James Donald “J.D.” Whitham (1899-1972) was born at Westmount, Quebec and first came to Kelowna with his family in 1912. The family cultivated an orchard in the Glenmore area shortly after arrival. After graduating from Kelowna High School, Whitham went on to the B.C. School of Pharmacy and Science and then worked briefly in Vancouver, but soon returned to Kelowna. He worked as a pharmacist at Willit’s Drug Store before buying a store in Kelowna with his partner, G.A. Elliot. In 1964, Whitham sold his interest in the store to his partner but continued working in pharmacies in Kelowna and other parts of the Okanagan. Alongside his professional work, Whitham was passionate about photography as well as the history of the Okanagan region. He went on to become the president of the Okanagan Historical Society from 1955-1959, and an Honorary Life Member of the Okanagan Historical Society in 1967. He was also a charter member of the Cariboo Historical Society and a member of the Boundary Historical Society.

J.D. Whitham married Florence Bartlett Clements in June 1928. Together they had a son, James Gordon, and a daughter, Dorothy Jean.

Florence (“Flossie”) Bartlett Clements was the daughter of James H. and Mary Clements, who arrived in Peachland from Ontario in 1908. In Peachland, they built and ran a general store for the community. James also worked as the Canadian Pacific Railway Express Agent and served as a town councilor. The family ran their general store up until the beginning of the Second World War, when it was closed.

J.D. Whitham married Florence Bartlett Clements in June 1928. Together they had a son, James Gordon, and a daughter, Dorothy Jean.

Dorothy Zoellner, nee Whitham (1929-2020) attended elementary and secondary school in Kelowna, graduating in 1947. She then attended university in Vancouver at the University of British Columbia (UBC), and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a teaching certificate in 1951. During her time at UBC, she met William J. “W.J.” Zoellner, whom she married in 1953 in Kelowna. The couple had two sons. The family lived variously in Victoria, Courtenay, and Nelson, and finally settled back in Kelowna in 1973. Zoellner was a teacher at Kelowna Secondary School and retired from this position in 1987. Zoellner also wrote for the Kelowna Daily Courier, was the president of the Okanagan Historical Society from 1987-1988, and actively participated in various historical and community events in the city. Acting as a tour guide along with Alice Lundy, Zoellner led tours around the region focusing on the area’s history. The two went on to publish two self-guided tour books, Tours Made Easy (1990) and More Tours Made Easy (1995). Dorothy Zoellner passed away in April 2020.