by Ida Edge Page 200 Big Hill Country 1977
Dad, son of William and Ida Brodie (Seyler) of Waterloo, Ontario, was born in 1886. He came to Cochrane in 1906 to work with his cousin, Dave Alexander, in the Cochrane Hotel. Dave was managing the hotel at that time.
Mother, Isabella Tweedly, daughter of Margaret and John Tweedly, came over to Canada from Rothesay, Scotland, in 1909. She was seventeen years of age when she came to visit her sister, Jessie Lowill, whose husband worked at the Glenbow Quarry as a stonemason.
Mother got a job working in a restaurant in Cochrane, operated by Mrs. Jack Beynon Sr. While working there she met Dad and they were married in 1910 in the Macleod house, now owned by Mrs. Dave Murray Sr. There were two girls in our family, myself and Thora.
When World War I broke out, Dad enlisted with the 137th Battalion and went Overseas in 1915.
Mother took Thora and me and moved into Calgary to be near her sister while Dad was away. After the war was over we came back to Cochrane and Dad established himself in a barbershop and poolhall business.
Dad was a very active young man in sports of all kinds, especially hockey and baseball. When he got older and couldn’t play, he refereed most of the games played in Cochrane. Dad was a very fun-loving person and helped organize a drama club and later the Cochrane Minstrels. They were a great success and traveled to different towns putting on shows. I was lucky, for one season I had a part in a little skit with my dad, and did I ever enjoy traveling with them!
Times were hard back then; we kept a few chickens and there was always a big garden. Dad worked from 9 a.m. until 1 a.m. nearly every day. A shave was twenty-five cents and a haircut was fifty cents. Dance nights were always busy with men coming in from the country for haircuts, prior to going to the dances.
Thora and I both attended school in Cochrane and we both worked at the Telephone Office, operated at that time by Ernie Crowe.
I married Ollie Edge on November 4, 1936, in my parents’ home in Cochrane and moved to Ollie’s ranch in the Brushy Ridge area, where we made our home. We have two daughters, Myrna and Gail. Myrna married Bob Lathwell and they have two sons and one daughter. Gail married George Lauder, and they have one son and one daughter.
Thora married Dick Shantz July 7, 1941. Dick has retired from Calgary Power and they reside in Calgary. They had two sons Harvey and Richard. Harvey lost his life at the age of three, while they were living in Seebe. Richard is with the Edmonton Police Force.
Dad retired in 1943 due to ill health and passed away in July 1945. Mother was active in her church and the Ladies Auxiliary of the Canadian Legion. She loved tea parties, finding great enjoyment in reading tea cups. Mother passed away in September 1968, after a lengthy illness.
My husband passed away in 1965, and I now make my home in Cochrane.
CHAPS recently had early articles of the Cochrane Advocate digitized. They are proving to be useful research tools.
The Advocate contained articles about local activities, much as social media does today.
