Notes |
- Jozef's middle name, Frederick, is not on his birth certificate and may have been self-assigned later in life. Perhaps to differentiate between himself and his father? He usually went by "Joe" and changed his last name to Richards to Anglicize it.
According to Sheila, Jozef's daughter:
([Dad] and his brother left home when [he] was 14 or so. They'd been smoking under the school and accidentally burned it down. Gimli Manitoba.)
Grandpa's dad kept getting Joe's draft notices, Canadian army was drafting them. Great grandpa kept going down to register and they'd say, "No there must be some mistake, you're far too old."
When Milly and Joe were first married, Jozef was speaking German to a gas station attendant one day. Milly laughed at him and said it sounded funny and he never spoke German again.
Dawn's note:
Grandpa Joe was a professional card dealer at one point before he married Milly. I personally saw him stack the deck while making it look like he was simply shuffling it. He once had a pool hall in Claresholm, AB. Joe's Billiards, it was called. He was a whiz at pool and cards. I learned to play Crib at his knee. I loved Grandpa Joe so much. He had such a kind, gentle soul.
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Obituary
RICHARDS - Mr. Joe Richards, of Calgary, passed away at the Calgary General Hospital on January 31, 1989 at the age of 82 years. Joe is survived by two daughters, Ferne Deane of Calgary and Sheila Kirkpatrick of [Cut Bank], Montana; six grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren; two brothers, Phil and his wife Genivieve Reichert of Victoria, Michael and his wife Joan Reichert of Winnipeg; three sisters, Anne Barrett of Winnipeg, Madge and her husband John Besco of Toronto and Clara and her husband George Kazlauskas of Panorama City, California and many nieces and nephews. Joe was predeceased by a sister Lona and two brothers, Jacob and John. Joe was born in Gimli, Manitoba, May 1, 1906. He worked and lived in the Calgary, Acme, Crossfield and Claresholm area for many years. He owned and operated Joe's Billiards in Claresholm from 1946 to 1971. He retired in 1971 and moved to Greenwood Village [Calgary] where he resided for sixteen years. He then resided at Rundle Lodge for the last one and a half years. Funeral Services will be held at McINNIS & HOLLOWAY'S "Park Memorial Chapel", (5008 Elbow Drive S.W.) on Friday, February 3, 1989 at 3:00 p.m. Cremation and arrangements in care of McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOME, 5008 ELBOW DRIVE S.W. Telephone: 243-8200.
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