Freda Clarke was born in Zurich, Switzerland and came to Canada when she was three years old. She lived near Powell River for six years before the family moved to Vancouver where they lived for a number of years.
She first came to Squamish in 1927 to teach primary school at the old Mashiter School which was torn down when the new west wing of Howe Sound Secondary School was built. In 1935, she married Alex Munro and they moved to Quesnel for a year where their first child Dan was born. Later they moved back to Squamish and lived in a house across from the present Mamquam Elementary School before moving to the house on Second Avenue where she lived for many years.
Her husband was killed when a PGE train plunged into Seton Lake in January 1950 and for a number of years she returned to her profession, acting as a substitute teacher whenever she was needed.
In 1963 she married the late Stan Clarke who predeceased her by two years. She was survived by her two sons, Colonel Dan Munro in Germany and Richard of 100 Mile House, and her daughter Lynette Halvorson of Squamish.
Freda Clarke loved growing flowers and vegetables and taking fruit from her garden to her friends. Many people received a thoughtful gift of a bowl of raspberries or a basket of cherries.
Her funeral was held in the Squamish United Church on Thursday, July 7, 1983 at 2pm and followed by interment in Mount Garibaldi Cemetery.
published
A booklet on Squamish history, with photos, stories, maps and more. It was created as a part of British Columbia centennial celebrations that carried across the province in 1958. According to the booklet, 1888 was the beginning of real settlement that led to the formation of the town of Squamish.
Click the picture above to see the whole book. Please note that it may take quite some time to load.