clarence, Blanche, and Gordon. They moved to Dimsdale in the mid-twenties to find work, and moved back to their homestead in the Wanham/Belloy area in 1931. They farmed a half-section supplementing farm income with custom sowing and operating a threshing machine for George MacDonald. Around 1939, the family moved into Wanham and operated a Dray Line business for a few years. Around 1943, the family moved back to the farm where they resided until Hjalmar’s death on April 21, 1951. Laura passed away in October of 1955.
David served in the Canadian Air Force where he met his future wife, also serving in the Air Force. David and Jean Smailles were married in Edmonton on March 4, 1947. They moved to Wanham in that year where they farmed and raised their seven children: Robert, Bonnie, Garry, Brian, Dwayne, and twins Koreen and Karen.
Source: Community Book: Grooming the Grizzly – A History of Wanham and Area