Lynn was born in A little coal mining town of Fernie, B.C. Canada, 4 years before me and under the same circumstances as us younger siblings of the John D. McNaughton family. My sister Joyce came along after that and then me, followed lastly by sister Jeannie.
Our family, like many other families in the same situation as ours, was truly poor. Our's more extremely so, not just because of the Great Depression, but also due to an alcoholic father who never mentally survived the first World War as a machine gunner in the Canadian Army. But this is about Lynn, not the rest of us.
Being the 8th of 11 children and the seventh of eight boys, he was part of a hand-me-down world for pretty well everything he received. At a time such as it was, Stark reality was the norm. For my Mother it was even more so and with her being so busy trying to make a life for us all, there wasn't time for her to sit down with us separately each time for long when we needed comfort and sympathy over a minor scrape. There simply wasn't the time! It was no different for Lynn. He grew up in a "struggle for survival" mode right through his teenage years and until he became a member of the survey crew with the Construction Branch of the B.C. Dept. of Highways.
But as Lynn grew up through the ranks of the teenage era, I want to recall some of the good things he did for me as a protective, older brother in those same years along the way.
I remember an incident when I was ten years old. It was summer, the Swimming pool had opened and school was out for the Summer Season. Lynn had gotten his first job doing summer work on Bricker's farm just 2 miles out of town. It was a sunny, fun day and all the kids were playing soccer on the grass beside the pool. I noticed Lynn come into the pool area in his work clothes, all tired and dusty. He simply watched as we continued to play. There was a 14 year old Scottish boy visiting from Scotland who had decided who could play and who couldn't. I was chosen not to play. so as the game went on, the ball accidentally came my way, so I attempted to kick it back but it rolled into the pool. In a fit of temper, Scottie ran over to me and slugged me on the side of the face, not knowing Lynn was sitting there watching. Too bad for Scottie is all I can say.
Lynn was always there for me in hockey season, with me playing in the PeeWee league and him playing in Juvenile. He would be there to cheer me on. He pretty well had to stay, with me wearing some of his equipment and all. Especially using his hockey stick which always seemed to be at a premium, then and now as a matter of fact!
As we grew older, I too joined the Dept. of Highways Construction Branch and we worked together on the same projects survey wise, with Lynn being a senior Instrumentman on one crew and me as a levelman on another. I had already married and Lynn hadn't.
Lynn had a chainman on his crew named Lou Bootsma and on week-ends they would take off in Lou's car and head for the city lights looking for female company,but they always were back for work on Monday morning. Except for one very unfortunate Labor Day weekend that will never be forgotten in our family.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and then Thursday came with still no sign of Lynn and Lou. Then the office phone rang beside my elbow. It was an R.C.M.P. officer wanting to know if a Lou Bootsma worked for us. I replied "Yes". He went on to say he had died instantly in a car accident sometime on Sunday afternoon, after blowing a tire on a sharp curve and plummeting over a 300 foot cliff on the Creston/ Nelson highway along Kootenay Lake. My heart raced as I asked him,"Well, what about the other guy that was with him?" After a long pause off the phone he came back and asked, "What was his name?" I replied "Lynn McNaughton." Another long pause and then," We didn't know Lou had anyone with him, but he's in the Creston Hospital suffering from severe head injuries. He was also found miles down the road by a traveler who saw him wandering in a roadside ditch all bloody and mosquito bitten just today, four days later."
Well, Lynn fully recovered from that accident as far as the doctors were concerned, but it took a long while to. He had multiple head fractures with multiple areas of concussion. But to our family, Lynn was a different man from that time on. His moods of depression certainly increased over the years.
Not long after that, I was offered a job by the City of Cranbrook as a surveyor for them. I knew that Lynn wanted to have that job and told him if he wanted it, I would introduce him to the engineer who offered it to me. I did and he got the job.
In 1963, Lynn met a pretty lady 10 years his elder and they married. No children were in the making and as the years went on, his wife Elizabeth was stricken with Rheumatoid Arthritis and quickly became unable to dress or undress herself, do her hair or even cook for that matter.
Lynn never complained. He took care of everything.
Good luck came his way in the purchase of a Canadian Lottery ticket right about then!. He won $100,000.00 tax free. A joyful time for them indeed. As far as money was concerned, it wasn't a problem for the rest of their lives.
Lynn retired when he turned 65 and settled down to care for Elizabeth.It was tremendously difficult for him because all there was left of her was a frail, totally helpless and twisted up old lady.
Eventually Elizabeth was placed in a care home where she could continue to be cared for.
Soon after that, Lynn was found wandering aimlessly on the streets and was escorted to the hospital. His mental and health condition failed, he went blind to the point where he refused to acknowledge anyone.
He passed away this morning in his sleep, just as our Mother did in 1999.
We all love you Lynn, and know with all the hell you've been through, you'll rest peacefully in the arms of our Sacred Mother along with Stanley, John, Duane and my two sons, Danny and Allan.
Just sayin'. Your Brother George.
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