Once upon a time there was a one room schoolhouse I attended. It was called Stafford School. The school was some 14 miles from the villages of Strongfield, Loreburn and Glenside in Saskatchewan.

To the north of the school about one and one half miles lived the Fred Hauberg Family. They had two daughters Anna and Ruth. When I was young Anna had married Einar Larson and they lived in a small house in the Fred Hauberg yard. Ruth was married to Mike McIntosh and they lived in Glenside. Later on, after Fred and Mrs. Hauberg died, the Larson family moved into the Hauberg house and the McIntoshes moved into the small house.

All the Larson and McIntosh children attended Stafford school and that’s when I met Darlene and her sister Maxine along with their brothers.

When Darlene was finished High School she went to Saskatoon and she saw a big billboard advertising the need for military personnel. She immediately was smitten by the thought of an awesome adventure and she applied to join the air force. She was accepted and was soon on her way by train from Glenside to Montreal for basic training.

WOW. How courageous for a Saskatchewan farm girl!

After Darlene completed her military career her family moved to Calgary and she became a member of the Elks Golf Club. Darlene loved to golf and played many times a week at the club.

It was my brother Gerald who told me that Darlene was living in Calgary. He got her phone number for me from her brother, Neil, who still lives and farms in the area. I called Darlene and soon we were talking about having a golf game together. Many times I golfed with her both at her club and at clubs I liked to play. We always had a fun time and a good visit.

One day Darlene called me to say she had a hole in one that day on the Elks Golf course.. How excited I was for her! She said the club gave her $2,000.00 for her accomplishment and would I go with her to try out some new clubs. She fell in love with the Adams clubs and not only bought a set for herself but a set for her granddaughter as well.

I played as a guest several times in the Member/Guest tournament with Darlene at the Elks Club. One such occasion was called the “Dots and Stripes” tournament and this was the theme for the dress competition. You know I like to sew and I did not take this challenge lightly. I sewed dots and striped shorts and bought white shirts to decorate. Even our hats, wrist bands and socks were decorated in this theme.

WE DIDN’T WIN THE PRIZE FOR BEST COSTUME!

The winners had cardboard cut outs of dots and stripes pinned to their shorts and shirts with Bobby Pins. We were shocked but this couple were close friends of the tournament committee. The crowd booed.

I was sad to hear that Darlene passed away awhile ago. She was a kind, generous person and a true friend of mine.