Daniel Girouard, born on October 22, 1919, in St. Mathiew, Rimouski, Quebec, was the son of Alfred and Yvonne (Dionne) Girouard. Yvonne died in 1920, therefore Daniel lived with his grandparents (the Dionnes) in Quebec until he was 12. Daniel’s father, Alfred, came to Girouxville AB in 1923, and he remarried to Florentine Campbell in 1926, residing in nearby Dreau. Daniel came to Dreau AB in 1932, to live with his father and Florentine. Over the next few years, Daniel had two step-siblings, Marie-Jeanne, and Ted (Phillip Alfred). After attending school in Girouxville, until he was 15, Daniel worked for the Northern Alberta Railway doing section work. In May 1941 his enlisted in the army, training near Calgary and in England. Being posted in Italy and Western Europe, including Holland, he served on the transportation ground crew. Discharge in 1946, Daniel returned to section work on the railway, and married Claire Henley on December 30 that same year. With the Veterans Land Act, Daniel was able to purchase a half section of land (W ½ 29-77-22-5). He attempted farming for a few years, however, in 1950 he chose to work on seismic crews. The family moved with him from site to site, living in trailers. In 1953, the Girouards moved to Calgary where Daniel was employed at the post office until 1980. In 1955 the Girouards moved to a brand new house in the Bowness area of Calgary. Daniel and Clair enjoyed travelling to Europe, the Caribbean, and South America, and after retirement they toured the US and Mexico with their motorhome. Daniel was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 238. Clair and Daniel had 4 children: Marguerite, Richard, Paula, and Paul. Daniel moved to a retirement apartment at age 97. He died at age 100 on February 22, 2020 in Calgary. The celebration of life was at the Bowness Legion.
Source: Reflexions p. 589, family history and photo of family.
McInnis and Holloway Funeral Home – obituary www.mhfh.com