183 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca PACHKOWSKI, Alexander WWII Alexander was born on September 15, 1912, in Stonewall, Manitoba, to Theodore and Maria Pachkowski. After completing high school, Alex worked in Stonewall until he enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force in Winnipeg on March 12, 1942, and transferred to Lethbridge, serving in Alberta until his discharge on December 31, 1945. He met his wife in Lethbridge and they married in 1944, settling there after the war to raise their three children. Alexander changed his last name to Packard and worked at the Lethbridge Brewery until his retirement. He loved to curl, dance, lawn bowl and play cribbage. He was active with his labour union, the Senate of the University of Lethbridge and the Unemployment Insurance Commission. He passed away on October 29, 2001, in Lethbridge, Alberta, at age 89. PACHKOWSKI, Peter WWII Peter (name change to Kenneth Peter Berry) was born on June 30, 1920, in Stonewall, Manitoba, and enlisted at #10 District Depot at Winnipeg on July 18, 1940, and was initially posted to “A” Squadron of the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) and then reposted in 1941 to Headquarters Squadron as a Regimental Police Dispatch Rider. After training in several locations in Canada, he embarked for England on November 12, 1941. During the fifteen months that the Regiment served in Italy, he was twice wounded before mobilization to Northwest Europe in February 1945. He returned to Canada in January 1946 and was discharged on March 18, married in Winnipeg in 1948, and raised a family of four children. Peter worked for the Manitoba Liquor Commission until his retirement. He enjoyed reading, sports, music and gardening. Peter passed away on January 25, 2002, in Winnipeg, at age 81. PACHKOWSKI, William F. WWII William was born on May 6, 1925, in Stonewall, Manitoba, to Theodore and Maria. After his education in Stonewall, Bill worked as a truck driver before enlisting in the Tank Corps at age 18 at Winnipeg’s #10 District Depot on February 8, 1944. He received his CAC Reece training at Camp Dundurn, SK, qualifying as a driver mechanic. Bill embarked in October 1944 to the UK with the CAC Reinforcement Unit and on December 15th to North West Europe taking on strength with the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada. Bill, at age 19, was killed in action in Germany on March 6, 1945, and his body was relocated from the field grave near Uedem, Germany, to the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery in Holland. His headstone bears the inscription “With a cheery smile and a wave of the hand, he wandered into an unknown land.”
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