George James Izatt, Corporal

George James Izatt (Geo) was born on March 23, 1916, in Orillia Ontario, the 6th child, of recent Scottish immigrants James Sharpe Izatt and Helen Scugal Smith. By 1918 the family had moved to Oakville Ontario, where James was foreman at the Oakville Basket Factory. In 1932 James moved his family to Clarkson and opened up, the Clarkson Basket Factory. It was truly a family business that employed the whole family.

Geo grew up in Clarkson along with his 7 siblings. When he was 14, his older sister married a farmer and he spent his summers working on the farm, which he soon developed a passion for. Upon graduating High school, he joined his father at the basket factory, where he worked until his country called him to war. He enlisted in 1940. Not long after graduating high school, he met his future wife, Dolly Isabelle McHugh, at the skating rink in Oakville. They were married on May 17, 1941, while he was on leave, just a few months before being deployed.

Geo took his basic training at Camp Borden. He wanted to be a mechanic, but the Army decided it needed drivers and couriers more. He was shipped to Britain that August, travelling on the Warwick Castle (built in 1938 in Belfast by Harland and Wolff, the same shipyard that build the Titanic) and took additional camouflage training at Folkestone, Kent. He drove military personnel, supply trucks, and prisoners of war, and also delivered dispatches by motorcycle. He took part in the Battle of Britain, D-Day, the Liberation of the Netherlands, and other campaigns in Belgium, France and Germany. 

While in Britain, whenever he had leave, he was able to connect with many of his aunts, uncles and cousins that he had never met before, developing lifelong relationships and even providing accommodation when some of them immigrated to Canada. He suffered from venous issues in his legs from marching, and hearing problems from explosions. He was awarded the 1939-1945 Star, Canadian Voluntary Service Medal with clasp for overseas service, France and Germany Star, The Defence Medal and The War Medal 1939-45. He was discharged in December 1945 and returned to Canada. 

After the war, he and Dolly lived and worked on his sister's farm until he found a factory job in Hamilton assembling typewriters. They then moved back to Oakville, where he also worked part-time at the basket factory. Their family grew in Oakville with the birth of their son, James William (October 26,1946) and daughter, Linda Diane (May 23,1948). 

Geo still really wanted to be a farmer and had started his search for a farm to buy. In 1950 the couple who lived in the apartment above them, purchased a house in Clarkson called "The Anchorage" It was a large historic house located on the shores of Lake Ontario. It had been divided into a duplex, so they asked Geo and Dolly to move into the other half of their house. With space for a garden, Geo and Jim Davidson discovered that they had a common interest in developing dwarf apple trees. Three years later the Davidson's were under pressure to sell the valuable shore property and purchased a farm in Pickering. Since Geo had been unable to find his own farm to buy, they asked if he would consider moving to Pickering, Ontario and manage the farm for them. 

In 1953, Geo packed up his family and moved them to Grasmere Farm in Pickering. Dolly's brother Robert, (a wounded war veteran) was also asked to join them in Pickering. Geo soon turned the mixed agriculture farm into an experimental dwarf tree farm, participating in government sponsored research. In Pickering, his family became complete with the addition of Wendy Jo (March 30, 1956) and Pamela Jean (November 19, 1957). Geo enjoyed his life in the small community of Audley and stayed at Grasmere Farm until his retirement in 1983 when he and Dolly moved into an apartment in Pickering Village. Another interest was his love of singing.  He had a beautiful tenor voice, untrained but could hit high C.  He enjoyed participating in variety shows in both Clarkson and Audley and was a member of the choir in Audley United Church.

Apartment living was difficult for the retired farmer. Monday to Friday, he got up early and drove to Uxbridge for a game of golf (Uxbridge had the most reasonably priced memberships) and then he would spend his afternoons creating a huge vegetable garden at his daughter Wendy's house, also in Uxbridge. 

After a year of this, they decided that they should buy a house in Uxbridge, near the golf course. Geo and Dolly settled easily into the friendly community of Uxbridge. They enjoyed living closer to their two youngest daughters and their grandchildren. They formed many friendships through volunteering at "Chances Are", and by joining the Seniors Centre and the Legion. 

Geo passed away at the Uxbridge Cottage Hospital on January 3, 2009, in his 93 year, with Dolly by his side. At the time of his death, he was survived by 4 children, 10 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren to carry on with remembrances that were nothing but fond, of a life lived to its fullest and always with a smile.

We thank him for his service.

We will remember them.

NM