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The John and Kathleen Ellens house was located at 7851 208 Street and was built in 1939. John Cornelius Ellens was of Dutch ancestry. Born in Friesland and trained in horticulture, he came to Canada in 1929. He and his wife (Kathleen Straw) married in 1937 and built this house in 1939. Mrs. Ellens was a school teacher in West Langley. Mr. Ellens operated a nursery and landscaping business. He had a bulb and nursery operation on the property and did garden work throughout Langley. He was responsible for the development of the grounds of Fort Langley National Historic Site in 1957 - 58.

Term Source: dhv

Earliest mention of Willoughby School goes back to 1921 when classes were held in the original Willoughby Community Hall at the corner of 83rd Ave. and 208 St. known in those days as the corner of Scholes Rd. and Alexander Rd. For three years students in every grade were accommodated in the hall but in 1924 that arrangement was closed and the children in this area for the next 7 years went to either Milner or West Langley schools.