pg 617 More Big Hill Country 2009
In 1976 Allister Moore retired from his position of superintendent at the Seebe Calgary Power Plant and he and his wife Dolly (nee Armistead) retired to Cochrane. They moved into the large brick house at 324 – 1st Street which belonged to her father, Bob Armistead or Gramps as he was fondly known by many of the old time Cochrane residents. The old house was in excellent shape structurally, but was in need of renovations to make it the retirement home Dolly and Allister wanted. These renovations became the first of Allister’s many retirement projects.
The largest part of this renovation project involved the basement. At the time they moved in it was a dirt floor and did not have legal height. Allister, along with his son Gord and with the help of Roy Buckler, dug the entire basement down two feet carrying out the dirt by hand in buckets. This allowed him to pour a concrete floor. This gave space for things so important to this generation: a cool room for storage of vegetables harvested in the fall and a large area to store preserves made in the late summer and used through the winter. Dolly’s shelves were always full with canned fruit and jams made from fruit brought back from the Okanagan on one of their regular summer trips to the valley. Pickles were made from produce grown in their own garden. Crab apple jelly was a specialty made from crab apples grown on the trees in R.E. and Alice Moore’s large yard on Ross Avenue. Picking of these apples in the fall was an annual event for all family members, grandchildren included, who I think enjoyed more playing in Aunt Alice’s and Uncle R.E.’s wonderful huge yard.
Bob Armistead died in 1980 and until then he enjoyed having Dolly and Allister’s many friends visit. The teapot was always ready and good company always enjoyed.
Allister was noted for his large garden which he put in every year. His greatest pleasure was to give friends and family a bag of vegetables when they left after a visit. He especially loved growing potatoes and onions. After his son Gordon bought an acreage just north of Cochrane, he added a large potato plot to his gardening. This garden created two other family events, planting and harvesting. Planting had to be done before May 24th and the potatoes must be harvested by Thanksgiving. Grandchildren again were a big part of these projects, in the spring dropping the seed potatoes carefully sliced side down in each hole and come fall grandchildren again helped, gathering them as they appeared like magic in the dirt of the dug up garden. Allister’s potato project grew and he decided he needed a root house. He built one under the front porch of the home in Cochrane. The root house. like the basement, was dug out by hand. In the fall the potatoes were carried in by hand a bucket at a time, to be brought out as needed, especially to be given away as friends visited.
Dolly and Allister were active members of the United Church. Allister often helped with minor maintenance at the church and Dolly was a member of the choir.
Retirement gave Dolly time to pursue a life long love of art. She became an avid member of the Cochrane Art Club. She enjoyed working in both oils and water colors creating beautiful landscapes and pictures with character, old farm buildings in rural settings.
Today, her family and many of her friends enjoy the products of Dolly’s talent and have lovely pieces of art work in their homes.
Dolly and Allister had two very special friends in their retirement years that were a part of everything they participated in. These were two wonderful West Highland Terriers both named Muffy. The first Muffy lived to be ten and died in 1992. A second Muffy joined the family shortly after and was their constant compan- ion for the rest of their lives. Muffy was a part of everything they did from visiting friends to attending choir practices with Dolly and sitting, usually quietly, in the church listening to the practice.
Dolly and Allister’s family, both close and extended, were very important to them. During retirement, they made two trips to England to visit family. Both Dolly and Allister went on the first trip and then, Dolly and her daughter Pat went on the second trip. Staying in touch was something Dolly did diligently. At Christmas, Christmas letters went in every card, a big project which in later years became more difficult. Her daughter, Pat spent many hours helping with the letters so Dolly could keep these important bonds of friendships strong.
In the later years, living in and managing their home at 324 – 1st Street became increasingly difficult for Dolly and Allister. They chose to move into Big Hill Lodge. They kept their house and although they lived in the lodge, they continued to have many happy occasions celebrated in their home. Allister planted a garden and cared for it until the year he died.
Dolly and Allister were fortunate to enjoy the happiness of having five grandchildren and four great- grandchildren during the time they were alive and now, in 2008, there are four more great-grandchildren. Their daughter, Pat Richtie and husband Ken have two daughters, Debbie and Sheri. Debbie married Pat Feulle and they have a son Brennan and a daughter Breanne. They live in Strathmore. Sheri married Robert Armstrong and they have two daughters, Taylor and Stephanie. They live in Cochrane.
Their son, Gordon and wife Carrol have three daughters: Tara, Kerri and Joy. Tara and Tristan Bodnar live on an acreage outside of Cochrane and have twins, Caiden and Olivia. Kerri married Christopher Ebbinghoff. They live in Cochrane and they have two girls, Kira and Cassia. Joy lives in Calgary and teaches High School in Chestermere.
Dolly died in 2001 at age 86 and Allister died in 2006 at age 93.
