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Dorothy Beatrice (Piper) Bartle and Albert Bartle. Albert Bartle . Albert Johnson (Jónsson) was born 1915 October 11 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He was the son of 18 year old Winnie Johnson (her anglicized name). See the Jack Bartle family page. He was the grandson of Albert Jónsson and Sigridur Thorsteinsdottir who migrated from Iceland. . At the age of five, in 1919, when his mother married Jack Bartle, he could not pronounce his new name, Albert Bartle, and said, "Apple Butter," which became an affectionate nickname through his life. . While living in Trempealeau or Galesville, Wisconsin, when he was nine, his mother died in December 1924. He was then taken care of by his neighbours, the Pnorsky family. Later, he moved to Winnipeg, to be raised by his aunt and uncle, Alice (Jona) and Walter Kelly (see the Walter Kelly family page). . Because there was little money available, he earned his weekly allowance by playing the mouth organ (harmonica) at the local film theatre which had a children's talent programme every Saturday; he won, so he said, because he had so many friends that shouted the loudest for him (that is how competitors were judged). . In Winnipeg, Al did very well in school especially in languages and maths. He went to Daniel MacIntire High School. In his final year, he got 100 per cent in French, and 99 per cent in Latin (because he put in one French word by mistake). But he thought there was no money for further education, so he did not pursue a university education. (Later he discovered that he could have earned scholarships with his high grades). . His best freind in school was a Chinese boy, Frank Mar, who now lives in Sunnyvale near San Francisco in California. He got a job driving a delivery truck for a Chinese butcher in Winnipeg, delivering to Chinese families and Chinese restaurants. Since he did not know how to drive, and the butcher did not know English well enough to teach him, he learned Cantonese (a rare occurrence in Manitoba) exercising his talent for language learning. He had a lifelong desire to visit China, which he finally did in his seventies. . He tried working an a stone quarry, then a fishing camp, in Manitoba, learned how to cook in the camp, but left because of poor pay, poor working conditions, and cold weather. . He headed West with a friend, and had several adventures, losing a fishing boat engine, attempting several other jobs, including logging and cooking in a logging camp. . He volunteered for the army, joining the Westminster Regiment, enlisting 1941 January 6. After training in Canada, then in Britain, he developed pleurisy, and was discharged in 1942, September 9. Before going overseas, he married Dorothy. . He died 1996 July 5 in Victoria, BC, Canada, and was cremated. . Dorothy Beatrice Piper . Dorothy Beatrice Piper was born in Vancouver in 1919 November 23. See Ancestors of Dorothy Bartle. . She is the daughter of Philip Francis Adsley Piper and Beatrice Louise (Mellors) Piper, who were both born in England, and married in Vancouver. See the Philip Francis Adsley Piper page. See the Phyllis Voigt obituary. . She went to school in Vancouver. She met Al Bartle at a party held by her aunt. . Dorothy passed away in 2005 August. . Albert and Dorothy
Albert Bartle and Dorothy Piper were married 1942 May 10 in Vancouver. .  They had three children:
. Albert and Dorothy visited Phil and Liz twice in Africa (1977 and 1982). . See his obituary written by Rodger Konkle. .
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