My grandfather was a distinguished looking man with a large mustache with pointed ends. He was mild and gentle although his arthritis would give you the impression that he was a cranky stern person.

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Younger days of Grandfather Joseph Zakem

The most vivid memory I have of him is the occasion of my sister Yvonne’s wedding when he did the sword dance so beautifully in spite of his arthritis. Another event was our visit on Christmas day when we would sit on his knee, give him a big hug and get a $2 bill. No hug no bill.

After he died, my grandmother moved to Montreal to live with my Uncle Said until she died in1950. I remember her as a very short person, no more than five feet tall. Like many women of the time she wore several gold wrist ornaments.

My grandmother must have had a very difficult time until she came to Canada. Lebanon in the later part of the eighteen hundreds was occupied by the Turks. There was no freedom of religion or speech, economic conditions were desperate and people were starving. I remember my mother talking about the severe drought and the invasion of locusts, which destroyed all vegetation. That is why my grandfather sought better conditions in Canada. When he left for Canada, my grandmother had four children to

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