pg 812 More Big Hill Country 2009
Starting out we married on November 9th, 1956, in St. Andrew’s United Church, Cochrane.
We lived in a two roomed house on Lyle’s father’s farm north of Cochrane just north of the Weedon Hall on Highway 22. Lyle farmed with his father, two brothers and Dalred there until we moved to our own property on Section 10, a half mile north, up highway 22 in 1961 .
We had four children by this time: Martin, James, Terry and Dean. In 1965, Marjorie was born, finally a girl. In 1959, York Shaw had moved a house from Centre Street North in Calgary for us at a price of $300.00. We only paid $750.00 for the forty year old, four roomed building. When we moved into our new home it had snowed and it was wet and cold. There was no furnace or running water in it yet. Lyle installed a temporary fuel oil burning heater. It was September 19th, Martin’s birthday. We had forgotten what the date was but we made up for it and had a cake and dinner the next day. He was happy.
Later on when the boys were old enough they helped with the haying. It wasn’t all one with machines. The bales of hay were handled by hand. The two older ones, then nine and ten, stacked the bales of hay and drove the tractor and raked hay.
Then there was the milking of forty dairy cows. Marty, Jim and Terry had to do the milking while Dad finished the day in the hayfield. When it came to harvesting the grain crops. I trucked the grain to the granary, unloaded it and augured it into the granary. The kids and cousin Ross would have thistle fights during lunch break in the field. This was their fun time. They also had fun wrestling in the corral. There was bath time before bed or they were thrown in the water trough. Later on Marj helped raking hay and when we got the bale stacker she stacked bales and also worked in the house.
Lyle and I fostered two teens and lots of town kids. We also had many nieces and nephews that loved to come out to the farm. There were always many vehicles being worked on by our boys and their friends. The yard was always full.
Martin and Jim moved up to Edson, Grande Cache and High Level to work on the Rigs. Jim moved back and in 1982 married Roxine Raby. In March 1983, Amanda was born and in 1986, their son Kyle was born. They moved onto the southwest quarter of the family farm and lived there until they sold it in October 2007. They moved up to a quarter north of Sundre, Alberta in June 2008. Amanda and her husband Jesse became the parents of a son, Zander Wiklin, grandson to Jim and Roxine Wilson, and our great grandson. Jim worked off the farm as a framer with Dave Manachuck for a few years. He has his boiler ticket and worked at the Remand Centre for years and at Big Hill Lodge as maintenance for three years until his injury.
Martin moved back to Cochrane in 1988 and worked for Joe Kells as a backhoe operator. Partner Sandy Johanson, from Debden, Saskatchewan came down to live with Martin and work here. In 1990, they moved onto the family farm on the southeast quarter on Highway 22. Martin has worked for the Town of Cochrane as a machine operator for eighteen years and is now retired as of December 2007. In 1997, a son Jason was born and on November 11, 1999, Sandy and Martin were married. A few years went by, like twelve, and Miss Becky was born October 6, 2006. They sold their place in October 2007 and in June 2008, they will be moving to Canwood, Saskatchewan where they bought a quarter section of land.
Terry had a tough time in his life. He suffered from diabetes and this kept him from having a normal life. He lived at home until his accident at twenty one years and ended up a paraplegic. He Iived in handicapped housing in McEwen in northwest Calgary, Alberta with help from A.I.S.H. He died on August 8th, 2000. He lived a single life but had many friends.
Dean lived on the farm helping his Dad in the evenings and performing with the Young Canadians at the Calgary Stampede for three years. He sang with different stage groups too. He moved away for a few years and then moved a modular home on our home quarter in 1988. He lived there working at his own business, On The Spot Cleaning, until he sold the house in November 2006. This is also when Lyle and I sold the home farm, southeast quarter of section 10. Dean moved into a beautiful home in Tuscany, northwest Calgary. He lives a single life.
Marjorie lived on the farm until she moved to Cochrane, Alberta where she worked for Lucky Penny Pizza as a main cook. She operates her own cleaning business “Inch by Inch Cleaning” and has for 20 years. She now lives in Calgary in Beddington.
DLyle and Virginia, the Mother and Father to all of these siblings moved to James River Bridge. Alberta, ten miles north of Sundre. Alberta on the north side of the river. The James River runs through our beautiful 88 acres, all wooded.
