Our Story:
Charles Matthew Lehnus, known as Charley, was born September 1, 1861, in Freiburg, Baden, Germany, the son of a locksmith. Education for boys was compulsory ~ the Kaiser insisted that his soldiers know how to read and write! ~ and so was military service. We don’t know what Charley did until he immigrated to America when he was 35 years of age, coming to relatives in Illinois. He worked for his uncle, then started farming himself, apparently on rented land, because there is no record of him owning land, at least around Kankakee.
It was probably at church that Charley met Christiana Friedrika Goll, who became his wife on February 12, 1898, married at her cousin’s home. Anna was born March 26, 1870, in Knittlingen, Stuttgart, Germany, one of four children born to a shoemaker. Schooling for girls was not yet compulsory, and since she did not keep in contact with her siblings who also came to America, it would appear that she did not learn to read and write. In 1888, she immigrated to Michigan, according to the history of her home town. The area was the scene of many wars between France and Germany, wars which destroyed property, destroyed crops, destroyed lives with hunger, cold and diseases brought in by the invading armies. Even if she lost her life on the way over, at least she had hope for a brighter future in America.
There was no farmland for sale in Illinois, and the idea of moving to some remote western state did not appeal to Charley. So, a year or two before moving to Davidson, Saskatchewan, he came to check out the area, traveling by train with the minister from their church in Illinois. He did not like the lands available for homesteading ~ they were too far from town, too hilly, the soil was too poor and had too many stones. Instead, he bought an established farm from the Saskatchewan Valley Land Company. It was six miles from town, level land, with few stones. The price quoted was $8 to $12 an acre, so 160 acres cost him between $1,280 and $1,920.
Lehnus Family
Rear:Charley Lehnus, Carl Lehnus, Walter Lehnus, Herman Lehnus, Oscar Lehnus
Rear:Christina Lehnus, Freda Lehnus, Louise Lehnus, Annie Lehnus
Charley and Anna left Kankakee, Illinois, in March, 1906. He rode with their possessions packed into two railcars, because the livestock had to be unloaded to be watered and fed at designated points along the way. Anna, pregnant with a baby due in August, and her four children, Oscar aged 7, Herman aged 5, Walter aged 3, and baby Anna aged 18 months, traveled in the coach, making do with the food and supplies she had packed in a basket. The coach had bare wooden benches to sit and sleep on, and a stove at one end to provide some heat and perhaps boil a kettle to make tea. With four restless children in these cramped quarters, she must have thought the trip would never end!
At Davidson, it was still winter. Charley got Anna and the children and their possessions off the train and moved to their new place. And what a home it was! Just a rather small wood frame shell of a house, not completely finished outside, nothing finished inside, but it was hers, and she made it a home. We often wonder what furnishings she had, what kitchenware she had, what clothing she had ….
The first problem that Charley and Anna had to resolve was water, good water in sufficient quantities for both the house and their livestock. A shallow well with a limited supply of good water was drilled near the house, but water for the livestock had to be hauled in. They dug thirty dry holes in the years between their arrival and the 1930’s, when they finally hit a good well. At 1155 feet, it was the deepest well in the area. But it was half a mile from the buildings. They decided to move the buildings to the well, and hired Myricks to move the house with everything in it: furniture, dishes – even Anna! There they put up new buildings, including a two-storey house, and the old house was used for the chickens.
Lehnus Cattle
One implement they brought from Illinois was a corn seeder, left to rust in a corner because the growing season here was too short for corn Among their livestock were two teams of mules, some cattle and pigs and chickens. One pair of mules were big animals, tall, bony animals, with mild dispositions, that the boys could handle. Hitched to the water wagon or sleigh, they knew the routine so well they didn’t really have to be driven. The other team were a “Mutt and Jeff pair. The big mule, a meek, obedient animal, was taller than the team. The small one was described as a ‘jackass’, and the strongest of the four. If he was not loaded to the limit, he was apt to run away, especially if Oscar or Herman were driving him. Unless it was quitting time. Then there was no way to convince him to work anymore, even if it was on the way home. Many a time the boys had to unhitch and leave the plow in the furrow when ‘Jack’ decided it was time to quit.
For Charley and Anna, life in Saskatchewan was not an easy one. For years the crop was hit with frost or hail, drought or grasshoppers, some- times more than one plague. However, they persevered, and gradually acquired horses to replace the mules, and later on, a tractor to replace the horses. Charley liked cattle, accepted the mules and horses, but never did understand or quite trust mechanical contraptions. They had a car, probably at the urging of the boys, and Charley would ride in it, as long as someone else drove. Otherwise, he drove a team of big black or big gray horses to haul grain to town and supplies home. The one time he had to drive the car, one of the guys at the threshing job started him off and Charley steered the thing home. He drove around the yard in a circle until someone could hop onto the running board and stop it for him.
In addition to the four children born in Illinois, Charley and Anna had three more born in Saskatchewan: Carl born August 1906, Louise born in 1909, and Freda born December 1910. Apparently Anna never did leave the homestead, never went shopping, never attended church, never saw a doctor or dentist, never visited her married children to see her grandchildren. Her babies were delivered with the help of a midwife. She was obviously a strong person, and a good housewife. She coped, using what she had, to feed and clothe and nurture her growing family during some very difficult times, times made even more difficult by her isolation. Someone once stayed for supper and was served lettuce with cream and sugar for dessert. He was lucky that she had sugar to give him!
Their first child was Oscar Carl was born in Pilot Township, Kankakee County, Illinois, on December 7, 1898. He attended Kent School and helped his father with the farm work, until he was about 22. Then he went to work at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, in the heating plant. Among the things he brought home were a crystal radio set, one or two ornate striking clocks, and a gramophone. The family remembered sitting around the kitchen table as they listened to the radio. It was in 1922, in the cafeteria, that he met his wife-to-be, Ruth Firth, a dark-haired Irish girl.
When Oscar went to Windsor, Ontario, to work as a fire maker in the railroad roundhouse, Ruth followed him. They were married July 31,1925, and lived there for 18 years, their son and daughter were born there. A highlight of Oscar’s was attending a World Series Baseball game in Detroi with some of the Lehnus relations in Illinois that he had contacted. He also worked as a streetcar driver, until they lost their house, and they then moved to Guelph. He worked for J.C.Wood there, while Ruth, again, did housework. In 1945, they moved to Cloverdale, which is now a suburb of Langley, B.C. Oscar worked for a machinery dealer and as a contractor doing refrigeration and electrical work. They bought a five-acre plot of land, cleared it and built a house, Ruth gardened and planted fruit trees, she kept chickens and raised cattle using the hay grown on their five-acre plot.
One thing led to another, and Oscar came back to Saskatchewan alone in 1951. Electricity was just being brought to the towns and farms here, and he wired many, many homes, including his brothers Walter and Carl’s place at Davidson, and Herman’s at Paddockwood. He stayed in Paddockwood for several years, then moved Prince Albert, where he enjoyed walking downtown for coffee with his friends. He maintained his interest in current events, in spite of being almost blind and hard of hearing. He died in 1988, and is buried beside his wife at Langley.
Ruth and their son lived on the place until she had to go into a nursing home, where, to her delight, she could help with the laundry! She passed away with pneumonia and alzheimers in 1991 and is buried in Langley.
Their son William (Bill) lived at home, and worked as a heavy machinery operator for the Municipality for 40-odd years until his retirement. At the retirement seminar given for civic employees, he met the lady that he would later marry. They live at Sardis, B.C., enjoying her family, golfing, traveling, camping and fishing.
Daughter Irene worked at the General Hospital after her schooling, and in 1948, married Syd Jenkins, who worked with her father at the dealership. They built their house on a five-acre plot across the road from her parents. He was working for Pacific Stage Line and Grey Hound Bus Lines when he retired. He was robbed at gunpoint, and shot in the process ~ quite a highlight of your working life, but definitely one you will always remember! They have three children: David, born in 1952, is a truck driver; Richard, born 1955, is an engineer for the B.C. Railway; and Tracey, born 1959, works as a warehouse clerk, is married but has no family.
Walter Lehnus and hereford bull
Herman Arthur was born August 22, 1900, in Pilot Township, Kankakee County, Illinois, and baptized there. That framed certificate was the key to researching the Lehnus and Goll families. Herman quit school at grade four, stayed home to help his dad, and later began farming for himself on nearby rented land. He had to do things with his hands to really understand them. His interest in the new gasoline tractors led him to become quite a good, self-taught mechanic. He met Agnes Camber when she worked as a hired girl for a neighbor. They were married in 1935 and lived on the farm he was renting, in a two-storey house with an open front verandah. There was a hip- roof barn complete with a horse-powered sling to lift the hay into the loft and the usual other frame buildings. A tornado in 1937 tore the roof off the barn, dropping the boards in one direction, the shingles in another. Nothing else was touched. They had a daughter and a son while living there.
Because there was no farmland for sale around Davidson in 1941, Herman moved his family to rented land north of Prince Albert. Among their possessions was a Minneapolis-Moline tractor on rubber tires, an assortment of horse-drawn tillage equipment which Herman had adapted for the tractor, and a harrow hitch he made from 2×12’s and two binder bullwheels. There were some mixed-breed cattle, pigs and chickens, and three horses, a bay mother and son team, and bright red mare, the ones that hadn’t sold at the auction. A gray gelding, a nice heavy horse, sold for $65, his teammate went for almost as much. Herman changed the tractor to a Cockshutt on steel wheels with lugs, which he thought to be more practical.
At this new place, a two-storey unpainted frame house sat on the rise, overlooking a frame barn and a couple of granaries – and a one-hole outhouse with a resident robin! One of the first things Herman did was set up the wind-charger. It was connected to a 6-volt wet battery, which powered a single light bulb in the kitchen, and the radio.
In April, 1945, they bought land and moved about 25 miles north to a quarter four miles south of Paddockwood. The buildings were log ones, with tar paper roofs, except for the barn, which had the unfinished lumber framework of a hiproof. Livestock and the household was moved that one day and settled as best they could be, before the family went to bed. The house was about 20 feet square inside, with one-quarter of it partitioned off for a bedroom. Stove pipes poked through the tar paper roof for the cook stove and heater. Next morning, what a rude awakening! Heat from the stove melted the frost that had collected on the underside of the roof overnight. And now it dripped on everything, leaving brown stains. What a happy day in 1950 when the new house was completed enough to live in! Oscar wired it in 1951, and the electricity was turned on February, 1952. Their third child, Lillian, was born in 1958.
Herman and Agnes planted a shelterbelt on the west and south sides of the building site, dug a well and dugout, built a new barn and an extension to it, granaries and a garage/ workshop. They increased their cattle herd, and Herman joined the Begin Grazing Co-Op, which leased nearby Crown land for a community pasture. He helped work down the bush and seeded it to grass, and for many years, he wintered one of the Co-op’s bulls.
Among the new things brought to the new farm were a ‘pickler’ to treat seed grain with mercury, a fanning mill, a Case threshing machine and a saw to cut old fence posts for the kitchen stove, and a grindstone in a stand for sharpening mower knives. One log building, probably the original house, became his workshop. He filled it with the various tools needed for fixing or making new: a forge and anvil and vice; a press drill with metal and wood bits; blowtorch and soldering irons; wrenches and pliers and hammers of every size and shape; carpenter saws and square. He made bearings from babbitt. He made ropes from binder twine and spliced them so neatly you had to look to find the joint. He sewed harness and shoes. He recycled and economized outside just as Agnes did inside. Many a rainy Sunday afternoon was spent in the shop, taking apart some broken thing and carefully salvaging the pieces to use another day, then tap-tap-tapping the nails on a block of scrap lumber to straighten them. Driving one of these nails was a challenge he made look easy. Not too bad for a guy with a grade four education!
Annie Lehnus Palmer and Carl Lehnus
In the days before refrigerators and microwave ovens, Agnes always managed to feed the haying crew or a traveling salesman who came at mealtime. They sold the farm, auctioned off the machinery, and retired to Saskatoon in 1973. He passed away in 1988 with alzheimers. Agnes still lives in their house, with support from her daughter Lillian and especially granddaughter Tammy who lives with her.
Daughter Eileen attended the one-room, all grades Begin school until sitters replaced teachers, and she finished high school at Paddockwood, before attending business college in Saskatoon. In 1963 she married Fred Meyer, who worked for the City as a horticulturist. They have two sons, Henry and Frank, both married, but no family. Henry trained as a cook, while Frank prefers to be outdoors, driving for a courier.
Herman and Agnes’ son Arthur also attended Begin and Paddockwood schools, studied mechanics at Vocational School and worked in Radisson where he met his wife shortly before he joined the Canadian Forces. They were married in 1963. He was stationed at Gananoque, Ontario, Calgary and Brandon, and had two postings in Germany. Marg attended business school in Saskatoon, and worked at University of Manitoba campus in Brandon when they retired. They have a son and daughter, both born in Germany. Kevin is an industrial plumber, working out of Winnipeg. Kimberiy is a keyboard typist working in Winnipeg until her marriage in 2004 to a farmer. She likes the outdoors and is looking forward to driving trucks and combine.
Daughter Lillian attended Paddockwood and Meath Park schools, Mount Royal Collegiate and business college in Saskatoon. She married Glen Clarke in 1977 and they had two daughters, Tammy and Candis. Both are presently attending University of Saskatchewan, Tammy is in Commerce, and Candis is studying International Law. Glen passed away in 1995. Lillian worked in different offices while Agnes cared for the girls, but she is now semi-retired due to whiplash injuries suffered in a couple of car accidents. She enjoys knitting, rifle hunting and fishing.
Charley and Anna’s third son, Walter George, was also born in Illinois. He attended Kent school, achieving his grade eight certificate. Afterwards, he worked at home and for neighbors, until he and his younger brother Carl took over the home place on the death of their father. He liked livestock and raised many prize-winning steers that sold for top dollar at the Saskatoon market. They bought more land and better, bigger machinery. He was out- going, with a shrewd business sense, and served on several local committees. Then, in 1965, they sold the farm, but lived there until the new house in town was finished in 1967. Walter enjoyed traveling, but he preferred to be the passenger rather than the driver. In 1967, he took in Expo with niece Irene and her family, among many other trips and visits to family and friends. He passed away in 1973, and is buried in the Davidson Cemetery.
Anna Marie, usually known as Annie, was the last child born in Illinois and the eldest daughter. She, too, attended Kent School, but only until grade six, when she left to help at home. Later she worked as a hired girl on farms and in town. Beginning about 1933, she kept house for her brother Herman, and it was here that she met her future husband. They were married on her parents’ anniversary, February 12, 1936, and had two daughters, Velma Grace and Reta Ann, both born in 1937.
Charles Henry Palmer, better known as Harry, was born in Elizabethville, Ontario, on March 2, 1886, into a large family. He left home at a young age, working at any job he could get. In 1924, he came West on the Harvest Excursion train to Indian Head, Saskatchewan, where he stayed for the winter. The next spring he came to Davidson, where he worked for Selby Hutcheon and also Ruben Lloyd. He rented a half-section, located three miles east of Davidson, from Mr. Lloyd, and it was there that he and Annie lived after their marriage. They continued to farm there for 23 years. Harry was very fond of horses, and took great pride in keeping them groomed. He supplemented the farm income by working each summer as a road grader operator, maintaining and building Municipal roads. They drove a Chevrolet car with a rumble seat until he bought Charley’s 1928 Chevrolet car in 1947. That year, he bought a new car and the family drove to Ontario to meet his family ~ the first time he had been back. Most of the roads were gravel, but some were paved, and the girls couldn’t get over how smooth it was. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1957 and passed away in April, 1958.
Annie was one of those fabled farm women who did everything, from stocking sheaves to fine crochet and embroidery handiwork. She helped with the milk cows, pigs and chickens. She sold cream, butter, eggs and dressed chickens to customers in town. She even took in other folks’ laundry, all to earn a few dollars. She had a garden and preserved the produce. She made every day meals and holiday feasts, bread and delicate pastry. Her family remembers that she wore cotton housedresses that she made from material bought at the local stores, or, sometimes, ordered from the catalogue. Her petticoats were usually made from flour or sugar bags. She wore aprons, colored print ones for every day, for Sundays and special occasions such as serving lunch after a funeral, white ones trimmed with her own embroidery. Both were washed and starched, dried on an outdoor clothesline summer and winter, and ironed. If she wore pants to do chores, they were an old pair of men’s trousers that she had salvaged. She knitted and quilted and made feather pillows from her own birds. She boarded many of the teachers that taught at the local Meryton School, until it closed in June, 1951. Following Harry’s death, she remained on the farm until July 1966, when she bought a house in town. Once again, she boarded lady teachers until 1969.
Annie was President of the Meryton Ladies Aid and also the Davidson branch of the Senior Citizens Organization from its inception in 1961. The highlight of her presidency had to be the opening of the Centre in September, 1975. Ill health in 1985 forced her to move into Prairie View Lodge, now called the Health Center. She passed away September 1, 1995, the last and oldest member of the family. She is buried beside Harry.
Lehnus Farmstead
Year: 1958
Both Velma and Reta went to Meryton School from 1943 to 1951, getting their grade eight. They hated the tricot-knit cotton combination underwear they had to wear in winter, under melton cloth ski pants and jackets made from old coats. The first day the underwear fit quite snugly, but even so, it still bulged under the cotton brown stockings, stockings held up by an over- the-shoulder garterbelt harness mother made. To school, they wore cotton dresses that were starched and ironed so carefully ~ girls just didn’t wear pants in those days, no matter what their age. Growing up so close, they were content to find their amusement at home, and the first school dance they went to was a ‘Sadie Hawkins’ one in grade eleven! They took their high school in Davidson, riding the first school bus, graduating in 1955. That fall, they attended Robertson’s Business College in Saskatoon, completing their course in June, 1956.
Velma was happy to be hired as secretary at the Bank of Montreal in Davidson – she didn’t like the city with its bustle and noise. On November 30, 1957, she married Norman Callaway, who farmed in the Maple Valley district, 18 miles northeast of Davidson. They had a daughter and three sons. Velma helped with the 4H and Figure Skating Clubs, Cubs and Scouts, while her family participated in them. She belonged to the Rebekah Lodge and is a member of the local Historical Society. She worked on the Davidson history book called Prairie Tapestry when it was compiled in 1983 and for the second edition published in 2000.
Norman was born July 31,1933, at Simpson, the son of James and Bertha Callaway. He attended Maple Valley school, leaving with his grade ten, when he went farming with his dad. He studied Vocational Agriculture for a year at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. He was a member of Oddfellows, a charter member of Kinsmen and K40 Clubs, a volunteer fire fighter, and also served with the Cubs and Scouts. He earned his wings as a private pilot in 1974.
Norm and Velma farmed from town from 1958 to 1966, living in a rented house, until 1963 when they built their own. When Norm’s parents retired in 1967, Norm and Velma spent summers at the farm and winters in town, so their children had access to school and activities. The youngsters often said they had the best of two worlds. This routine continued until 1978, when they built a new house on NW 19-28-27 W2nd. In 1980, Norm and Velma received the Family Farm Heritage Award for being the third generation of the family to continuously operate the farm since 1907. They continue to enjoy life on the farm, but have rented out the land since 2000.
Their daughter Debra Jean was born August 2, 1958, at Davidson. She attended school in Davidson, graduating in 1975, followed by two years at University. She married in 1976, but the union ended in divorce. She took computer programming at Robertson’s Business College, then worked at CSP Foods. After she received a Computer Science degree through Athabaska College, she worked for Department of National Defense in Moose Jaw. She is now employed at Borden Military Base in Ontario, where she resides with her two younger daughters Nicole and Kimberlee. Her eldest daughter, Brandi, lives in Saskatoon with her partner and son.
Norm and Velma’s first son, Allan Norman, was born May 30, 1960. He graduated high school in 1978, studied heavy duty mechanics at Kelsey in Saskatoon, and earned his wings as a private pilot in 1982. For the past twenty years, he has farmed and drives truck. He married Dalelene Sullivan in 1987. They live on an acreage near Saskatoon with their three children, Josh who is studying to be an electrician, and twins Matt and Mackenzie who attend school at Clavet. They then sold their acreage and now live in Saskatoon.
Their second son is Duane Charles, born June 23, 1962. He graduated in 1980, and earned his private and commercial license in 1981. He worked at Mitchinson’s Flying Service, then at various bush, corporate and courier flying jobs, gaining experience. Since 1989, he is a pilot at Canadian Regional Airlines, which is now Air Canada. He married Cindy Zarachkowski in 1993, and their daughter Chantelle was born in 1994. Cindy operated a care home and took classes, until Duane was transferred to Calgary in 2004.They now live in Airdrie, AB.
Norm and Velma’s last child was a son, Michael James, born May 11, 1967. He graduated high school in 1985. In 1986, he went as a trainee to Australia, and has made several trips “Down Under” since then. He took a course in heavy duty mechanics, has earned his wings as a private and commercial pilot, farms and drives trucks.
Harry and Annie’s younger daughter, Reta Ann, after graduating from Robertson’s Business College in 1956, worked in Saskatoon at a wholesale grocers for ten years, then Medical Services, Inc., for 16 years. She enjoyed curling, and won several provincial and two national championships during this time. She had joined the Canadian Foresters in 1965, and in 1975, went to work for them, in the life insurance field, when she obtained her license. After transfers to Chilliwack, B.C. and Brantford, Ontario, she moved once more in 1992 to Head Office in Toronto, where she held the post of Senior Benefit Specialist until 1999. Reta has now retired and enjoys life at ElliotLake, Ontario.
Carl August Lehnus was born at home on August 12, 1906, the first child born to Charley and Anna at the homestead in Saskatchewan. After he finished school, he worked with his dad and brothers Walter and Herman. He and Walter took over the home place after the death of their father in 1947. Carl was the mechanic who could fix anything, in addition to his interest in the cattle. It was Carl who did the housework and looked after their mother. After his heart attack in 1964, the farm was sold and they moved into their newly-built house in Davidson. Carl preferred to close to stay home, and enjoyed many years of bowling with the Senior Citizens, winning several trophies. After Walter’s passing, Carl continued to live in their house alone, assisted by his niece Velma and nephew Robert until his health deteriorated and he had to become a resident of Prairie View Lodge. He passed away in June, 1995, and is buried in the family plot in the Davidson Cemetery.
The second child bom to Charley and Anna at Davidson was Louise Sophie, on April 10, 1909. After she completed her schooling, she worked at home and for neighbors. Her poor eyesight and severe headaches limited her lifestyle. Although she wore glasses, something rather unusual in those days, they didn’t help much. She died suddenly in February, 1952.
Charley and Anna’s last child, Freda Elsie, was born December 4, 1910. After getting her grade eight, she worked at home, and on March 9, 1937, she married Murvin McLaren. Freda was a hard working wife, capable and willing to take on any job, an attitude that served her well.
Murvin was born at Hopeville, Ontario, and came with his family in 1919 to Penzance, Saskatchewan. As newly-weds, Murvin and Freda lived on the Dean Farm, 18 miles northeast of Davidson. Their next move was to the dark Hill farm, only three miles northeast of Davidson, which they rented until they moved to the Bill Howie farm, located five miles northeast of Girvin. In 1953, Murvin and Freda bought from Allan Mclvor a section of land situated two miles west of Girvin. They lived there until they bought a house in Girvin from Jim Church. Murvin died suddenly in November, 1963, leaving a widow and their three young sons. Freda then bought a house from Annie Mclvor and lived in Girvin until 1981 when she moved to Davidson.
Freda was secretary of the Detcheon school, the country school that her boys attended, and she reported the local Girvin news for the Davidson Leader newspaper for many years. After her husband’s passing, she worked at any job, from babysitting to housecleaning – her hands were never idle, until she could no longer see to crochet or knit. In her opinion, TV was a waste of time! She liked driving, and took many folks to their appointments in the City. When she came to Davidson, Freda joined the Senior Citizens and was secretary of the club when the Centre was opened. She passed away in April, 1991.
Murvin and Freda’s first son was Robert Charles, born May 13, 1939. He attended Detcheon country and Girvin town schools. He has lived and worked all his life in the Girvin and Davidson districts, on farms and in tire shops. He also drove a school bus for 27 years, retiring in June, 2004. Robert married Eunice Haaland from Hanley in 1967, and they had two sons and a daughter. Eunice worked in North Battleford (Saskatchewan), Sacramento (California), Essondale (B.C.) and in England, before coming to the Davidson Hospital where she worked for over 24 years, retiring in 1998.
Their first son, Danny Allan, graduated from Davidson High School in 1982, then attended University of Saskatchewan, graduating in 1987 with an electrical engineering degree. He went to Edmonton, Alberta, where he married Terina in 1994 while working for Bombardia. They were transferred to Arizona in 1999, then to Quebec in 2004. They have three daughters.
Robert and Eunice’s second son is Darcy, who graduated high school in 1986, then worked locally until moving to Edmonton in 1989. He works there now as an automotive technician for a Saturn auto dealership. He married Sandra in 2002 and their first child, Nikolas Robert, was born on May 25, 2004.
Their daughter Leslie graduated high school in 1989 then attended Kelsey where she studied ‘Early Childhood Education’, graduating in 1992.She works at the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union daycare.
Murvin and Freda’s second son, Lloyd Samuel born June 1942, also attended Detcheon and Girvin schools. His love of farming kept him on the family farm until 2003, when he moved into Girvin. Lloyd married Sharon Long, a teacher in Girvin, in 1966 and they have four children.
Their first son, Vernon, is married to Michelle. They live on the family farm raising cattle, llamas and goats. Gordon is the next child. He married Crystal, and has worked as farmhand, driven truck, and now has a ranch in Alberta, attaining his dream. He and Crystal have a family of five children, including twins born in 2004. Daughter Brenda has earned a BA and a Bed from the University of Saskatchewan. She and her son live at Glaslyn, where she teaches. The youngest child is Lyle. He now works on a feed lot near Kenaston after trying his hand other jobs.
The third son of Murvin and Freda is David. He attended Girvin and Davidson schools, graduating in 1965. After working at several things, he began a career with SaskPower, based in Regina. He married Vyonne in 1969. She works for a bank, and they have three children. Glenna is working in Kingston, Ontario. Troy is in the Armed Forces, stationed in Trenton, Ontario. Jonathan lives and works in Regina.