John Benes

"Happy birthday dear John, happy birthday to you." The room was nicely filled with friends. No family. These friends are his family. And they had just finished crooning out a couple of creative versions of the tune for the birthday guy. Pretty special for the sixtieth year of a dreamer who lived through a nightmare of a childhood. Time To Remember Orphaned in Calgary. Into foster care in Edmonton. Sent to the Michener Centre in Red Deer. Yes, that one. Those are experiences that John Benes would like to forget. This night's festivities will be ones that John will always remember. We celebrated as a diverse group united by connections with John that spanned generations and decades. He's that kind…