Now We Are Two

Pansy and Bill

When Pansy was still living at home during the summer, she met up with her future husband, Bill Lyons. Bill was not from this area, but his brother Harold had bought the Duchess Pool Hall in 1931 and ran it as a business until 1944. Bill came to Duchess looking for work and so stayed with his brother. Roy and Leo Hosler often went to the pool hall for entertainment and became good friends of Bill and so it was Roy and Leo who introduced Bill to Pansy at a dance one evening. He was handsome and had a fashionable car, was always well dressed, very tidy, his shoes were always shined, and he could really dance. 

Bill had a little yellow coupe car with no top, and so I had to bundle up to go out with him. There was a telephone pole out by the gate, and Bill used to park the coupe out there. Mom would take a rope and tie the car to the pole when he was not looking!

Now this was 'true Pierson' sense of humor! My own grandmother did that?!

When Pansy moved to Calgary to stay with Blanche and eventually attend Henderson, Bill followed and so was able to continue his romance with Pansy. Sure enough it was at a dance that he won Pansy's admiration. Pansy claims they were just friends when both were in Duchess. Pansy & Bill were married August 1, 1942, before Bill went into the Army: 

Bill was always jealous of Pansy and so perhaps wanted to solidify their relationship based on trust before he went oversees to give them security around marriage. Bill's best buddy, Roy Hosler also got married at the end of August that year to his girlfriend named Sue. While Bill and Roy were stationed in Camrose for military training before getting sent overseas, Sue and Pansy were able to visit with them once in Camrose for a weekend. 

While in the army, he was an ambulance attendant (stretcher bearer) and I am sure he saw a lot of horrible sights when on duty. After Bill served four years, Pansy was still living in Calgary working for the Albertan. Bill came home and lived with Pansy in her little suite and went through a long period of adjustment as he was a changed man. He thought for a long time that the government owed him a living and he really was not able to get a job and work for awhile, and it could have been because of his attitude. But he got over his outlook on life, probably when he started to come out of his depression, which people did not seem to understand was normal. He needed a long rest, to get reoriented back into civilian life once he had come to terms with the horror of war. 

In early 1946, Pansy and Bill moved to Long Pump (near Brooks), then eventually Patricia in 1947 as Bill had taken on a job with the EID as a watermaster/ ditchrider. Long Pump was named after a big irrigation pump for the canal system and also Charles J. Long, who was a prominent farmer in the area around 1912, farming 2000 acres just prior to the arrival of irrigation. 

Emma had come to Long Pump for a visit wearing a dress, as that is what a lady would do. Bill was expecting some relatives from the States to show up as well that day. Pansy was busy cleaning the house and so Emma chose to pitch in to help; however, she could not clean in her good dress. Pansy found her an old shirt of Bill's, and some white shorts (probably when he was in the Army, and something that he would never wear). To hold them up, she tied a piece of lace leather around her waist. After they finished cleaning, Emma went to the outhouse at the back of the house (because why would it be at the front). While she was in there, she could hear a car pull up, doors close and “hi, how are you, come in” conversation. Omigosh, they arrived and she was not ready! Emma was not going to greet these people she had never met looking like a rag-a-muffin “in that get-up”. So, while they were going in the front door and after she completed her 'business', she snuck and creeped her way towards the house and clambered in through a bedroom window where her dress was located. Once she had changed back into that dress and had herself looking pretty, she sailed out the bedroom door—much to Pansy’s surprise.

When living in Long Pump, Pansy learned how to drive Bill's car and she used to drive this car to the Chudleigh farm for visits without a driver's license! But she never did get her license then as it was not a high enough priority and they did not have the curse of having 'Peace Officers' in the area cruising around looking for 'criminals' to fine with improper registration or qualifications. Pansy said her decision to get her license was more important when living in Calgary, but Bill was always available to escort her around. Being able to drive was a pretty important part of Emma's life and something she had to do anyways since Rufus left her the Nash. It became to Emma like a female 'right of passage'. None of Emma's sisters drove, and so she was so proud of the fact that she did. She wanted all her granddaughters to drive and she made them aware how important it was to drive 'as a woman'. It was people like Emma who helped with the women's liberation movement!

Since Bill's parents came from Burdette and he had relatives in the area, we decided to go there for a visit for Thanksgiving, and taking a train from Brooks through Medicine Hat seemed like our best option. When we arrived in Medicine Hat, we needed to switch trains, but found that the next train to Burdette was not leaving until the next morning. This meant that a few families needed to stay at the only hotel close by overnight. Waiting in line in the hotel lobby, it just so happened that the couple in front of us took the last room and so when we came to the counter, the hotel was already sold out for the night. The couple heard of our plight and so offered to share their room with us since their room came with two double beds! We graciously accepted and became the best of friends with them and we used to meet up with them otten since they lived in Brooks.

When was the last time you shared a hotel room with a complete stranger?!

I asked Pansy about leaving her job at the Albertan to move to Long Pump and she said that it was the 'men' who had priority and this is where her husband was to work. A lot of women took the job of men during the war, but when the men came back, the women were expected to go back to being house wives. Good point, but when Blanche came back from the army, timing was perfect in that arrangements were made for her to step in and take over Pansy's position as Circulation Manager of the Albertan. In her military records, it was not the army who found Blanche a job after her discharge, as it says on the form that "I" (being Blanche) found a job as a steno. Still being single helped Blanche's qualifications, but she still had a probation period to prove her capability. Well of course the Chudleighs are capable and once educated, they never seemed to have any problems getting a job! 

Stella's Arrival

After the Second World War, Canadian military authorities helped to permanently resettle a unique movement of ‘preferred’ immigration to Canada: war brides and their children. They represented the single largest contiguous movement of migration, specifically through Pier 21 in Halifax. The war brides arrived at a time when the country’s doors remained largely closed to immigrants, due in part to the economic effects of the Great Depression. Canada’s High Commissioner to London, Vincent Massey, recommended that empty troop ships returning to Canada should also transport war brides and their children. Massey suggested that each adult passenger should pay fifteen dollars to provide for their own meals, while the Canadian government would charter the ships and pay for each traveler’s passage.

The Canadian government focused its priorities on the resettlement of soldiers' dependents before amending its immigration policy to provide a humanitarian response to the European displaced person and political refugee crisis. The resettlement of 64,459 war brides and their children from 1942 to 1948 marked the first time that the government provided a “home to home service.” This movement of newcomers predominantly came from the smaller centres of the British Isles and the European continent to their new homes in Canada. Ottawa considered the war brides and their children – in particular those of British origin – to be “far above average in health and mentality.”

A disembarkation program with bureaus across Canada was organized by the government in cooperation with the CP/ CN Railways, and the Canadian Red Cross . After the final destination of each war bride and child was listed, the information was sent to Movement Control in Halifax. This unit was composed mainly of Red Cross workers, who helped war brides and their children find special trains scheduled to transport them across Canada to their final destination. The unit was also responsible for notifying families to be prepared for their arrival.

Canadian military officers directly involved shared in the belief that the war brides were of “very fine stock.” In an open letter titled “note of appreciation,” from the ship commandant to all soldiers’ dependents and civilian passengers aboard the RMS Aquitania, Lieutenant-Colonel W.E. Sutherland wrote that…

There awaits you in the sheltered harbour of Halifax a welcome the warmth of which will extend from one end of the Dominion to the other. Canada welcomes you with a deep feeling of pride…British and Dutch stock such as this is indeed a welcome addition to our Country; and your lovely children, the likes of which I have never seen surpassed, should grow up under Canada’s sunny skies, true stalwarts of parents who have proven their worth as real men and women – and on their shoulders will rest the future responsibility of guiding the National Affairs of State and the future destiny of Canada.

Not all stories ended happily. Ten percent of the war bride movement returned to their home country within a year of arriving in Canada. Others chose not to meet due to what officials described as a “nervous collapse.” In some cases, war brides arrived only to learn that their Canadian soldier husband was already married or desired a divorce, or never met his wife at the train station upon her arrival. Others had difficulty adjusting to their new lives and new in-laws in Canada and returned home to be with family among familiar surroundings. What Rufus wanted more than anything else in this world was Stella and he kept his faith and hope that this day would come, and that their love was real based on promises made and all the love letters written while they waited for her day to come.

On March 27, 1946, after taking the RMS Aquitania ship to Pier 21, then taking the train across Canada, Stella observed the dry, bleak, vast, flat, and open prairie and was hoping like hell that Rufus was right when he said, “yes, but just wait until you get to Brooks!”. Stella's dreams came to life as she was coming into Brooks with its grove of irrigated trees, as it was in her own words “like coming across an oasis in a desert” and more like her homeland. Stella had arrived! Quick goodbyes were made with her newly acquainted friends, such as Molly Davis, who was getting off in Calgary. My Mom was a breath of fresh air, was exactly what the family needed at this time, the tying together of two worlds as she was all the best England had to offer, an angel in her own right with a pure heart. The Chudleigh family were not going to be the same! The three sisters and Emma went to the train station along with Rufus to greet her upon arrival. Emma was all dolled up and she came with her fancy dress and hat on. 

Stella's train was all passenger coach, nothing else, as this was the train that went across Canada as a regular service. Not too many people got off that evening when they arrived. Some did for the coach they were standing beside, but a young lady came off halfway down the train. She had a hat on and a brown outfit made of wool tweed, which would have been a skirt and jacket. She had to be the one, the Stella we were waiting for! We wanted to run up to give her a big hug, but knew we had to let Rufus go ahead. We sat back and watched the run up, then heard the sobbing and tears from their hearts that flowed from their warm embrace. They had been separated as newlyweds for 11 months! As a witness to this event, we knew their love was real. Next came introductions while the train staff was getting her large heavy trunk of clothes off so Rufus could load it into his Nash...somehow.

Cousin Marilyn now has Stella's trunk as a showpiece in the living room of her cottage,  a conversation piece after 75 years of existence:

Pansy, who has been all about clothes and hair all her life, commented that brown was not Stella's best color, but was popular in England at the time. Okay Pansy, well back to more for what I am interested in! Norman was too sick to come and already in the Brooks hospital. Blanche had taken the train to Brooks for the welcoming, but had to go straight back to work afterwards. Pansy's gift to Stella was to put them up in the York Hotel in downtown Calgary for a couple of nights when the time was right once settled in on the farm. 

My mother actually arrived earlier than most war brides, but most arrived in the year 1946. As a side story to all this, a military officer of sergeant rank was assigned to go with the war brides on each train trip across Canada to make sure the hundreds of ladies got off at the proper destination, met the man who they married and went off together happily ever after...well, hopefully. Can you imagine being responsible for hundreds of ultra excited, anxious emotional ladies to make sure they were safe and taken care of on their journey across Canada?! What a responsibility! In this case, the sergeant observed the run up of Stella and Rufus and could be heard by family his comment, not knowing Stella personally:

Well, that one looks to have found the right one!

A few days later, the neighbors around the farm held an open house/ shower for Stella at Sig Berg's place for the official welcome so she could get to know them better, and she wore her brown wool tweed jacket: 

Stella and Rufus

The farm house was in a big state of transition as Norman was in the hospital, Perce not likely to stay long due to health and age, and other family members wanting to give Stella and Rufus the farm. But initially for Stella there was so much to do and learn, and she really needed the support. Emma taught her how to cook and wash with what equipment and appliances were available. Stella spending time together with Elizabeth really helped her get accustomed, as she was of the same age and Elizabeth was so much fun, solidifying a friendship that lasted for the remainder of Stella's life. Elizabeth commented that Rufus saw her differently ever since he met Stella, realizing that Elizabeth must finally be all grown up, since Stella was of similar age as her.

It was Elizabeth who taught Stella how to ride a horse and they would go off riding together in the evening to get Stella some much needed experience! This was not her most favorite past time as it did not carry on as a hobby, but it did allow them to have some quality time together. The horse Stella rode was again 'Buttons', the same horse the kids learned to ride in High River as provided by Rod MacLeay. That horse must have been a senior citizen by the time it was Stella's turn and probably not moving too fast!

Stella came with some driving experience from England, but Emma did the majority of the driving to Duchess or Brooks when needed. There was no need to rush along Stella's qualifications since Emma was always available. Stella eventually got her learners to begin practice driving the Nash taught by Emma and Rufus, then she eventually obtained her driver's license. This was planned to take place before Emma left the farm.

When Stella arrived, Norman was very ill and 'down for the count'. Blanche came down most weekends to help out when Emma was going back and forth to visit Norman in the Brooks hospital as often as she could. Norman was finally diagnosed with colon cancer, and something he was probably struggling with for the length of his illness of five years. No one really knew what was wrong before then. The timing of Stella's arrival was critical so she could visit Norman, who passed away one month later. Emma, Stella, and others would pick up Pansy on the weekend at Long Pump to go and see Norman in the hospital. Stella always went with them. Rufus also faithfully visited Norman on a regular basis and I am sure that he was finally able to come to terms with what had happened and accept Norman as his father before he passed away. I truly believe that Stella helped Rufus do just that with her positive influence to let go of the past.

It was Norman who told Emma to not stay long on the farm when Stella arrived in order to give Rufus and Stella some freedom to start their own life. Norman wanted Rufus to succeed with his marriage and for his running of the farm. It was Rufus who talked to Dr. Karl in Brooks about finding a lodge for Perce so that Stella did not need to take care of him while Rufus was working. Perce actually had been quite independent, but no doubt would have required more attention over time. He was moved into a lodge in Gleichen, before passing away shortly thereafter when he succumbed to pneumonia in the Bassano Hospital. Perce was given a full masonic funeral in Brooks and buried beside his brother.

Elizabeth and Donald

In 1941, Pansy and Rufus, along with Aunt Kate offered to finance Elizabeth to go to Olds College, or Henderson Secretarial School, but she decided she would stay on the farm. Her father was ill and she thought someone needed to be at home to help nurse him, and Perce was also not well. Also she was in love with Donald Saum who she used to go to school with in Duchess, and so further education was not part of her plan...Donald was! As per Elizabeth: 

Donald's father had polio as a young man and was not as physically strong as he needed to be as a farmer, and so he needed a great deal of support from family and certain neighbors. Therefore Donald started farming for his Dad at a very young age. We had not been dating when we went to school in Duchess, as I thought Donald was not worth my time because he always fell asleep in class. I could never understand why Mr. Betton, our teacher never bugged him very much about it. Only later, after we started dating, did I understand that Donald had worked as his father's main farmhand from when he was about 9 or 10 years old. Hence, he was sleeping in class because he was exhausted!

Elizabeth and Donald used to ride horses together in the evening quite often as a source of entertainment and probably their form of courtship. They even had their turn going together to dances, such as at the Clancy School. Both Pansy and Elizabeth agree that Donald was a very good dancer. Norman was very fond of Donald, as he was always ready and quick to lend a hand if he saw a need. When he was not working for his own father, Donald would be at the Chudleigh farm helping Norm and Perce out as much as he could. Donald also really loved and respected Norman. He often said later in life to Marilyn, his own daughter that you could not have found a more kind person. He was a real gentleman. Donald and Perce were also good buddies and they loved to tease one another and play crib. 

Donald used to ride out from his home (approximately 11 miles) one way. At times, he stayed the night because it was too late for him to ride back. He would have already put in a full day's work before coming out to see me. If he stayed, he would get up early and help with the chores before heading back home. We had been dating for almost four years and were very much in love. However, we had to save up enough money to get married. 

As Donald had duel citizenship, he was called to war and stationed in Fort Dix, New Jersey in the US army. His separation from Elizabeth only made their hearts grow stronger. He went on leave to get married on May 29,1946, in Calgary in between funerals for Norman and Perce. In Stella's letters to Rufus from England, she talked many times about looking forward to going to Elizabeth's wedding with Donald and the resulting celebration. This is something they would have done in England, but Elizabeth and Donald had a very private, small wedding in Calgary and so Rufus and Stella did not attend. This would have been quite disappointing to my Mom, even though there was reasonable, practical, economical explanations provided...but it was no fun for her!

Norman was the one who insisted that Elizabeth and Donald get married when they did. In fact, if he had lived long enough for Donald to get his furlough, they would have married in his room at the Brooks hospital. Norman made Elizabeth promise that Donald and her would get married as soon as hey got home if Norman died before he arrived. Norman tried very hard to stay alive until Donald returned from the States, but he passed away April 30, 1946. Norman also thought it was very important for Elizabeth to go to the States with Donald until he finished his enlistment. He felt it was a very important life lesson for them to travel around as much as they could before they came home.

After marriage, Elizabeth flew down when she could after the paper work had been completed to be with Donald, flying into New York City. 

As an 'alien', she was put into a padlocked cage out on the tarmac for about 1/2 hour while they processed her papers! Donald and a couple of his buddies came to meet her. Imagine coming to the airport to get your newly wed wife out of a cage! Maybe she was a bit snarly! 

Elizabeth says the cage was also to protect her, not just to protect the USA.

While stationed there they lived in a boarding house in Borden Town, New Jersey. They had one room to live in with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities with three other tenants in the house. Donald was discharged in 1947 and so Elizabeth & Donald came home from the States by October, but this was after Perce had passed away. Elizabeth has always regretted that she was unable to say goodbye to him. He was always her favorite person and there is a great sadness in her to this day about this loss. 

They had a car in the States from the 20's they had purchased while there, complete with a crank to start the engine, perhaps not in the best condition, but they chose to drive it back. After a long trip, the first stop in Alberta was at Pansy and Bill's place in Patricia. When Pansy saw the car coming in its condition, she wondered how on earth were they able to keep the car going for the complete trip as it looked so...dilapidated! Elizabeth stated that the car ran well the whole time with no issues, but Pansy had her doubts. After a nice long visit to catch up, it was time for them to head off to the farm, but they could not get the car started right away and so it must have been tired! Bill had to push the sputtering car down the road with his own to get it started.

Needing to solidify their plans for the future, Elizabeth and Donald settled in with their stuff at the Saum farm owned by Donald's parents which was within walking distance of the village of Duchess. 

When I lived on the Duchess farm it was my Uncle Donald who decided to make me a bow and arrow set, similar to what my Dad had when he was my age. I can remember watching him find that most perfect branch from one of Perce's plum trees for the bow, then he used some other branches to make the arrows. I never knew the significance that Perce had in those plum trees at the time. Donald knew exactly what he was doing when he selected the plum tree... in remembrance of Perce. I watched Donald make the set rather crudely using his pocket knife, but it was made to perfection. That was by far, hands down, the best bow and arrow set I have ever had, since the wood was strong, yet springy for the bow, and I played using that set for the longest time. My Uncle Donald made it for me. It made me realize the best gift one could give another is hand made, and from that day onward, I always had the utmost respect for my Uncle Donald.

The Ebb and Flow of Family Fortune

With the passing away of Norman and Perce, the coming home of Rufus, then Stella, the coming home of Elizabeth and Donald, you would think that the family would be able to turn around their fortunes, but further trouble was brewing due to the declining health of Rufus, starting in the summer of '46. Before Dad was diagnosed with tuberculosis, he was weak and not feeling well and had to have naps every afternoon and the naps became longer and longer. Long hours in the hot sun while irrigating along with a lack of sleep wore him out completely since the land contour was challenging and he too could not leave his water unattended for a reasonable period of time day or night. His health continued to decline over the winter months despite the happy news that Stella was expecting! Trips to the doctor in Brooks eventually revealed his disease, due to system fatigue that started when he was still in the war. 

The doctor made all the arrangements to get him transferred from Brooks to the sanatorium in Bowness and the transfer went like clockwork with no issues. The CPR employees all along the line were notified and on high alert. He was placed on a bed in a box car because they did not want to place him in the passenger coach since he could have been contagious. Pansy went with him and she sat on a chair the whole time in the box car. She was the logical choice since she was conveniently living in Long Pump as a house wife at the time. When they arrived in Calgary, an ambulance was waiting and transferred him to the sanatorium. Pansy made sure everything was done right and he was settled in. This would have been on May 7, 1947, the same day my sister Mary was born! Stella went to the hospital for the delivery exactly the same day Rufus was on that box car going to Calgary with Pansy!

The wonderful neighbours of the Sam Howe district rallied to the Chudleigh aid and they put in the crop for 1947, saw to the summerfallowing and even helped with some of the harvesting. Peter Wagner, who was working on farms in the area, was hired by Stella and Emma to irrigate that year. Sig Berg stepped over the fence of his adjoining field in very busy times to advise and guide Peter in the art of irrigating, of which he knew nothing about, having come from a dryland farm in Saskatchewan originally. It did not take Mr. Pete long to decide that irrigating was not for him, but he stuck it out for the summer, lost some weight in the process, and vowed not to take on such a contract again! 

That same fall, Stella took Mary and went to live with Blanche in Calgary, so she could make regular visits to the sanatorium to encourage her love on and for him to see his daughter, whom he had never held yet and could only see behind glass. Before Stella and Mary left for Calgary they brought their milk cow Bobbie to the Saum Farm for the winter. They could not leave the cow on the farm because Emma did not know how to milk a cow! Meanwhile, Peter moved into Brooks and started working in a restaurant run by his brother-in-law and sister, Bud and Emily, getting some distance between him and the farm. 

In Calgary, Stella took the streetcar downtown to catch the 'number one' that went all the way by rail and electricity to Bowness in NW Calgary. She then walked to the sanatorium from there, which would have been a good trek. The sanatorium was basically out of the city, as the designers of the facility wanted it to be isolated since they did not know much about TB at that time. No city buses on the main routes to speak of then.

Stella did not always take Mary, because it would have been quite the chore to always take the baby to the sanatorium. So Stella often had visits with Margaret Colvin (Bill's sister) who lived only one block away from where she was staying with Blanche, and she would let her babysit Mary while she (and often Blanche) went to see Rufus for a few hours. Others came up when they could. Margaret, like a lot of other women in this day, took care of the house while the husband worked and so was willing and able for Stella.

The next spring (1948), it was Donald's turn to help the Chudleighs and so he found a sleigh on their farm, brought it back with horses gathered to move their stuff. Elizabeth had to walk most of the eight miles because the milk cow needed to go home and she would not follow the sleigh, much to her dismay. Donald put in the Chudleigh crop that year, and they lived on the farm until Rufus was able to take over in the fall. It was Donald's turn at irrigating and I am sure Sig kept an eye on him, as he had done the previous summer with Peter. Donald would have fared better based on experience with his father, but his physical stature, being heavier set with smaller feet, meant he sank in the mud a lot deeper than Rufus did! Donald got his job done, but I am sure he too decided that flood irrigation was not for him!

Rufus was away from the farm over two summers, a total of 16 months. At the sanatorium, he spent the first six months getting fed with oxygen from an iron long, but always in quarantine for the complete duration of his stay. After Rufus came home from the san (and I really appreciate the fact that he got better because I was not even born yet!), Emma stayed long enough to get the family settled. Then she moved to Brooks while Dad bought the farm from Emma with a loan from the War Veteran's Act to make it his own. 

Post 1950

Although Blanche was the first to gain work experience based on 'certification', marriage came at a later date compared to her siblings, so much so that in her case and for Emma and Peter following, I have gone a bit beyond the 1950 barrier. One needs to establish a logical break point for this log, yes, but it did not seem right for you to not know more of their story. 

Emma and Peter

In Brooks Emma rented a really small home one block north of downtown and she worked as a housekeeper in a hotel. This was not the same hotel that Uncle Perce had an interest in (Hotel Newell) before 1915, which by the way (104 years later) has a two star rating in reviews posted on the web in 2019! Emma only needed to walk one block to get to work and so did not need to drive. As a result of her move, she was able to keep track of Peter and get a little romance going with him. Emma would have been 20 years older than Peter, to make up I suppose for the time she spent with Norman who was 20 years older than her!

After establishing a loving and lasting relationship, Peter and Emma chose to get married on April 23, 1950, just before I was born, then they moved to Calgary, buying a home in the Montgomery district, near Bowness.

Mr. Pete got a job right away at Keith Construction and he probably came with some experience from Brooks. This would have been done after his restaurant time. Pansy said he used to paint for awhile in Brooks because she remembers seeing him all covered in his work when he was learning his trade. I am sure at one point in his career, Peter had painted 25% of all the new homes in Calgary, but he never painted in the cold winter months, as he chose to collect unemployment insurance instead. He made sure he got his money back this way! No one could go through as much paint as Peter did in one day. I will always remember him as the painter.

Peter often worked with a partner. They talked while painting to break up the monotony, but they did not always agree with one another, or get along for that matter. One day Peter was rather ticked at the scolding he was receiving for his shoddy work and so he took his paint roller and rolled paint completely across his buddy's face! You can imagine the war that occurred right after that until their boss showed up to stop the scrap. No disciplinary action was taken other than a scolding and instructions received to clean up the mess. 

At the age of 69, I was visiting Mr. Pete in a Calgary hospital when he was nearing death from cancer caused by all the painting he had done over the years. He wanted me to know that Emma had gotten pregnant with a son for Peter in the early years of their relationship, but unfortunately had a miscarriage when they were driving to Patricia once to visit Pansy and Bill. This is one of those stories that was never told by the Aunts, but came to be known as the final message from Mr. Pete. Because Emma was getting along in age, despite her love for children, any more babies was out of the question.

News Flash (The Albertan) December, 1950

Six Injured When Passenger Car Hits Truck

Six persons were injured, two seriously, at 8:45 pm Tuesday when a passenger car crashed into a parked truck loaded with furniture on the east highway, one mile east of Langdon Corner. In the General Hospital are Blanche Chudleigh, possible fractures of the left hip and ribs and lacerations to the head and face, Mrs. Emma Wagner, possible fractured hip and shock. Also taken to hospital and released after treatment was Peter Wagner, who was shaken up. Anton Wagner is undergoing X-rays to determine possible injuries but has not been hospitalized...Ehard and Dennis Anderberg were shaken up, but did not require medical aid. 

According to reports of the accident, the Anderbergs were hauling a load of furniture in a truck when the vehicle ran out of gas. Ehard went one mile to a service station for fuel and was priming the truck while Dennis sat in the seat when the truck was hit by an auto driven by Anton Wagner...The truck was knocked 18 feet by the impact and Ehard was thrown from the vehicle into the ditch. A passing truck started the trip to hospital with Mr. and Mrs. Wagner and Miss Chudleigh and was met enroute by Starr's ambulance...

To knock a truck loaded full of furniture 18 feet, the auto must have been going at a fairly good clip! Although not indicated in the newspaper article, weather conditions were not the greatest, kind of foggy, so I was told, with some snow and perhaps ice on the road. Roads back then did not have very wide shoulders and so the truck would have been partly in the driving lane. Anton was Peter's brother and the family blames him for the accident as he was obviously not being careful enough as per road conditions. I was told he cranked the wheel at the last minute to avoid hitting the truck, but the auto must have skidded and slammed into it.

The family did not get that acquainted with the Wagners, other than Peter, but he himself did not keep in touch with his relatives either, other than Bud and Emily based out of Brooks. They were of a different mindset, and having this accident did not help with the family relationship. Blanche was in the passenger side, front seat and Emma behind her in the back seat, and this was the part of the car that hit the truck. This was a very traumatic time for the family and Blanche was lucky to have survived and not have been a paraplegic.

Blanche and Malcolm

It is when Blanche switched careers to go into the oil and gas industry to get a better paycheck that she met up with Malcolm W. Clark. Blanche and Malcolm met on a double date set up by Blanche's roommate, who was dating a fellow that Malcolm worked with at the time. Blanche and Malcolm were married on December 23, 1953. As Blanche was 33, this was considered to be quite late to be getting married, but not so much anymore. This was not the first time that someone wanted to hook up with Blanche. One example is a fellow named Earl Williams, who was a likable, funny person to be around. He had been friends with the Chudleighs for years and was originally a hired hand of Ivor Peterson. He proposed to Blanche after taking her out for a few meals over a period of time when visiting in Calgary, but Earl was a few years older and she did not think he was the right one for her. 

Malcolm had been married previously and they had two children: cousins Roy and Graham. The divorce agreement had Malcolm's ex wife (Lesley) raising the boys, but a rather fortunate (?) event occurred once Blanche and Malcolm had settled in to live their life together when moved to Edmonton. Lesley's new husband refused to raise Roy and Graham, and so the two of them were sent by train in January,1954, with name tags attached and phone number to call upon arrival at the main train station in Edmonton! The boys came without winter clothes. Roy was 6 ½ and Graham 4 1/2. Malcolm and Blanche did not know that the boys were coming! Blanche had become pregnant on her honeymoon, and was in her early stages of pregnancy when the two little guys arrived. Blanche became a mother of two boys before having her first baby! 

Blanche and Malcolm had three children of their own to complete the family in Paul, Warren, and Lynell. Remembering her previous skills learned on the farm, Blanche sewed clothes for all five Clark kids. Most of their clothes were made by her. She even made the boys little caps to match their outfits. Whenever she had a moment of downtime she must have sat down to do some sewing. As per Elizabeth:

Due to her competitive nature, Pansy was always intimidated by men with education and Malcolm intimidated her as a result. She always liked to be 'the shining star', but she had difficulty holding a conversation with Malcolm, or Blanche for that matter, because they were more worldly than she was and could win an argument using their intelligence. 

Malcolm and Blanche had moved to the States for a few years because of his work, and it was there that Blanche was diagnosed as having cancer. Therefore Malcolm asked for a transfer back to Edmonton in 1960 because Blanche wanted the medical support they had there and to spend her remaining days in Edmonton. She was a Canadian and wanted to go back home. Being Canadian, she wanted all her kids to remain having at least Canadian citizenship if not dual citizenship. When the family moved back, she was able to line up the best family doctor whose office was right across the street from the U of A Hospital where she had worked previously. Blanche spent as much time as she could with family while in Edmonton, driving her kids to school every morning, knowing her time was almost up.

Despite the great care she received, Blanche unfortunately passed away too early in life in 1965. Life can be unfair as one sister lives for only 44 years and never gets a chance to see her own kids grow up, while the other two have lived for well over twice as long, and are still alive today. Despite not having a wedding picture taken, the love of Blanche and Malcolm was undoubted. It was in the last few hours of her life, Blanche knew this and so she called out to Malcolm to hold her...and hold her he did, never letting go until she passed away several hours later. Emma had phoned that day to let them know she was coming to say goodbye to her lovely daugther, but she arrived too late.

Maxine Grosfield was a very close friend of Blanche when they were growing up. The morning after Blanche died, her daughter Louise woke up and went out to the kitchen and found her mom sobbing. When Louise asked what was wrong, Maxine said “Last night, Blanche came to me and said ‘goodbye’. I just know that she passed away last night, but I don’t want to know that it is really true.” Eventually, Maxine did call our family and found out that she did indeed pass away that night. How powerful and real their friendship must have been.