5848 CHARLES FRANK BRUCE OATMAN

5848 CHARLES FRANK BRUCE⁹ (Charles Seneca Benjamin⁸, Albert L.⁷, Charles⁶, Darius⁵, Benjamin⁴, George³, John², Johannes¹ )son of Charles Seneca Benjamin and Nellie M. Pearl (Brown) Oatman, was born 31 March 1913 in Cornell, Oxford County, Ontario. He died 9 March 1993 in London, Middlesex County, Ontario, and is buried in the Springford Cemetery, Oxford County, Ontario. Picture of Bruce Oatman and his father Charles S. B.

Bruce attended school in Otterville, Ontario, and was a member of the Boy Scouts there in 1926.

He married, 10 January 1935, Verean Mildred, daughter of Harry John and Irene Bell (Dale) Abbott; she was born 25 October 1914 in Ingersoll, Oxford County, Ontario, and died 20 June 1986 in London, Middlesex County, Ontario. Verean is buried in Springford Cemetery.

Bruce worked at the John Morrow Nut & Screw in Ingersoll on hand threading machines, the drill press and did shop work in general at the beginning of the Depression. He also worked for a few months at the "New Idea Furnace" on a spot welder, also in Ingersoll. He began working for the Shell Oil Company in 1938 as a service station attendant and an instructor of potential service station lessees. In 1951, he went to work for the Canadian National Railways as an express freight checker and Grade 3 warehouseman or "straw boss", from which he retired in March 1978.

Bruce was called into the Canadian Active Army and enlisted on the 30th day of March 1944. According to his own account:

"I reported to Wolsley Barracks London on the 30th, took preliminary training there for two weeks and then sent to Chatham for basic training for two months, then transferred to Ipperwash training camp for advanced training which was a strict and tough camp, in training to go overseas, route marches up to 25 and 30 miles, actual battle training with live ammunition and grenades, the best part there was the 96-hour week-ends when you got them, what a pleasure to get home to your family, but hard to return to do it all over again. . . Discharged 12th day of April 1946 to return to civil life on demobilization."

Children of Bruce C. and Verean (Abbott) Oatman:

7500 Carole Marie, b. 1939, Ingersoll, Oxford Co., ON; m. Richard Dawtrey, Oct 1956; divorced ca 1972. He was b. 1938, St. Thomas, ON, son of Eric Vivian and Edith May (Buensdon) Dawtrey. Children, surname Dawtrey:

A Christine Anne, b. 1957, London, ON; m. David Dreher, Sep 1987 in London; he is the son of Leon and Victoria Dreher. Children, surname Dreher:

I Kathryn Elizabeth, b. 1990, London, ON; chr. Feb 1991, London

II Michael Joseph, b. 1992, London, ON; chr. 30 May 1992, London

B Michael John, b. 1958, London, ON; m. Diane Lowe, daughter of Robin Lowe, Jul 1981 in Burlington, ON, at the Appleby United Church. Diane was b. 1958 in South Africa. Div.

C Sherry Elizabeth, b. 1960, London, ON; m. Onesime "Ossy" Sequin, Oct 1995, Hamilton, ON. Div. Children, surname Sequin:

I Shacelle Amie, b. 1997, Hamilton, ON.

D Sean Richard, b. 1962, London, ON; m. Jan 1990 to Lisa Geraldine Near, in London. Children, surname Dawtrey:

I Aiden Jacob, b. 1993, London, ON; chr. Oct 1993 in London.

II Erin Michelle, b. 1995, chr. 6 Aug 1995, London, ON

7501 Lance Charles Bruce, b. 2 May 1944, Ingersoll, Oxford Co., ON; m. Linda Sue Milligan, Nov 1971, Elko, Elko Co., NV.

Sources: Family records and personal knowledge; Brown Family Bible;

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