Remembrance Day Through the Eyes of a Child

Milward Taylor "Mel" Culbert (1920-1958)

My father, Mel Culbert of Lucan, Ontario served as a Sergeant with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) from 1941-1945. He trained as a radar technician and wireless air gunner. He retrained as a draftsman because of health problems, and transferred from the training base at Trenton to a base on Avenue Road in Toronto. 

Mel and his wife Mary Elizabeth (Patrick) Culbert had three children: son Terry, daughter Dana, and daughter Mary Jane (me.) Sadly, my father died when I was a year old. I have no memory of him.

When I was a child, I had a Remembrance Day school assignment. This is the last paragraph of that assignment...

Click on image to enlarge.

Mel Culbert in his RCAF uniform.

Remembrance Day is a time for us to reflect on those who served our country. We will remember them.

The Luck of the Irish

If anyone can be said to have "the luck of the Irish" on this Saint Patrick's Day, it's Jeff Small.

Jeff Small of Huntsville, Ontario, Canada

You'll recall that on 19 August 2023, I published a post on the Culbert Family History blog regarding Jeff's diagnosis with stage 4 gastric cancer. Click here if you missed it.

Jeff's wife, Kim (Culbert) Small (the 3x-great-granddaughter of John Culbert & Mary Ward) is here to update us on Jeff's situation. Take it away, Kim...

 

Kim (Culbert) Small

It’s been a very difficult year, starting in April 2023 when Jeff was diagnosed with stage 4 gastric cancer and told palliative chemotherapy was his only option. 

After only three months he experienced complications with treatments. His white blood cell count dropped to zero and Jeff was hospitalized. In addition, he had a rare response to the immunotherapy drug which resulted in endocarditis. He almost died. 

At one point, I was told they could keep Jeff alive for about three more days - long enough for our kids to get here from Calgary and New Zealand to say goodbye. When he miraculously pulled through that, we were told the cancer had most likely spread, and that Jeff was in the last six months of his life. We made preparations, and I took a Caregiver’s Leave in September as he was so weak.

Jeff stopped all treatments in October as the side effects were so severe, and he wanted to enjoy his remaining time with family for Christmas. He continued to focus on quality nutrition, tried various alternative protocols, and forced himself to go for walks twice daily. He kept a positive attitude and laughed often. 

On December 21st, we were told his PET scan showed “no activity” and his oncologist was referring us back to the surgeon for a scope as she couldn’t explain it. On 12 March 2024, the surgeon declared Jeff “cancer free”. We believe the love, prayers and support we received from our friends and family played a major part in this outcome. We are infinitely grateful for this gift and plan on living our very best lives, taking nothing for granted. 

Much love,

Kim & Jeff

Merry Christmas!

 

Left to right: Mel Culbert, Ken Culbert, and Ivan Culbert, circa 1930. Three of the six sons of Myron and Effie Culbert of Poplar Farm in Biddulph Township near Lucan, Ontario, Canada.

 

Thank you to Culbert descendants worldwide for your interest in the Culbert Family History blog. All the best to you in 2024.

Ivan Culbert - The Italian Campaign

 Phil Culbert (the great-great-grandson of John Culbert and Mary Ward) follows a Facebook group called "Canadians in the Italian Campaign in World War II."

Click on photo to enlarge.

Imagine Phil's surprise when he found a photo of his father on that Facebook site! (see photo above.) I added the red arrow in the photo to indicate Sergeant Ivan Hector Culbert (1918-1979). Ivan is listening to General McNaughton addressing the officers and soldiers of the Royal Canadian Regiment, somewhere in Italy.

IVAN HECTOR CULBERT'S FAMILY TREE:

Ancestors:

John Culbert & Mary Ward (great-grandparents)

Richard Culbert & Jane Eleanor Fairhall (grandparents)

Myron Manford Culbert & Effie Pearl Taylor (parents)

Ivan Hector Culbert

Descendants (Children):

Victoria "Vicky" (Culbert) Schloendorf

Ian Richard Culbert

Phillip Myron Culbert

Elizabeth Christine Culbert (1955-2020).

Support for the Small Family

 Kim (Culbert) Small's family needs our support.

Kim (the 3x-great-granddaughter of John Culbert & Mary Ward) lives in Huntsville, Ontario with her husband, Jeff and their children, Sam, Connor, and Sophie. 

Kim (Culbert) Small

Kim has endured much sorrow in the past few years. She lost her father, Greg Culbert of Campbell River, British Columbia in 2020, and her mother, Wendy Louise (Hamilton) Oke of Huntsville, Ontario in 2022.   

Kim's husband, Jeff Small has been diagnosed with inoperable stage 4 gastric cancer. 

Jeff Small

The family is under significant financial strain due to the fact that Jeff has been unable to work. Their hope is to give Jeff any added peace of mind in the days and weeks ahead. To date, they have paid $7,000 for additional testing in hopes he may qualify for a clinical trial, incurred the cost of flying family home to help with his care, and various alternative treatments.

Please click here for details on their GoFundMe fundraising campaign. Any amount you can contribute, no matter how small, will make a difference.

Thank you.

Kimberley Tara (Culbert) Small's Family Tree:
Ancestors:
John Culbert & Mary Ward (great-great-great-grandparents)
Richard Culbert & Jane Fairhall (great-great-grandparents)
Myron Culbert & Effie Taylor (great-grandparents)
Kenneth Arthur Culbert & Helen Needham (grandparents)
Brian Gregory Culbert & Wendy Louise Hamilton (parents)

Springtime in the Orchard

 Ethel Gertrude (Culbert) Gras (1886-1986), the granddaughter of John Culbert and Mary Ward, published a book of her poetry, Poems and Rhymes.

Ethel Culbert in the springtime of  her life. Ethel graduated from Victoria University at the University of Toronto with an A.B. Degree with honors. Photo courtesy of Ethel's granddaughter, Jane (Gras) Heigis.

Ethel, the daughter of Richard Culbert and Jane Eleanor Fairhall, grew up on the Culbert homestead near Lucan, Ontario, Canada on the Coursey Line. She later made her home in the United States with her husband, Norman Scott Brien Gras.

Today, let's welcome the first day of spring, 2023 with Ethel's poem, Springtime in the Orchard.

Ethel Gertrude (Culbert) Gras' Family Tree:

Ancestors:

John Culbert and Mary Ward (grandparents)

Richard Culbert and Jane Eleanor Fairhall (parents)

Ethel Gertrude (Culbert) Gras

Descendants (Children):

Edwin Culbert Gras

Ranulf Worcester Gras

Alfred Edward Gras

Jane London Gras