OLIVE BLANCHE PERRY born November 1,1917 at Perry’s Cove, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland to Frererick and Emily (Genge) Perry. It was not long after that the family was increased with the addition of her two siblings, Merida on May 1,1919 and Roland on February 16,1921. It was around this time that the family moved to Verdun ,a suburb of Montreal where they lived in a rented house and Fred landed a job as a railway car builder at Canadian Pacific Railway. Then came two new additions to the family, Alice on October 5,1922 and Gordon on January 1924.
The house was becoming too small for a growing family and both parents yearned for the open spaces, so they bought a large piece of land in East Greenfield which was about ten miles south east of Montreal in the County of Chambly and could be reached by train service but the new property was a mile from the train station as well as the two room school for grades one to nine.This was a major hike for everyone on a daily basis. However father was advised there would be a bus service in the very near future on a road which was much closer to our property.
He then built a large home and encouraged two brothers Edward and Cecil to buy property close by and it was soon after they arrived with their families and the Grand parents Capt Sam and Frances Perry. The three large Perry Families had a great place to grow up to be strong and healthy. The only major catastrophe during the growing up years was the death of Uncle Ned’s youngest of seven children Eddie who at the age eight died from a car accident while riding his bicycle on the side of a public road.
Along with a large gardens growing vegetables,berries and flowers there were always thirty or forty chickens, and a cow so there was always plenty of work to be shared. Fred had to rise at very early hour for the twenty minute walk and longer in winter, to catch the 6AM train. His and Emilty’s endurance and strength was remarkable.
The family grew with the birth of Ina on May 9,1926 and Gary, the last on February 14,1929. Gary was born during a major snow storm and Uncle Cecil borrowed the farmers horse and cutter to drive eight miles to get the doctor because the roads were not passable by car he travelled that road four times which was an all night’s work for him and the unlucky horse.
When Olive completed her schooling in East Greenfield she took a secretarial course and after receiving her diploma she was hired as a secretary at the head office of The Royal Bank of Canada in Montreal. She very soon realised the commute from home was too difficult and she was invited to stay with friends in Montreal for the winter months. Soon after Merida followed the same path and got her secretarial diploma and she was followed by Alice in due course.
At this point it became obvious to everyone that the family should move to Montreal but it wasn’t without some regrets.
Olive knew Ken Webb while attending school but dating began after she started working in Montreal and going back home during the summer season. He was from a large family living in a small community named Brookline which was about three miles from the Perry's and the Webb family also moved to Montreal for the winter season. Ken wooed Olive with his guitar and singing and charming personality. His 1931 black Ford sedan purred like a kitten and they were always fun to be with.
After marrying Ken, they had two daughters Arlene (1942) and Andrea (1946). The Webb family moved to Toronto in 1952 where Ken worked at Continental Can Company. During this time Olive started a secretarial service with a partner (Marj Dubiel) and eventually expanded it into an employment agency. Like many of the Perry's, she was a skilled entrepreneur and eventually focused on the employment agency handling both part time and permanent placements.
Based on Olive's success, Ken was able to leave his job at Continental Can and started Ken Webb Travel from Olive's offices. The idea was to have the travel agency provide income and the opportunity for both to travel. They were a great team and eventually they were able to wind down the employment agency and focus on the travel company where Olive worked as a tour escort in places around the world.
After both had travelled extensively, they sold their house and retired comfortably. Ken passed in 1985 and Olive continued living in Etobicoke close to daughter Arlene.
During the next 25 years Olive continued to travel and live life to the fullest. She shared her time with both daughters living in Panama, Woodland Beach, Brazil and Victoria.
She amazed us all with her youthfulness and incredibly bright outlook on life. She loved parties and put everyone at ease in any social situation. To engage in a discussion with her was a pleasure - she had deep knowledge and life experiences that she was always willing to share. She was thoughtful of others and always wanted to hear what you had to say.