We first came to the Bow Valley in 1990. We were living in Edmonton at the time and Tim liked to ski so we used to come down here and stay in hotels. We got tired of yet another lumpy hotel bed in Banff so we decided to look around to see if there was some property to buy, and as we had been in Canmore once before, we decided to look here. We already had a retirement home in Winnipeg at the time, but decided to purchase a condominium at Policeman’s Creek Condominiums in early 1992. In 1993, after experiencing the life in Canmore and meeting many wonderful people, we sold our house in Winnipeg and decided that we would eventually retire in Canmore. In 1994 Tim was moved from Edmonton to Shilo, Manitoba, so we sold the condominium and bought the house that we presently live in. During the year 1994 to 1996 the house was rented, while the ground floor was maintained as a home away from home for our occasional use. In August 1996 Tim retired from the Canadian Forces and we commenced retirement in Canmore.
Tim Guiler was born in Guildford, Surrey, England in 1943. He came to Canada in 1946 and was raised in the town of Simcoe, Ontario, and Shilo, Manitoba. He graduated from high school in Shilo, Manitoba and joined the Canadian Army in 1962. He was commissioned into the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery in August 1963 and served in various line, staff, instructional and command positions across Canada and in Germany, England and Cyprus.
In 1974, Tim completed the Staff College course at Kingston, Ontario, was promoted to major and moved to Camberley, England where he attended the British Army Staff College. This was a particularly exciting experience as approximately fifty countries were represented in the student body. He subsequently commanded a field artillery battery and commanded the battery in Cyprus in 1977 as part of the United Nations (UN) Forces.
In 1980 he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and posted to National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario. In 1981, Tim took command of a field artillery regiment at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Shilo, Manitoba, and took the regiment to Cyprus in 1982. After various staff positions, he was promoted to colonel in January 1988, assuming the position of Deputy Chief of Staff Reserves in Army Headquarters.
Tim assumed the position of Chief of Staff Land Force Western Area in Edmonton, Alberta during the summer of 1990 and remained in that position until his appointment as Base Commander CFB Shilo in July 1994. He was named as an Officer of the Order of Military Merit in June 1992.
Sharon Guiler (née Mullin) grew up on a farm in Southern Manitoba. After attending school in Myrtle, she completed high school at United College in Winnipeg. She attended the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1962. She returned to Winnipeg to work at the Grace Hospital School of Nursing as a nursing instructor. She met Tim in Shilo at an Army Cadet Ball and they were married in 1964. Sharon worked off and on over the years in Brandon, Neepawa, and Winnipeg, Manitoba, as well as Ottawa, Ontario, Montréal, Québec and Edmonton, Alberta. In the mid 1980s, while living in Winnipeg, she received an Advanced Certificate in Gerontology from the University of Manitoba. Over the years Sharon was involved in many organizations across Canada, Germany and England. Sharon is also an artist, as she designs and creates teddy bears in her business, “Honeycomb Bears”.
During the time we lived in Germany, our daughters, Arlana and Vona, were born in 1966 and 1968 respectively. When we were in New Brunswick in 1971, our son, Derek, arrived on the scene. The kids went to numerous schools in New Brunswick, Québec, Ontario, Manitoba and England. Even with the difficulties of frequent moves, they gained many friends and experienced many cultures, learning to speak French along the way. They became very adaptable and adjusted quickly to the many new situations. It was a very positive experience for them and has carried over into their adult lives.
Since living in Canmore full time from 1996, we have become involved in many activities. The golf club is a favourite place where many hours playing and working with some outstanding Canmorites make the summers pass all too quickly. We are both into playing bridge and, again, the friendship of many the other players has made many a cold winter evening a very pleasant time. When the winter gets too nasty, around January, we go to Southern California for a few weeks to get some sun and to play some golf. Sharon is actively involved with the Mountain Cabin Quilters Guild and has enjoyed many hours at her new found hobby. Common to all of these endeavours is the support and friendship afforded by the Canmore Seniors Association. We are fortunate to have such a fine organization in our community to assist us all in our “Golden Years”.
Tim and Sharon Guiler’s wedding
Guiler family l. to r., Arlana, Vona, Tim, Sharon, Derek
In Canmore Seniors at the Summit, ed. Canmore Seniors Association, 2000, p. 110-111.
