Mrs. Janet Marie Gaylord served as the Youth Education Officer at the Royal Canadian Legion in Gananoque for the past 10 years, spreading the message of remembrance to youth in many schools within the area.
In 2006, she saw the need to commemorate the 30 men from the Lansdowne area who lost their lives in the World Wars and Afghanistan. She raised over $20,000 from the public and the municipality to create a Veterans Memorial Garden. Much of the design and work has been done by Mrs. Gaylord and her family, and she has taken the responsibility for maintenance and gardening. The memorial includes four granite benches dedicated to local soldiers, an interlocking walkway in the center of the garden with a plaque reading “For All Who Served” and a new addition in September 2018 of four large, granite plaques inserted into a steel arch at the garden’s entrance. The plaques list the names of those who died in the cause of peace. In addition, stones were laid in the ground bearing the names of the 240 local men and women who served in Canada’s military.
Mrs. Gaylord conducted all of the research on the fallen and the Veterans, and she organized the September 22nd 2018 dedication ceremony. She has devoted much of her time over the past 12 years to ensure the Veterans Memorial Garden is worthy of the sacrifices made by the men and women who have served and sacrificed for our country.
Mrs. Gaylord arranged for tulips to be planted at the Gananoque Town Park and the Lansdowne Memorial Garden to mark the Canadian liberation of the Netherlands. She has been a member of the Gananoque Choral Society, continues to conduct the Lansdowne Remembrance Day ceremonies with the more than 400 students and 200 community members and has served as the 1st and 3rd Vice-President of the Royal Canadian Legion in Gananoque.