History of For Better or For Worse

This article summarizes the backstory of For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston.

Story outline by year
1979
As readers first meet the Pattersons, 5-year-old Michael is having trouble adjusting to his new baby sister Elizabeth, while Elly is struggling with the stress of caring for two children — with little appreciation of her efforts from John. Elly accuses John of male chauvinism when he hires a beautiful new hygienist for his dental practice, rejecting a more qualified candidate.

1980
Elly's recently-divorced friend Connie, also the mother of Michael's best friend Lawrence, despairs of ever finding a worthwhile man and reminds Elly not to take John for granted. Elly feels inadequate compared to the young women working in John's office. John and Elly attend a cocktail party where John overindulges, waking up the next morning with a hangover.

Elly takes the kids to visit her parents for two weeks. Michael bickers with kindergarten classmate Deanna Sobinski, but fights with Lawrence for one of her school pictures. At the end of summer, the family takes a weekend camping trip.

With the kids back in school, Elly considers looking for a part-time job, but a week of filling in for John's assistant at his office convinces her otherwise. The family adopts a sheepdog puppy and names him Farley. Elly decides to take an English class at night.

Elly's brother Phil comes to visit for Christmas; Connie convinces her to introduce them, and Phil takes Connie to her office's New Year's Eve party before returning to Montreal, leaving Connie feeling spurned.

1981
Connie goes to Montreal to surprise Phil, but he fails to respond as she had hoped; meanwhile, Lawrence breaks his leg in a bicycle accident while staying with the Pattersons. Farley goes to obedience classes.

Elly and John have a major fight when Elly resists spending twenty dollars on an electric can opener—only to find that John has just bought a $2000 stereo system. She eventually forgives him when he buys her a dishwasher. John is miffed when Elly goes out on the town with friends to celebrate the end of her night school course.

The family goes on vacation to a cabin belonging to John's friend Ted; the cabin turns out to be a rickety dump, and it is not until they arrive back home that they realize they were at the wrong cabin. While housesitting, Ted strikes up a romance with Connie.

Michael and Lawrence make friends with Gordon, a new kid a year older than they are. Elly returns to night school. Michael and Lawrence join a kids’ hockey team. Michael is humiliated when his friends tell Deanna Sobinski about his crush on her.

1982
John's parents watch the kids while Elly and John take a trip to Barbados. Elly's friend Anne, mother to toddler Christopher, discovers she is pregnant.

Ted breaks up with Connie. Phil moves back to the area to take a job at the nearby university, and stays with the Pattersons while he looks for an apartment. He and Connie begin dating again; Ted's jealousy prompts him to try to rekindle his and Connie's relationship. Connie takes Ted back, leaving Phil feeling bitter. He moves out soon afterward and finds a new girlfriend named Georgia.

Elly completes first-year English. The family goes on a two-week vacation to visit Elly's parents in Vancouver, although the trip gets off to a bad start when they discover they accidentally reserved two berths on the train instead of two bedrooms. Elly enrolls Elizabeth at daycare so she can take a part-time volunteer job writing a column at the local newspaper. Anne gives birth to a second son, Richard.

Out shopping with Lawrence for Christmas presents, Michael steals a scarf for his mother, but guilt pushes him to return the gift to the store. The manager calls his mother, but only wants to reward Michael for being so honest. Elly and John throw a New Year’s Eve party, where John incurs Elly's anger by drinking too much.

1983
Elly asks to be paid for the column she has been writing, but accepts a free subscription to the paper and a parking sticker instead. Phil has begun dating Georgia and tells Elly that he's considering marriage. Elly, John, Michael, and Elizabeth have a family vacation at Bev and Danny's (John's sister and brother-in-law) Manitoba farm. Phil and Georgia move in together and Elly has a fit. Elly and Anne co-host a "Grubberware" party. John and Steve decide to scare the attendees by peeking into a window, wearing their Halloween costumes; one of the guests hits them on the head with a frying pan. Brad Luggsworth bullies Mike until Mike suggests they become friends.

1984
Elly accepts a part-time job with the library's children's program. John whines to Jean about having to make his own lunch. Phil gives Michael a trumpet as a birthday gift and tries to give him lessons. Elly holds a yard sale to raise funds for the library. Liz is hospitalized for two nights for an unnamed illness. Michael takes an airplane trip alone to Vancouver to visit Grandpa Jim and Grandma Marian. John's assistant, Jean, reveals that she is pregnant. Elly takes aerobics classes and John comments that she doesn't seem to be losing weight. John breaks his foot by dropping a 25-pound frozen turkey onto it at the supermarket.

1985
Farley wanders off and the dog catcher collects him. Elly must pay $20 to retrieve him. John replaces Jean with a new dental assistant named Louise, and tells Michael that hiring pretty assistants keeps Elly on her toes. Elly attends a workshop in Winnipeg in place of her boss at the library. Anne leaves Christopher and Richard with Elly and neglects to mention that Richard will only use his own potty. John breaks into the Nichols' house to get it and sets off the alarm; Thelma Baird calls the police. John is forced to wait in the squad car until Anne returns to confirm that he should not be charged.

Jean gives birth to a baby girl, Brittany. Elizabeth begins kindergarten and Mike goes into grade four. Connie accepts a new job in Thunder Bay. The Enjo family moves into Connie's old house across the street. Grandpa Jim and Grandma Marian spend Christmas with the Pattersons. Connie and Lawrence also visit. Ted tries to win Connie back, but she reveals that she is engaged.

1986
Ted McCauley elopes with his secretary of twelve years, Irene. Jean returns to work for John. Elly helps out at the clinic while Jean transitions from part-time to full time. Elly has a poem published in a magazine. Michael learns that Keith Enjo is a model-train enthusiast and says to John, "It must be nice having a dad who's so interesting!!"

Anne Nichols gives birth to a baby girl, Leah, who is born with six fingers on each hand. Elly reads some poetry at a library reading.

John and Phil embark on a wildnerness canoe trip and must take refuge on a remote island after suffering a wreck. They are rescued after spending three nights huddled together in a make-shift shack. Elly stages a protest to save the Town Hall Theatre. Michael gives her the idea to stage a Halloween party there and invite politicians, one of whom later announces a grant that will save the theatre. Connie marries Greg Thomas, acquiring two teenage stepdaughters, Molly and Gayle.

1987
Thelma Baird, Elly's next door neighbor, decides to sell her house. Connie tells Elly that she's moving back to town (identified then as "Scarborough", later retconned to "Milborough.") She and Greg buy Mrs. Baird's house. John and Elly take ballroom-dancing lessons. Liz gets her ears pierced.

Elly's brother, Phil Richards, marries Georgia. Michael complains about the amount of homework assigned in grade six. Ted McCauley encourages John to have an affair. Instead, John buys a sports car.

1988
Ted McCauley's wife Irene leaves him because of his infidelity. Connie Poirier struggles to parent her teenage stepdaughters, the rebellious Molly and the more agreeable Gayle. Thelma Baird, the Pattersons' former neighbor, dies. Elly decides to remodel the kitchen.

1989
Phil and Georgia buy a house. Gordon Mayes suffers from "hormone attacks" in school. John uses Elly's car to go to a dental convention in Ottawa, leaving Elly to drive his sports car. She gets into an accident that causes serious damage to the car. The accident also results in a traffic ticket, which Elly challenges successfully in traffic court.

1990
Anne Nichols, suspecting that Steve is unfaithful, confronts him. Steve confesses, cries, and vows to end the affair. Michael dances with Martha McRae at a school dance. They begin dating. John begins his model-train hobby.

Liz must get glasses. Michael gets a summer job selling hot dogs. Elly is surprised to discover that she is pregnant.

1991
Elly and John's third child, April, is born on April 1. An ice storm prevents Elly from getting to the hospital. Neighbor Carol Enjo, a nurse, assists with the home birth.

John and Elly send Michael to the farm in Manitoba for the summer, partly because Elly is concerned that he and Martha are getting too serious. Elly celebrates her 40th birthday. John has Liz wear a special appliance to stop her from sucking her thumb, and she gets teased because the appliance affects her speech. She becomes close to a teacher, Miss Edwards.

1992
Elly buys a new car. Gordon, with Michael in the passenger seat, backs into the trash and recycling bins. Michael discovers that Gordon's parents are abusive.

Elly takes Liz and April with her to Vancouver to visit with Grandpa Jim and Grandma Marian. Martha breaks up with Mike to date another guy. Pre-occupied with the break-up, Michael fails his first attempt at the driver's road test.

1993
Lawrence reveals to his friend Michael that he is gay. In the book The Lives Behind the Lines, Lynn Johnston explains that Lawrence had an old crush on his male teacher in high school. He started then going out with another boy in 1992, and in 1993 he revealed to Michael that he was different in "that" way. Lawrence's mother Connie is devastated and his stepfather Greg orders him out of the house. Michael eventually takes him back home and Lawrence explains the whole thing to his parents. Connie and Greg eventually accept, and Connie ends up naming their dog Sera.

1994
Michael completes high school and starts college in London, Ontario.

1995
The Patterson's beloved family dog, Farley, succumbs to a heart attack and dies after rescuing April from drowning. April begins pre-K, where she becomes good friends with Becky McGuire and Duncan Anderson.

1996
Michael transfers from college to university, to pursue a Bachelors degree in journalism. He becomes reacquainted with childhood crush Deanna Sobinski after learning that she is the person who almost died in the auto accident that he and Weed documented for a local newspaper. During the time that he finds himself falling in love with Deanna, he learns that his girlfriend, Rhetta Blum, has begun dating someone else. Deanna, having broken off her engagement, begins dating Michael. Elizabeth gets contact lenses and a bowl haircut, causing Michael to notice a disturbing resemblance to Deanna. Mike points out a similarly disturbing resemblance between Anthony Caine and John.

1997
Elizabeth, Anthony, and Candace get their driver's licenses. Marian Richards becomes seriously ill. April begins grade one. Gordon and Tracey become first-time parents when Tracey gives birth to Paul.

Michael and Deanna meet one another's parents over the holidays.

1998
Michael and Deanna ring in the New Year at Gordon and Tracey's party. Michael declares his love for Deanna, then climbs on the roof and refuses to get down until she promises to be with him the following New Year's Eve and admits she loves him back.

Grandma Marian dies. Elizabeth has her grade-12 graduation, but plans to complete grade 13 (which was still available in Ontario at the time). Mike and Weed travel to Quebec to interview and photograph a family for an article to appear in Portrait magazine. Over the Christmas holidays, Grandpa Jim visits, bringing his newly acquired dog Dixie, and Michael stays with Deanna at the Sobinski house in Burlington, to Elly's chagrin.

1999
Tracey Mayes gives birth to a baby girl, Rosemary. Michael graduates with honors from Western University, with a BA in journalism. Deanna, having finished her pharmacy degree, goes to Honduras for five months with a medical team. Michael and Weed travel to Ireland to expand upon their Portrait article from the previous year. Liz completes grade 13 and begins her studies at Nipissing University, where she rooms with Candace Halloran in the residence hall. Anthony has a summer job at Mayes Midtown Motors, and then enrolls at Western University, moving into Michael and Weed's (former) apartment. Gerald Forsythe makes his first appearance in the strip, at April's school.

2000
Deanna agrees to marry Michael. Jeremy Jones bullies April in school and gets hurt when he's hit by a car while trying to run down April when they're both riding bikes. Liz completes her first year of university and comes home for the summer. Elly and John purchase Lilliput's Books and Toys. Grandpa Jim moves in with the Pattersons. Liz and Anthony's relationship fizzles out and soon after, Liz meets Eric Chamberlain at Nipissing. Gramps buys April her first guitar. In December, Michael and Deanna have their secret wedding (see below, in 2001 synopsis).

2001
April begins guitar lessons. Grandpa Jim suffers a mild heart attack. Michael marries Deanna Sobinski. However, given their disdain for Deanna's mother's overbearing desire for an extravagant wedding, the legal ceremony is performed secretly at a Pastor's home with only Gordon and Tracey as witnesses (this happens the previous December; see above). To satisfy Deanna's mother with the cooperation of Michael's family who learn the truth, they also agree to a luxurious open ceremony on the pretense that this is their only wedding (September 15).

2002
Liz discovers that Eric is cheating on her and ends the relationship. She moves in with Candace and Anita. Michael and Deanna's first child, Meredith Anne Patterson, is born.

2003
April and Gerald finally become a couple; and Elly and John worry about their relationship. Liz falls for Warren but is afraid because of her recent breakup. Eddy cuts his foot on some glass and must be taken care of. Michael and Weed go to Tokyo. Liz and Warren finally become closer but separate in the spring, so Liz goes home. Michael is fired from the magazine he works for after he breaks a big fashion story and the magazine is threatened with legal action because of his article. However, the article proves to be a sensation, boosting circulation and being extensively reprinted, while disgruntled fashion designers publicly support Michael's assessment of the article's subject. As a result, the magazine editor who fired Michael is dismissed himself and Michael rehired as his replacement as a senior editor.

Mr. B finally gets buried. Anthony completes his university degree and begins his full-time position at Mayes Midtown Motors. Liz is invited to Anthony's wedding and ultimately decides to go with Dennis North, a friend of Lawrence and his partner, Nick. Later, Michael insults Deanna's controlling mother, who storms off in a huff.

April begins working at the store and deals with trust issues from Elly. Jim wakes up one night and accidentally breaks his nose. Liz gets assessed as a student teacher.

April discovers a coworker, Kortney, goofing around on the internet when she should have been working. Upon threatening to tell, Kortney threatens to hurt April. Kortney then concocts a sob-story to avoid being fired.

2004
Anthony's wife becomes jealous of Liz. Liz meets up with her old teacher, Miss Edwards. April and Becky start to break up their band, 4Evah, but their teacher offers to let them use the Band Room (January). Kortney steals from Elly's shop and tries to cover it up. 4Evah goes to compete in a local competition and makes the finals (February). April breaks a string on her guitar at the concert and blames the band's loss on herself. Elly and John go to Cancún. Michael tries to do an article on one of Weed's models, Sophia (March). John and Elly enjoy their vacation. Liz prepared for final exams and papers. When Elly and John return home, they find that Moira has fired Kortney (April).

Sophia turns down Weed's advances, but he soon realizes that he cares for his assistant, Carleen. Dee becomes pregnant again. Liz gets flustered over exams (May). Liz graduates. Weed is scared of his relationship with Carleen (June). Weed accidentally gives Carleen "Ned", one of Michael's keepsakes. Liz begins driving Gordon's motorcycle (July). Michael and Deanna's son Robin is born .

2005
April's band 4Evah breaks up as vain friend Becky causes internal tension and eventually goes solo.

April spends much of the summer at her aunt and uncle's farm in Manitoba.
During the summer, Elizabeth deals with a co-worker, Howard, who harasses her, stalks her and ultimately attempts to sexually assault her on 11 August. She is saved from the assault by Anthony, who tells her that his marriage is failing and he wants to be with her. Victim advocates criticized the story arc because the characters failed to call the police, or to take Elizabeth to the hospital to document her injuries immediately after the attack, although in one strip, Elizabeth is shown complaining that her boss told her that she'll "hafta file a report" eventually.

In the fall, Elly drives Elizabeth back to Mtigwaki. While driving home, Elly pulls over to sleep in the car and is found by Constable Paul Wright. He takes her to the constabulary to spend the night. Elly shows him pictures of Elizabeth and tells him where she lives. As she leaves, she forgets her glasses. Paul brings them to Mtigwaki as a pretext to meet Elizabeth.

The family also appeared in the 75th anniversary party of Blondie and Dagwood in the comic strip Blondie.

2006
Mira battles with Michael and Deanna's noisy neighbour (13-19 Jan). Elly considers selling Lilliput's, to be relieved of the responsibility, and be able to spend more time on herself (23 Jan-7 Feb). John talks to April, to make sure she's using the Internet in a safe and appropriate manner; she reassures him that "I can protect myself. I can choose wherever I want to go on the Internet. And you taught me to make good choices" (10-18 Feb). Paul requests a transfer to Spruce Narrows to be closer to Elizabeth, but Liz's boss begins to privately question her focus on her work with such distractions (21 Feb-1 Mar). Elizabeth supervises student teacher Susan Dokis of Thunder Bay (1-4 Mar).

John and Elly travel to Mexico, while April is babysat by Connie Poirier; April resents this, feeling she is old enough to take care of herself (5-18 Mar). Mike goes to the airport to pick up John and Elly, who have returned from Mexico (20-23 Mar). Elly's father Jim celebrates his birthday (27 Mar-1 Apr). April's band gets a new member and a makeover (3-8 Apr). Elly sells Lilliput's and starts some long-neglected cleaning (10-15 Apr). John buys a car from Gordon's dealership and sees Anthony (17-22 Apr). Anthony reveals that his wife, Therèse, has left him (24-29 Apr).

Liz starts to question living in Mtigwaki. Before Paul's request for transfer to Spruce Narrows goes through, Elizabeth reveals to him her desire to move back to the Toronto area. He tells her that he will put in a new transfer request to Toronto. Liz accepts a summer position teaching in Mississauga, Ontario. Just in time for fall, she is hired to teach grade four in Milborough. (Jul) Michael and Deanna battle the summer heat. April considers pursuing the veterinarian field while in Manitoba (Aug). (Sep) A police officer serves a subpoena to Elizabeth, who is expected to testify against Howard.

Elly goes to visit her father with some Prime Rib, and is startled to find his second wife in shock, as he sits in the chair, staring forward (). Elly believes her father may have had a stroke (). By the end of the year he is home again, with his wife as caregiver, but is still almost completely unable to speak.

Elizabeth and Anthony testify against Howard, and afterward John and Elly imply that Elizabeth should pursue a relationship with Anthony and break up with Paul. In December, a fire breaks out at Michael and Deanna's home, rendering it temporarily uninhabitable. Michael is sent to the hospital for examination for smoke inhalation after he re-enters the apartment to save his newly finished book manuscript.

2007
(January) Elizabeth finds out that Paul had just recently decided he and Elizabeth should break up, because he realized he and Susan were more compatible.

On the return trip home, Warren reveals that he knew about Paul's affair with Susan, then seeks to pick up where he and Elizabeth left off.

The pressure of being back home and no longer having a boyfriend cause Elizabeth to fall into depression.

Michael receives a package from a publisher, informing him that his manuscript has been accepted for publishing, with a $25,000 advance.

(February) When Michael visits Grandpa Jim and Iris to tell them the good news about his book, Jim, who is still feeling the aftereffects of his stroke, unintentionally swears at them.

However, Michael's buoyant mood is spoiled when his magazine's publisher wants to downsize the business and Michael is made responsible for cutting the staff. He decides to resign instead and finds Deanna, who had been pushing her husband to concentrate on freelance writing, is delighted he did. Howard is sentenced to two years in jail with parole not being recommended.

(April 2007). April turns 16. John contemplates buying a neighbor's house down the street, with Michael and Deanna contemplating buying John and Elly's house in turn.

Elizabeth invites Anthony to attend Shawna-Marie's wedding with her, but he turns her down, explaining that he has invited someone else. On the way home, she has a meltdown in the car.

Shawna-Marie gets married, and Anthony shows signs of jealousy over Elizabeth's escort to the wedding while his own escort urges him to proclaim his love to her.

(June) After seeing April being teased for hanging out with her and her friends, Shannon takes a stand in the school cafeteria - and is applauded for it by the entire student body.

After Elizabeth's date passes out at Shawna-Marie's wedding, Anthony finally musters his courage and confesses his love - and Elizabeth reciprocates.

(July) Elly, John, and April adjust to life in their new home.

Deanna and Mike begin to make changes in the house they acquired from John and Elly; Mike looks at photo albums with his children. After performing at a telethon, Becky confides in April that "maybe I was too good for my own good." Afterward, April confides in John about the misery in Becky's life, that despite her fame her dad is a control freak and she misses her mother when she's on the road.

(July 31-August 2) During an outing with Anthony's daughter, Anthony and Elizabeth recall the night they fell back in love, and their decision not to marry.

(August) Afterward, at an ice-cream shoppe, Anthony's daughter asks her dad if they can keep Liz.

Jim's irritability starts to affect Iris.

Anthony asks Elizabeth for a "lifetime commitment," and gets a positive response.

Elizabeth and Candace talk about Liz's possible future as Francie's stepmother, and what to do if Therese decides to return. Elizabeth details the story of Anthony and Therese's failed marriage to Candace, telling her how Therese tried, and failed, to change Anthony, and how it wasn't just Anthony, but Therese's parents, who wanted her to have a baby, it is also strongly implied that Therese was suffering from some kind of depression, possibly post-partum depression. Elizabeth tells Candace about the day Therese asked Anthony for a divorce, after she admitted to an affair with a coworker.

(October) Grandpa Jim's health deteriorates rapidly after suffering a second stroke.

Michael's novel receives publication for signing events and television.

April,Gerald and Eva talk about their plans for the future and the possibility of their band 4Evah breaking up.

Grandpa Jim comes home early from the hospital

(November) Michael's first book signing is hosted at Lilliput's.

(December) Anthony notices Francoise's jealousy towards Elizabeth since Therese left. Elizabeth tells Anthony that she will be patient with Francoise accepting her. Francoise reveals to Anthony that she wants him all to herself , with Anthony convincing her to come with him and Elizabeth to the mall to meet Santa Claus. While Anthony is out shopping for Francoise's Christmas gift, Elizabeth and Francoise run into Therese at the mall. Francoise tells her mother that she wants her instead of the gifts she receives after not seeing each other for a while. Therese informs Francoise that she has much to do and must leave and promises Francoise that she will call and/or visit her sometime. After Therese and Francoise say their goodbyes, Elizabeth gives the tearful Francoise a hug.

2008
April rings in the new year with Gerald, who asks her to put off discussing the future. Michael and Deanna agree that their "happy new year" means "happy new life." Elly and Connie Poirier commiserate about aging.

April visits Grandpa Jim and Iris.

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