Alberni Valley resident Jeanette Salsman celebrated her 80th milestone in Rogers Creek Park on Saturday, June 7 (her actual birthday is June 10). Almost 70 people from near and far attended.
Jeanette was born in Comox to the late Sandy and Evelyn Forbes and moved here when she was a year old. She was one of seven children and now has one sister left, Muriel Chenard, who lives in Perth, Ontario.
Jeanette attended Beaver Creek Elementary School, AW Neill School (now Tsuma'as Elementary School) and graduated from ADSS in 1962.
She worked for Tyee Delivery delivering food to the Franklin River Logging division cookhouse, then at the A&W on Third Avenue, then back to Tyee Delivery working in their office.
Jeanette met Ronald in 1965 at the Pinky Coin Operated Laundry which was located in the rear of the Adelaide Shopping Centre. Ronald had just moved here from Nova Scotia. They were married on March 10, 1967 in Grace Lutheran Church where they still attend today. Their maid of honour was Jane Campbell and the best man was Leo Salsman. Reverend Reinholdt Schmidt performed the ceremony.
After they got married, the Salsmans started their family: son Greg was born in 1968 and they adopted their daughter Laura in 1972.
Jeanette was a stay-at-home mom until the children finished school and then went to work at Somass Roofing doing bookkeeping in 1986. After that she went to work at CJAV Radio for a couple of years on the front desk and also in advertising, then she got a job with the Alberni School District as an education assistant at Redford Elementary school in 1990.
She worked in the school district for many years at most of the schools including Maquinna, Sproat, Alberni Elementary, Gill and ending at the new high school, for a total of 23 years. She retired in 2013.
Jeanette and Ron’s family grew to be Greg (Krista, son-in-law Dave McKimm and four grandchildren: Mia, Caitlynn, Cole and Aleah).
Jeanette would like to give a heartfelt thank you to Greg and Krista (and all who helped them) and the grandchildren for making her 80th birthday an unforgettable milestone.
