John Wood of Abbotsford celebrated his 100th birthday on Feb. 26.
John was born in Guernsey, Sask. to Scottish immigrants Philip and Christina Wood.
John had one brother, Hunter, and they lived on the farm in the Guernsey area until the mid-1930s. Christina passed away on Oct. 14, 1926 after a brief illness.
Crops were poor, and in the early 1930s, after much research, Philip, his two boys and many of their neighbours moved all their belongings to the Melfort, Sask. area.
They had found land they could rent in the Naisberry district just to the northeast of Melfort.
John was active in the community, participating in the local snowplow club, school board, wheat pool and other community organizations, as well as being active in politics.
John married Nellie Cole on Dec. 1, 1942 and they bought a farm in the Stoney Creek district three miles north and a mile east of Melfort.
There they farmed and raised six children, all of whom are alive and well today.
In 1967, they sold the farm and moved into Melfort and then to Pine Point, N.W.T. in 1970 where John took a job in the carpentry shop at Cominco Mines.
He enjoyed good health and was able to enjoy local sports such as skating, broomball and softball into his late 50s.
John and Nellie retired to Abbotsford in 1979 and enjoyed a full and active retirement in the company of many friends until Nellie’s passing after a short illness in May 2011.
In his retirement, John was active in church ministries and social outreach programs. He liked to make crokinole boards and other small furniture items while working in his workshop.