Allan Dann was one of Cloverdale's 'greatest generation'

Allan Dann was toasted and remembered at a celebration of life Saturday at Newlands in Langley. Among those attending were longtime Cloverdale residents, business people, volunteer firefighters, family and many other friends. My father Art Bucholtz enjoyed seeing former colleagues and friends, such as former notary El Fedewich and Alan Davidson, longtime insurance executive at Hugh and McKinnon.

Allan Dann was toasted and fondly remembered by a large crowd on Saturday. The longtime Cloverdale businessman died in December at the age of 91.
He lived an amazing life. Born in Surrey in 1924, he lived and worked in Cloverdale for most of his 91 years. He took over his father Ernie's radio and electrical business after returning from service in the Second World War, working for many years alongside his mother Doris.
Many of those details are contained in a Cloverdale Reporter story, but suffice to say that, when he closed his business in January, 2013, his family had operated it for almost 92 years. It was the oldest continuously family-operated business in Surrey, by a long shot.
His grandson Ben, who lives in Houston, Texas and works on the international space station (the drive to excel in science and technology continues in the fourth generation), noted that his grandfather was a member of what Tom Brokaw labelled "the greatest generation." I heartily concur.
Cloverdale was a great place to grow up in the 1950s and 1960s. It was a small town, but it was a town made up of a lot of "greatest generation" people. They were determined to make something of their lives, and raise their kids so they could experience even more opportunities and challenges.
Many like Allan, my father Art, Alan Davidson, Stan McKinnon and many others had experienced the war, and come back ready to make a better world. They started new businesses, strengthened existing ones, taught school, got involved in community organizations like the Jaycees and the board of trade and turned Cloverdale into a thriving community in those years.
The town was small enough that we all knew each other, or at least knew of each other. People shopped at local businesses - there were no malls or big department stores any closer than New Westminster. There were no freeways. The biggest store in town was the Surrey Co-op.
Local merchants advertised in the Surrey Leader.  Many business people, such as Allan, were part of the local fire department. Longtime volunteer chief Alan Clegg noted on Saturday that one time, Allan Dann was called to a fire. He wrote down the address from the dispatcher, and realized that it was his own house that was on fire.
He, Clegg and George Coupland, longtime co-publisher and production man at The Leader, responded with two trucks, and knocked down the fire. Thankfully, his wife Brenda and their children were safely out of the house.
My friend Gordy Groening told of how, when he and his wife Evelyn were first married, they needed both a new refrigerator and stove in pretty short order - and didn't have the cash to pay for them. Allan, who was a good friend of Gordy's dad Helmut, said "no problem - you pay me when you can."
As Gordy said, you just can't find businesses who will do that today. But you could then. Your word meant something, and your friends took care of you.
The family connections were strong and deep. Rick Hugh, a longtime teacher and administrator in Cloverdale schools, recalled how he found out not too long ago that his grandfather Fabian was Allan's godfather.  Rick taught Allan's son Bruce, who is now a teacher himself.
I've been fortunate to be associated with The Leader since 1979, as a reporter, photographer, news editor, editor, and for the past 22 years, a freelance columnist. When I started, we were located in Cloverdale at 57 Avenue and 176 Street, and were an integral part of the Cloverdale community.
Over the years, I've made more connections with many Cloverdale people and have come to realize just how deep the roots and how strong the people are.
My father Art, who will turn 93 next month, came back from the war in early 1946 and soon decided to start a dry cleaning business with my uncle Fred and the late Norm Moore. They bought a lot from Alan Davidson, found some secondhand lumber (building materials were hard to get) and built a plant. Dad worked at a Vancouver cleaning plant to learn the business, and they were off. He worked in the plant and delivered clean clothes all over Surrey and Langley. Fred didn't stay in the business, but Dad and Norm ran it for seven or eight years. Norm took it over on his own and his family continues to operate Venus Cleaners today.
Dad went on to found Cloverdale Sporting Goods and later sold real estate for many years.

Dad met several longtime Cloverdale business people Saturday and was so happy to talk about those days. Among those he met were Bill Pekonen, Lyall MacMillan, Brian Busby, Alan Davidson and El Fedewich.
Dad and Allan attended high school together before the war and participated in many community organizations together. He had the highest respect for Allan.

We also had a wonderful chat with my mother Lynn's longtime friend Joy Hugh. Her late husband Rees was a longtime Cloverdale business person, following in his dad Fabian's footsteps. Joy told me that Mom really made her feel part of the community when she came to Cloverdale as a newlywed, and their friendship endures today, some 60 years later.
Mom has recently moved to Simpson Manor in Fort Langley due to a number of health challenges. Many people asked about her, wished her well and remembered how she was an integral part of the Cloverdale community. Dad and I told her that, when we went to Simpson after the memorial, and her face lit up.
That's Cloverdale for you. It's a community where people take care of each other, even when long separated by time or distance.
My condolences to Allan's wife Brenda and children Kathleen, John, Brenda and Bruce. Thanks for sharing your husband and father with us for so many years, and for allowing us to help you send him off and remember him. He made this wonderful little corner of the world a much better place.