Mrs. Ida Orser of Hartland, New Brunswick, was the 1992 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 1992, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On February 28, 1945, her son, Sergeant Ivan Malcolm Orser, was killed in action in Calcar, Germany while serving with the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry.

Ida Elizabeth Orser, née Loupin married George Bliss Orser. They had five children, Ivan Malcolm, Gerald George, Eldon Reginald, Geraldine Kathryn and Elizabeth Anna Marie.

Mrs. Orser joined the Ladies Auxiliary in January 1936, one year after the Auxiliary Charter. She was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, Life Membership and Certificate of Merit in recognition of her faithful Service.

Mrs. Isabella Hutchings from St. John’s, Newfoundland, was the 1993 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 1993, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On Oct 10, 1945, her son, Able Seaman Samuel Grenfell Hutchings, was killed while on duty when he was swept off the deck of the HMS Sainfoin while returning home following the war.

Mrs. Isabella Hutchings, née Flynn, was born in Forteau, Newfoundland in 1895. She moved to Birchy Head, Bonne Bay Newfoundland upon her marriage to Samuel Hutchings, a resident of there. They were parents to seven children Samuel, Jean, Leslie, Hattie, Mae, Shirley and Netha.

Early in their married life, Mrs. Hutchings and her husband worked in logging camps near Deer Lake. They eventually moved to Cornerbrook where they raised their children while working at the mill. Mr. Hutchings served as cook, while Mrs. Hutchings was responsible for the baking--making up to 75 pies a day often on a wood stove. She continued to bake and share up to ten pies at a time well into her 90s. Mrs. Hutchings, who was widowed in 1967, lived until 1996.

Mrs. Wilhelmina Marine (Minnie) Baerr of Yorkton, Saskatchewan, was the 1994 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 1994, at age 101, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On October 2, 1943, her son, Trooper August Baerr, was killed while on duty with the Calgary Regiment.

Mrs. Baerr was born in 1892 in Westphalen, Germany and immigrated to Canada in 1906 at age 14. She later married John Baerr, an immigrant from Warsaw, Poland and homesteaded just south of Gorlitz, Saskatchewan. Their son, August, worked as a mechanic at the Lakehead and in Winnipeg prior to enlisting in 1942.

The Baerrs retired to Yorkton, Saskatchewan just before the beginning of the Second World War. Mrs. Baerr died in 1996.

Mrs. Elsie Wells from Edmonton, Alberta, was the 1995 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 1995, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On March 8, 1951, her only son, Private Fredrick Orman Wells, was killed while on duty with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in South Korea.

Mrs. Wells, née Drager, was born in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, on August 17, 1906. She married Ormon Garfield Wells in April, 1927. Together, they raised four children-- Etta Elizabeth, Lois Anne, Delores Faye and Fredrick Orman. She was widowed in 1948.

Mrs. Wells died on June 28, 1996 at age 89.

At the age of 95, Mrs. Margaret May Langille of River John, Nova Scotia, was the 1996 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 1996, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On August 16, 1944, her son, Private Lawrence Alvin Langille, was killed while serving with the Essex Scottish Regiment during an assault in Falaise, France.

Mrs. Langille was born in Cape John on May 20, 1901 and was the daughter of Peter and Minnie Heighton. She married Mr. Elsford Langille and together they raised their own sons, six foster children from infancy and provided a temporary home for other foster children.

Mrs. Langille was known for her generous spirit and ensured that those she cared about were afforded a home-cooked meal and a place to stay. Despite damaged eyesight and limbs, resulting from childhood tuberculosis, she continued to sew, quilt, knit, crochet and bake for her children and presented friends with homemade, Christmas fruitcake.

Mrs. Langille collected and cherished photos and keepsakes from four generations of offspring, foster children and their descendants, including a pillow from her son, Lawrence, embroidered, with the word "Mother". Mrs. Langille died on June 6, 2007, at the age of 106. She was predeceased by her husband.

In 1997, at age 100, Mrs. Alice Taylor of Ottawa, Ontario, was the National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. She was also the National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother in 1991. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 1997, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On August 17, 1944, her only son, Trooper Richard Taylor, was killed while serving with Fort Garry Horse on a march from Normandy to Falaise.

Mrs. Taylor, née Grimes, worked in the War Records Office during the Second World War and was a dedicated community volunteer. She took up bowling when she was 86 years and was said to never have missed the merry-go-round at the Ottawa Exhibition. She died on Oct 12, 1999, just two weeks before her 102^nd birthday. She had endured the loss of her son for 55 years and the death of her husband, a First World War Veteran, for 22 years.

“What truly illustrates, not only the importance of the Cross to Mrs. Taylor, but her courage and indomitable spirit, was her reaction three years ago to the attempted robbery of her purse in the courtyard outside her home. When some thugs grabbed her purse and ran off, she gave chase and got her purse back. When the police reprimanded her for her “dangerous” actions, she firmly told them that it contained the Silver Cross given to her in memory of her son, and she was not going to let it go.”

(Wendy Byrne of Ottawa Regional Council, 1999)

Mrs. Anna Zuk (Prygroski) from Winnipeg, Manitoba, was named the 1998 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 1998, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On August 19, 1942, her youngest son, Emil Prygroski was wounded during the ill-fated Dieppe Raid and subsequently succumbed to his injuries at the Montréal Military Hospital in 1950.

Mrs. Zuk was the daughter of John and Catherine Probizanski and the mother of two sons who served overseas. Her eldest, Bernie, was wounded in 1945, shortly before the war’s end, and underwent extensive reconstructive surgery to the facial area. He later moved with his family to Chicago, Illinois.

Mrs. Zuk championed many causes and was a staunch believer in volunteerism. She was also known to debate issues with leading politicians in the Winnipeg area, including the mayor, premier and Foreign Affairs minister.

A former nurse’s aide, Mrs. Zuk was credited with saving two heart attack victims—a man in his forties who collapsed on a city bus when she was 83 and a 92 year-old who had collapsed in in the lobby of their seniors’ apartment building in Winnipeg.

With seven members of her family killed during the war—son, brother, cousin and four nephews, Mrs. Zuk was a poignant representative for Silver Cross Mothers in Manitoba over several years and represented other Silver Cross Mothers at memorial functions, in their absence.

In spite of having undergone 13 operations, including the removal of her kidneys, Mrs. Zuk attributed her long life to being a non-smoker, non-drinker and coming from a family with a rich history of longevity. She died on June 19, 2000.

At the age of 74, Mrs. Loyola Helen Park of London, Ontario, was the 1999 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother, marking the first mother of a slain peacekeeper to be selected for the role. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 1999, she laid a wreath in front of the Parliament buildings on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada. The ceremony was relocated from the National War Memorial which was undergoing an extensive renovation.

On August 9, 1974, her son, Corporal Michael William Simpson, was killed when the plane he was travelling on, United Nations Flight 51, was shot down by a missile en route from Cairo to Lebanon.

Mrs. Park (nee Harrington), was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, the daughter of a First World War Veteran, Frederick Daniel Harrington, and Helen (Tutty) Harrington. Her mother died when she was 11 months of age, leaving her to be raised by her paternal grandparents.

Mrs. Park attended school in Ontario and became a postal clerk in 1942. She joined the Canadian Women’s Army Corps in 1945, just a few months before V-E Day. Following duties in Kitchener and Ottawa, Corporal Harrington (Mrs. Park) was discharged in 1946. She was married the same year to William (Bill) James Simpson of Toronto, a D-Day Veteran who served in France, Belgium and Normandy with the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada. Together they raised four children–Jack, Michael, Janice and Theresa.

Mr. Simpson joined the Toronto Fire Department in 1947. The family settled in Scarborough in 1955. Mrs. Park worked in the City Clerk’s office. Unfortunately, in 1966, Mr. Simpson succumbed to a heart attack suffered in the line of duty. Mrs. Park later earned two college diplomas. She worked in nursing and social services until her retirement in 1983.

Mrs. Park remarried in 1983 to Robert Park, a Second World War Veteran and retired Toronto firefighter, moving to London, Ontario, a short time later. Mr. Park died in 2005.

Mrs. Loyola Helen Park was awarded the 1939-45 War Medal after the war and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002. She celebrated her 89^th birthday at her home in Windsor, Ontario, in 2014.

Mrs. Carol Isfeld of Courtenay, British Columbia, was selected the 2000 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother and was the second mother of a slain peacekeeper to have been bestowed the title. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2000, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On June 21, 1994, her son, Master Corporal Mark Robert Isfeld, was killed as a result of injuries sustained from a mine explosion in Kakma, Croatia. He was serving there on peacekeeping duties with the 1^st Combat Engineer Regiment.

Mrs. Isfeld, née Donaldson, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and grew up in Brownsburg, Quebec, near Lachute. She married Brian Isfeld, also a native of Winnipeg. Together, they raised three boys, Mark, Leigh and Glenn while Mr. Isfeld pursued a career in the Air Force.

While her son was serving in Croatia, Mrs. Isfeld sent him dolls which she made from scraps of wool. Known as the "Izzy", these dolls were eagerly received from the popular soldier well known in Croatia for his genuine interest in the local children.

Upon her husband’s retirement as an air observer, the couple moved to Courtenay, British Columbia.

Mrs. Isfeld was awarded the Canadian Memorial (Silver) Cross in recognition of her son’s sacrifice. She was the second mother of a slain peacekeeper to have been selected as the National Silver Cross Mother for the National Remembrance Day Service in Ottawa, Ontario. She was accompanied on her trip to Ottawa by her husband Brian.

Mrs. Isfeld was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and grew up in Brownsburg, Quebec, near Lachute. She met her husband, also a native of Winnipeg, in Winnipeg, and followed him as he pursued his career in the Air Force. When he retired as an air observer, they moved to Courtenay, British Columbia.

Mrs. Ina Galvin of Bolton Centre, Quebec, was the 2001 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2001, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On November 29, 1993, her youngest child, Corporal David Patrick Galvin, was killed on duty in Bosnia-Herzegovina while serving with the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps.

Mrs. Galvin is mother to seven children. Widowed when David was only 13, her eldest son, Chris, already a captain in the army became the father figure. Mrs. Galvin spent her summers running a camp ground.