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.

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.

Mrs. Doreen Coolen of Simms Settlement in Hubbards, Nova Scotia, was the 2002 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2002, 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 April 17, 2002, her only child, Private Richard Anthony Green, died as a result of a friendly fire incident in Afghanistan while on duty with the 3^rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.

Mrs. Coolen, née Young, is a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is the daughter of Elva and Cecil Young.

In 2002, Mrs. Coolen was accompanied to the national Remembrance Day Ceremony in Ottawa by Michael McDonald, whom she considers to be Private Green’s foster father. She enjoys reading, gardening, camping, cooking and hunting in her spare time.

Mrs. Charlotte Lynn Smith of Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, was the 2003 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2003, 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 April 17, 2002, her son, Private Nathan Lloyd Smith, was killed, as a result of friendly fire, while serving with the 3^rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in Afghanistan.

Mrs. Smith, a native of Ostrea Lake, Halifax County, Nova Scotia, is the daughter of the late Raymond and Rose Williams. She attended Ostrea Lake Elementary School, Robert Jamieson High School and Saint Peter’s School in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, where Mrs. Smith enrolled in commercial business courses.

She married Lloyd David Smith of Tatamagouche and together they had two children, Nathan and Karen.

Mrs. Smith has been active in the Ostrea Lake Anglican Church and has served as a warden and treasurer.

Mrs. Agatha Dyer, of Montréal, Quebec, was appointed 2004 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2004, 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 April 17, 2002, her son, Corporal Ainsworth Dyer, died as a result of a friendly fire incident in Afghanistan, where he was serving with the 3^rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.

Mrs. Dyer, née Dawkins, was born in Clarendon, Jamaica. In 1972, she immigrated to Canada. She married the late Paul Dyer of Toronto and together they had four children.

Mrs. Dyer is retired and lives in Ville Saint-Laurent, the largest of Montreal’s boroughs.

Mrs. Claire Léger of Stittsville, Ontario, was the 2005 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2005, 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 April 17, 2002, her eldest child, Sergeant Marc Daniel Léger, serving with the 3^rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in Afghanistan, died as a result of a friendly fire incident.

Mrs. Léger, née Levac, was born in Alexandria, Ontario. She married Richard Léger and together they had three children Marc Daniel, Sofie Alice and Albert Michel. One-time residents of Saint-Raphaël, Lancaster, Orleans and Peterborough, Mr. and Mrs. Léger reside in Stittsville.

Mrs. Alice Murphy of Conception Bay, Newfoundland, was the 2006 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2006, 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 January 27, 2004, her youngest child, Corporal Jamie Brendan Murphy, was killed by an explosion, believed to have been carried out by a suicide bomber, in the western district of Kabul, Afghanistan. He was on duty with the 3^rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment Battalion Group.

Mrs. Murphy, née Skeffington, was born in Amherst Cove and was a teacher in Newfoundland. Upon her marriage to Norman Murphy, she moved to Conception Harbour and became a stay-at-home mother to their four children–John, Rosemary, Norma and Jamie.