Richard Greentree was born in March 1910 in Calgary AB, one of 10 children, 3 girls and 7 boys. Reggie, a younger brother, also served in WW II. He also had an older brother, Henry “Harry”, born in England in 1892. Their father came to Canada from England in the early 1890s. Their mother was raised in Ancaster ON. The father squatted on some land in 1901, filing on it in 1905, in the area which is now Drumheller AB. There he established a huge ranch with a thousand head of cattle and numerous horses. When coal was discovered on his land, big operators and the developing town took over his operation. Their mother passed away in 1925. (The father died in 1956 or 1957). Two years later, Richard, Harry, and his father made the big move to the Peace River Country. From Edmonton, it took 14 days travelling, with rail cars full of animals and settler effects, until they arrived in Dimsdale AB in August 1927. They settled on a farm in the area. In 1929, Richard worked for a year for Alex Craig, and in 1930 he walked from Dimsdale to Lake Saskatoon and got a job with William Grant. The following winter Richard worked at a sawmill for George Stephen. Through George and his father, Gavin, Richard met his future wife, Iola (Gavin’s daughter). They married in Clairmont AB on March 21, 1931 (Iola’s obituary states 1930). Iola’s family was from Saskatchewan, before they came to the Peace area in 1917. Iola attended Montrose School in Grande Prairie. Also, in fall of 1929, crossing the Wapiti River, Richard and Harry squatted on land in Grovedale, until 1934 when Harry took over Richard’s quarter, since by that time Iola and Richard had 2 children. Next, he had a couple of jobs at the Wapiti Coal Mines, and Spring Creek Coal Mines. In 1942, he moved to Drumheller to work for mines in East Coulee. Presumably, in the following years, Richard served in WW II, but this is not mentioned in his family history nor his obituary. Iola’s father (Gavin Stephen) quit farming in 1944, therefore Richard and Iola took over the farm on W1/2-35-70-7-W6 until 1963. For health reasons, Richard also gave up farming. Richard and Iola had 7 children: Jim, Louise, Jack, Jerry, Doug, David, and Lorraine. During his life, Richard enjoyed hunting, hauling firewood, swimming in his favorite water hole in the Wapiti River, and fishing. In later years, his hobbies included woodworking and rug hooking. Richard retired in 1980, when he and Iola moved to Salmon Arm BC. He died on November 21, 1983 (Iola’s obituary states 1984). Iola moved back to Alberta, residing in Grande Prairie until her passing on May 5, 1991.
Source: Along the Wapiti p. 412 Name in list of WW 2 Veterans, p. 233 -234 Richard Greentree Family history; family photo
Surname File – obituary of Richard’s brother, Henry “Harry”
Obituary Index – Iola