Family Visits

 

When Mom’s Dad passed away in 1936, her baby brother, James Van Day (Jay for short)  was just six months old.  His mother was nursing him, and as babies can do, he was picking up on the stress and sadness his mother was experiencing.  Therefore, she was also dealing with one very cranky baby.  In Mom’s words, “He cried a lot.”  Finally, someone fixed a bottle for Jay and her Uncle Velve Heggie held him and fed him.  He took the bottle like he was very hungry and finally slept. 

We moved from Raymond to Rosemary in the spring of 1945.  In November of that same year, then nine-year-old, Jay took very ill.  His mother took him to the new hospital that had been built in Taber.  The doctor was not sure what was wrong.  He sent specimens from his throat and lungs to the laboratory in Lethbridge.  Mom’s family in Taber sent word that Jay was ill, and Mom and Dad immediately packed us all up and we went to Taber. 

A few days later, Jay passed away.  It was Armistice Day, 11 November 1955.

Later that Day, Mom’s sister, Aunt Verna, gave birth to her third child, Bonnie Rae.  Can you imagine the mixed emotions she was experiencing?

The throat and lung cultures came back indicating Jay had diphtheria.  The whole family was quarantined.

They were not allowed to have a funeral, just a graveside service.  The day Jay died, there was a Chinook wind blowing, but the day he was buried, it was thirty degrees below zero. (And that was in the days when it was still Fahrenheit degrees.)  

Rosemary was a long ways from Raymond and Taber, where most of our relatives lived but we did keep in touch and visited back and forth and there were happier times when we could get together.  I remember when Aunt Verna and Uncle Clarence, Aunt Lenor and Uncle Joe, and Grandma came to visit in Rosemary. 

Marvelle and I had such fun playing with our cousins and could not wait until we could visit again. 

Uncle Clarence with Lester Ann on his knee and Louiene.

Uncle Clarence, Aunt Verna, with Arliss and Louiene

Grandma (Sarah Evans VanDam Day), Aunt Verna, Dad (Clarence Hyde), Mom (Floy Hyde), Uncle Joe Edwards and Aunt Lenor Edwards.  In front Lester Ann and Marvelle.

Marvelle and Louiene on the tricycle and Arliss giving Lester Ann 

a ride in the wagon.

Marvelle, Arliss, Louiene, and Lester Ann by Uncle Clarence’s car.

Arliss, Marvelle, Louiene, Gordon, and Lester Ann.

 

Socksie

 

SOCKSIE

By:  Lester Ann Hyde Jensen

 

Photo taken in Taber when I was about 10 years old

I was five years old when I was introduced to Socksie.  I don’t remember why we went to Lethbridge that day but on our way home we stopped in Raymond to visit with Jim and Alice Still.   Aunt Alice had a cat with a batch of kittens who were ready to leave their mother.  Aunt Alice offered to let me pick any one I wanted.   To convince Dad, we should take a kitten she told him the mother cat was the best cat she ever had. She said she was clean, a great mouser, a good mother  who kept her kittens spotlessly clean, trained them well and taught them to hunt.   

Dad agreed and the one I picked had many different colors, kind of a calico/tabby cross.  I fell in love with her instantly and because she had four white feet, I named her Socksie.    She proved to be every bit as good a cat as Aunt Alice had promised.  Every six months she had a new batch of kittens and she trained and cared for them just like her mother did.  She let me and my little sister play with her and her babies. We had a grand time dressing them in our doll clothes and pushing her around in our doll buggy.  

Word of Socksie’s talents and habits spread among our friends and neighbours and we never had any trouble finding homes for her kittens. 

One day while cutting hay, Dad made a horrible discovery.  There was a rabbit’s nest hidden in the grass and the mower blades cut right through it.  The tiny babies were not hurt but the bigger mother was killed.   Very tenderly, Daddy picked up the orphaned bunnies and brought them home to Socksie who just happened to be caring for a new batch of kittens.  Her motherly instincts took over and she nursed them along with her kittens. She had plenty of milk for all of them and she protected them like they were no different.    She cleaned them like she did her own babies and even tried to teach them to hunt.  She led them, along with her kittens to the tall grass behind the ranch house and could not figure out why they weren’t interested in mice like the kittens were.  It was great fun to watch the bunnies interact and play with Socksie’s kittens.  The bunnies hopped everywhere they went, and the kittens could barely keep up with them but just like children who laugh and play with other children no matter what differences existed between them, they loved playing together. 

Socksie took care of them until they were old enough to go back to the wild. I remember well the day we turned them loose.  They seemed a bit confused and could not figure out what they were to do but they were no more confused than Socksie was. Finally, after much effort on our parts, the bunnies hopped away, and they were gone.  I was heartbroken.   For weeks after Socksie would wander down to the spot where we left them and just lay in the grass for a while, then come back to the ranch house.  It was obvious she missed them and wondered where they had gone.  Dad explained why wild animals needed to live in the wild and domestic animals could stay with us.  I understood but I worried and wondered about whether Socksie or the bunnies did. 

Shirley and Lester Ann Playing with Socksie and her kittens

It was Dad’s habit to feed Socksie some milk when he milked the cows.  In the fall of about 1962, Socksie was 13 years old.    At this time of the year, between the factory and the farm, Dad was terribly busy.  Socksie looked like she did not feel well, and Dad was concerned about her.  He was concerned that she might have missed her milk too often and maybe she had mouse poisoning from eating too many mice that were so plentiful in the fields.  She had yet another batch of kittens and Dad was concerned they were too much drain on her health, so he got rid of them. 

Unfortunately, a few days later he found her lying in a puddle in the barnyard, dead.  The whole family was devastated to lose our beloved Socksie.  In her effort to cheer us up, mom quipped, “She probably found out she was pregnant again and she committed suicide. “

Dad said he was sorry he had gotten rid of all the kittens.  He would have liked to have one of her kittens so her legacy would live on.

 

Canoeing

by Lester Ann Hyde Jensen

The next water experience of note in our family happened when we lived at Lake Bonavista in Calgary. There was a community lake complete with boating and sporting facilities. Colleen and Randy visited us on Saturday afternoon so we took them to the lake for some fun and relaxation. This was right up Randy's alley. He and Gayle decided to take one of the canoes for a spin around the lake.

Randy's experience with canoes was far superior to Gayle's, so he patiently explained to Gayle how to get into the canoe. He got in first to show Gayle how it  was done. Then Gayle proceeded to attempt to do the same. I now have my doubts as to whether or not was an accident, but Gayle tipped the canoe and into the brink went Randy. After much spitting, sputter and yelling and more instructions, Randy once again got into the boat and told Gayle to watch more closely this time.

Gayle politely watched and this time, I am positive he purposely tipped Randy into the lake again. That ended the session on the water. We went home.

Water Skiing and Freezing in Waterton

by Lester Ann Hyde Jensen

When Gayle was on his mission in Denmark, I went to Waterton with his parents and some of their friends and spent a fun week there. Clarence and Irene Bowden were among the friends that were there. They had brought their boat.

We were all water skiing on Waterton Lake. I had done some water skiing before and thought I was pretty good at it. I was wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt when they asked me to go for a ski around the lake. I thought that was a good idea and didn't bother changing into a bathing suit as I was surely not going to fall off the skis. 

We started off around the lake. Irene Bowden was driving the boat and for some unknown reason she slowed down so much I was about to fall into the water. I signaled for her to go faster and she responded by pulling the throttle back so far that we took off like a shot. The speed pulled my feet right out of the skis and I did a nosedive into the water. Only the waters of Waterton Lake can be as cold as that water was. When I came up for air, I was gasping from the cold so deeply that I was forgetting to breath. I had to actually talk to myself. 

"Slow down. Breath in. Breath out. Again."

After Irene finished laughing at me, she circled the boat around to pick me up out of the water. I was so cold. I think my muscles were frozen. I tried and the people in the boat tried to help me, but I could not for the life of get my leg up over the edge of the boat. I could not pull myself up out of the water. After several failed attempts, they just towed me to shore. I was more embarrassed. I don't think I have been on water skis since.

The Raymond Stampede

 by Marvelle Hyde Noble

Well, if it was anywhere between the years of 1948 to about 1956 or so, my father, Clarence Hyde, would be getting us ready to go to the Raymond Stampede come July 1. I can't remember anything much before 1945 when we moved away from Raymond. We lived in Rosemary from 1945 to 1948 and so until we got closer to Raymond we didn't get to go to the stampede. Mom hated it. We all loved it. We knew all along that we would probably go but nothing was aid until breakfast on July 1.

"So who wants to go with me to The Stampede today?" dad would ask while mom glared at him. Us kids all shouted, "I do! I do!" We didn't have to ask where The Stampede was. We all knew it was in Raymond, Alberta! After mom had done absolutely everything she could do possibly to find to do int he house, we would start off for Raymond and the parade. We always got there late, but Dad always seemed to find a good parking spot. No sooner had we parked the truck than Dad was off to visit with everyone. He would start at one side of the street. Usually, Lester Ann and I went with him. We would stop and visit with everyone along the way.

Dad was always a favorite among people and people would call out to him, "Hey Hyde! How you been?"

"For hell's sake, if it isn't Clarence Hyde!"

"These your kids? Good lookin'! Must take after their mother!"

I loved it. I loved the attention. I basked in the obvious admiration men had for my dad and the sheer excitement. By the time the parade started, I was walking a foot off the ground. The horses pranced with beautifully dressed riders. There were beautiful floats. Kids on their bikes decorated for the day. Bands made us walk and stand at attention. Popcorn was sold on the corner but we usually didn't get any because we were far too busy to eat.

By the time we got back to the truck from visiting, Mom would be mad. She usually had to sit by herself with the younger babies, Shirley and Colleen. I never knew a Raymond Stampede day that Mother was talking to Father.

I remember on time specifically. We always went over to Greeps (Harriet Greep was dad's older sister) after the parade. Greeps lived right across the street from the stampede grounds. Dad dropped Mom off at Aunt Harriet's and Dad and I went over to the stampede grounds, just to look around before the Stampede started and before dinner.

A turn table had been set up in one of the booths for gambling. Dad gave the man $20, which was quickly eaten up. The wheel never stopped on a place where dad would get any money. Dad was upset about losing the money so we left and went back to Greeps. When Mom heard Dad had lost $20, an unbelievable sum of money in those days, she told him he must go back and get the money back from the man.

I thought it was impossible to accomplish, but Dad and I went back to the man who had the spinning wheel. Dad demanded his money back. The man told Dad to go to hell. My dad leaned over the counter, took the man by the front of his shirt and said, "If you don't give me my money back right now, I will stand here for the rest of the day and tell everyone how you stole $20 from me." He used some other choice vocabulary which I won't repeat at this point in time. I guess the man believe Dad as he gave him back his $20.

That kind of put a kink in the rest of the day. We had dinner at Aunt Harriet's as we did every year and went home. I think it was the first and last time Father ever gambled.

The Raymond Stampede and parade was always a day that I loved, a day that I was proud to be Clarence Hyde's kid. One of the proudest days of my life was the day I rode in the Raymond Parade as the first Mrs. Lethbridge. In 1990, Dad was still alive and very proud of me. As I passed in front of him and Mom sitting in the car, I waved my hand off. I knew he was telling everyone that that was his kid waving at him.

Boundary Creek

 

Photo of Old Chief by Colleen Boyer

BOUNDARY CREEK

By Lester Ann Hyde Jensen & Marvelle Hyde Noble

 

We stayed in Rosemary for four years.  Marvelle was nine, I was five, and Shirley was three months old.   Mom and Dad worked hard but were not getting ahead.  They never had much but they did have 50 head of young cattle.  Dad rented a ranch southwest of Cardston in the Boundary Creek area.  They rented the land and had a five-year lease. 

I vaguely remember the night we arrived at the ranch.  It was the spring of 1949 and a howling Chinook wind welcomed us.  When we arrived at the gate to the ranch the ground was wet, and Dad was worried we would get stuck before we reached the house.  Besides, the old truck did not have a lot of power and Dad was worried between that and the load it was carrying, it would not make it to the ranch house.  He had already brought our furniture with the tractor named Rachel and a hay rack.

Dad announced we would have to walk the rest of the way.  “It’s less than half a mile.  We can make it.” he assured us.   To protect Shirley from the wind, he put her in a leather shopping bag Mom had made and carried her.  Marvelle and I both held mom’s hands tight as we walked. I had never seen a mountain before and I was in awe of Old Chief Mountain, looming in the distance. 

When we arrived, Dad built a fire in the stove and went back to the truck to collect our suitcases.  The house was a lot less than Mom had anticipated, and she sat on the oven door and cried.

By the time the house had warmed up, Dad returned, and he and mom made up our beds.  We were all very tired and nervous.  The wind was still howling, and we all took a long time to go to sleep. 

Things looked better when the sun came up the next morning.  The Chinook had blown the wet ground dry, and Dad took us all on a walk and showed us around the ranch.  He told us about the fish we could catch from the mountain creek, and the hunting he could do in the area.  He even showed us a beaver dam in the creek and told us how he would have to tear it down so the water could flow to where the cattle could drink the fresh mountain water

He had pointed out the Boundary Creek School we had passed as we approached the ranch.  He had purchased a tame old mare for Marvelle to ride to school.  We named her Vickie.  It was about a mile from the ranch house.  She was excited to be able to ride a horse to school.  I did not tell any of the rest of my family, but I was glad I didn’t have to go to school yet.  I had gone to school a few times with Marvelle in Rosemary, but we did not ride a horse to school there.  We rode in a big yellow school bus.  Besides, I was happy to stay home with my Mom and Dad and baby sister, Shirley.  to where the cattle could drink the fresh mountain water.  He had pointed out the Boundary Creek School we had passed as we approached the ranch.  He had purchased a tame old mare for Marvelle to ride to school.  We named her Vickie.  It was about a mile from the ranch house.  She was excited to be able to ride a horse to school.  I did not tell any of the rest of my family, but I was glad I didn’t have to go to school yet.  I had gone to school a few times with Marvelle in Rosemary, but we did not ride a horse to school there.  We rode in a big yellow school bus.  Besides, I was happy to stay home with my Mom and Dad and baby sister, Shirley. 

The old house on the ranch, many years later.

Mom and Dad both worked awfully hard.  Dad worked with the cattle, built fences, and outbuildings.  He also made improvements to the house to make it more livable.  Mom worked at scrubbing floors and the walls, sewing curtains and making it into a home. 

Dad often took me with him when he had to take feed to the cattle or when he was fixing or building fences.   On one beautiful spring morning I had gone with him, I thought to help him.  I loved being able to hand him a tool as he needed it, or to just be with him so he could tell me stories.  But that morning I got tired and wanted to go back to the house.  Dad said, “OK, go ahead.”   I started off, but it did not take long for me to realize I was going in the wrong direction.  I panicked.  I started to cry and scream.

                                               “I’m lost!  BEARS! BEARS!”

Dad had to run to me, take me by the shoulders and shake me before I would stop screaming, then he set me on the right path, and I was fine. 

One day while building a fence, Dad was pounding a post into the ground with a big sledgehammer.  He missed his target with one swing of the hammer and crushed his thumb in the process.  He ran to the house and told Mom he needed some salt.  She was horrified by the amount of blood and the condition his thumb was in.  Dad told her to pour a handful of salt into his other hand.  She followed his directions, but she could not stand to watch as he put his thumb in the hand with the salt and wrapped his thumb in it.  He then had her wrap a bandage around his thumb and went back out to finish the fence.

Our next experience is best told by Marvelle:

Mom and Dad often went to Lethbridge to get supplies.  One time when they went, they stayed overnight and arranged for me to stay with Hansens while they were gone.  Ralph Hansen was a school mate and after school, he and I were playing on the haystack at their place.  We were jumping up and down on the newly made stack.  Well, I got too close to the edge and off I went.  I landed on my shoulder.  It was very painful, and I immediately wanted to go home.  Of course, I could not, so Mrs. Hansen rubbed my shoulder with liniment and put me to bed.  I remember looking over at the bottle she had left on the night table. On the label, it said, “For Man or beast”.  I was terribly upset.  I was not a man, and I was not a beast.  I cried myself to sleep. 

Mrs. Hansen tried to talk me into staying home the next morning, but there was no way I was not going.  I had to be there for Mom and Dad to pick me up that day at school. It was very painful getting up on Old Vickie, but I managed and rode her to school with one arm (the left arm) hanging down.  I couldn’t do anything with it.  Later that day, when Mom and Dad stopped at the school, I didn’t see them, but good old Mr. Zemp told them I had experienced an accident, but I was fine, and I was just pretending I couldn’t use my left arm.  So, Mom and Dad drove on home without me. 

After school, I once again got up on Vickie and rode her home.  I was in terrible pain.  When Mom saw me through the window, she was alarmed and she said to Dad, “Marvelle’s hurt! She is not pretending!”  Dad ran to Old Vickie’s side and helped me down.  I stayed in bed for two days. 

My arm did not improve.  In fact, it simply hung down by my side.  Dad took me to Cardston to a doctor.  The doctor said it had been broken and had started to mend.  He told Dad he would have to re-break my shoulder to get the use of my arm back.  So, I went under anesthetic and the doctor rebroke my shoulder.  He put a cast on my shoulder and arm.  The cast made my arm stick out and when I went to bed, I could not sleep because my hand was sticking up in the air and getting cold.  Mom put a mitten on my hand.  That helped.   

In six weeks, it was time to take the cast off.  He was so rough as he cut the cast off my body, I screamed in pain.  Mom said you could hear me all over the hospital.  He then put a brace on my arm that was made of wood stuffed with cotton batting and taped to my body.  Dad only had a pickup truck for travelling and with our whole family in the cab of a truck, one can only imagine how messy it was and how crowded with five people in the truck and one with her arm sticking out in a wooden brace? 

A few days later, Dad decided to go to Raymond to visit the Hutterite Colony and Dr. Joe Mandel who was either a bone doctor or a chiropractor.  Dad had a bad back and Joe was good at helping Dad.

Lester Ann and I had been out of the truck and walking around when Joe looked out the window and asked: “What’s wrong with that girl’s arm?” Dad told Joe all about it and what the doctor had done for her.   Joe said I did not walk like anyone with a broken shoulder and asked if he could take a look at it.  Dad was a bit hesitant at first, but Joe promised not to touch me. 

After looking at me for a couple of minutes, Joe started ripping the tape off as he kept saying: “It’s a damn lie! It’s a damn lie!” 

He continued to tear the tape off, and it really hurt.   He explained if that tape were left on my skin, it would take my skin off with it when it was removed. 

Then he grabbed my arm and gave it a quick jerk.  “Now do this.” He said as he put his arm up and reached over his head to touch his opposite ear.  I did it and it was like magic.  My arm worked again.  That was all that was wrong with it.  I did not care.  My arm was fixed.  But dad was terribly upset. 

Very soon a bill for $49.00 came in the mail.  It was from that so-called doctor in Cardston, and for re-breaking my arm and fixing it, etc. 

So, Dad went to town and he took me with him.  He marched into the doctor’s office, much to the dismay of the nurse who had tried to stop him at the front desk.  Dad slapped the bill down on the doctor’s desk and said, “See that bill?”

“Why, yes.” Said the doctor.

“Well, that is one bill you will never get paid.”

“Why not?” asked the surprised doctor. 

Now, he should not have asked that, because Dad told him in no uncertain terms and only in terms my Dad could, what had happened. 

Bills came continually after that with interest added.  Then a Collection Agency from Toronto wrote demanding that Dad appear in court in Toronto.  Dad just laughed and the bills finally stopped coming.  That was one bill my Father never paid. 

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, there is a Heavenly Father who watches over us.  He knew I would need both my arms in the future, so he put me in Joe Mandel’s yard at the right time.   Joe saw me, took care of me, and now I have the use of both my arms.  

Arms are such wonderful things.  You can use them for so many things.   I can hold my babies, my dear ones, my husband, my sisters, all my friends who love me.

Hands are at the end of our arms.  Hands knead bread, fix broken hearts, sew buttons on, and type.  How would I have made a living or done all my writing without hands. 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true.  This is my testimony. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marvelle, 9, Lester Ann 5, and Shirley about six months, in Boundary Creek

  

Marvelle, Lester Ann, and Shirley on Old Vickie

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gayle Jensen (1944-2010)

 This eulogy was written by Dawn Jensen Ackroyd and read by Dawn, Gaylene and Neil at Gayle's funeral on February 5, 2010..

Gayle Clark Jensen was born April 6, 1944. Those that know our dad know that when he decides to do something, he does it. His birth was no different.  He wasn’t due for another two months, but he came anyway! He was born with the cord wrapped around his neck. Nana Jensen was a young and inexperienced mother and wisely enlisted the help of Dad’s Grandma, Maud Jensen. She nursed him back to health and began a fierce and loyal relationship with her grandson. Dad continued to be very close to his grandparents and all the Jensen cousins and aunts and uncles as he grew. He spent a lot of time at his grandparents and enjoyed going there to stay. He grew up in Taber and had plenty of cousins and aunt and uncles around and had a great devotion to family. He taught us how important family is.

 

Pat 

When my dad was 6 years old his little sister came into his life. He really did want a brother, but Aunt Pat was a sweetheart so he was happy with her. He did, however, proceed to mould her into quite a tomboy. She became the goal post for them and his friends when they played hockey. Pat did very well at keeping up and became quite a good friend to many of Gayle’s friends.  They spent many happy holidays together camping and traveling as a family.

 

My dad had a “fiery” personality.

 

One day while he was at his grandparents they had a fire in the house. Grandma and Grandpa took Dad to safety and then proceeded to fight the fire and try to save their home and belongings. Dad didn’t seem too worried about the house, just about a little stuffed dog that he loved dearly. He kept yelling at his grandmother, “Save my dog, Grandma!”

 

My dad was always good with money.

 

Well, maybe not always. He didn’t start out that smart with money. When he was young his dad worked on an oilrig and they lived in a trailer at the oilrig. His dad was at work and his mother was busy cooking in the camp kitchen. Dad decided it was cold in the trailer so he started to make a fire to warm things up. The only paper he could find was his dad’s payroll stashed in the cupboard. He had just put the money in the stove and was in the process of lighting it when his parents arrived and, um, “suggested” he use something else.

 

His fascination with fire continued in his childhood.

 

Another time he was home alone when they lived on the south side of Taber. The lights went out so Dad decided to use a candle for light. He sat the candle too close to the curtains in the living room and they went up in smoke. Fortunately, the fire was caught and extinguished before any more damage could be done.

 

Even later fire was fun.

 

He and his friends loved to play knock-out-ginger, a game where you ring the doorbell on some unsuspecting homeowners and run! One particular neighbor always made a big fuss when they did this, so Dad and his buddy, Blaine Burbank, decided to fix home. They went to the stockyards and found the biggest and freshest cow pie they could find, wrapped it in newspaper, and put it on the man’s doorstep. Before ringing the doorbell they lit the paper on fire and hid in the bushes to watch as the poor man came to the door, discovered the fire and proceeded to stomp it out with his house slippers – while they rolled in laughter behind a nearby bush.

 

The games of life

 

In my dad’s life sports weren’t a game. Sports were life. Whatever the game was he’d stick with it until he got really good at it. Even marbles! He started playing marbles in school and in even won a marble championship in Grade 7. He always managed to be on the winning team in the high school house leagues. He and Ron Conrad won the doubles ping-pong every year he as in high school. His intramural team won the championship every year in high school as well.

 

He started playing hockey at a young age on an ice pond in the back yard. He started playing organized hockey in Grade 3 and hockey became his favorite sport. Some of his coaches were Frank Burbank, Bill Westora, Alvin Bissett and Ted Allen. In Midget they went to the Alberta finals. In Juvenile they won the Alberta Championship. He even managed to play hockey on his mission with the Danish National Team. In Kelowna he coached a senior men’s hockey team called The Kelowna Packers. I remember many a bus ride with the Kelowna Packers.

 

He started playing baseball in Grade 6. In Grade Seven he played on a little league baseball team that won the Alberta Championship. They beat Lacombe 1-0. It was a one-man show as Ken Uyesugi pitched a no-hitter and hit a home run. The team went to Trail BC next and lost to them 6 to 3. Trail went on to the Little League World Series that year. He continued to play sports in his adult years. He played ball in Lethbridge for a team called the Lethbridge Financiers. Mom and dad made many good friends with the players and wives on that team.

 

 

He made many friends through sports. In Junior High he struck up a friendship with Blaine Burbank and they would play baseball or basketball for at least 8 hours a day. They played baseball for hours by batting the ball against the side of the elevator until they wore the siding off one side. He has a number of friends he’s made through the years that moved on to play in the NHL. For a number of years we had Junior Hockey players in Lethbridge live with our family and we would attend all the games together as a family. We learned that when the sports news was on the radio we’d better be quiet, as well as whenever there was a power play on a hockey game being broadcast on the radio.

 

He always encouraged us to play sports and coached many of the teams we were involved with. Any vacation was made better if it could include a professional league game of some sort. He was a walking dictionary of sports trivia and would often start his Sunday School lessons with a sports update or trivia question. He attended every game and continued to do that with his grandchildren whenever we could. He was especially proud of Taylor recently when she received the MVP award after a weekend of basketball. He would travel for hours to watch a swim meet, or a soccer game, or any other sport his grandchildren were involved in. He always had a couple tips for them to help them get the edge and thrilled in their victories.

 

 

Mission

 

In September 1963 dad went on a mission to Denmark for three years. His ancestors immigrated to Utah from Denmark when they learned about the church. He was thrilled to be able to learn the language and developed a great love for Danes. He always told us many interesting stories from his mission. Some of our favorites were the group he arrived in Denmark with. There were 12 Elders and one sister. They became known as Sister Dunn and her 12 Apostates. I think that’s because he always believed in having a good time no matter what he did and that continued in his mission. He had great success on his mission. He traveled with a group of Missionaries called The Singing Mormons who helped the church became more known there. He made many friends there and continued those friendships through the rest of his life. We had the opportunity to have two girls from Denmark come live with our family at different times: Christhel  Neilsen and Lina Andersen and we continue to keep in touch with them as well as their families. Lina lives near us now in Magrath! He has kept in touch with  a number of his companions and the people he taught. We’re thrilled that one of his companions is even able to be here today: Richard Dorsey from Utah. Thank you for coming. He took mom back to Denmark a number of times and Dawn even got to visit Denmark with him. He always told us that Danish is the language spoke in heaven – so we’re sure he’s speaking in Danish now.

 

Marriage and Family

 

Mom says some of her earliest memories of dad were when he was in Grade Two, crouched on the ground with his friends, playing marbles. Mom remembers admiring his curly hair. They lived near each other and their families knew each other. In Grade 7 they went on their first date to an Air Cadet dance. They danced one or two dances and then mom says she danced and visited with all sorts of people. When Nana picked mom up from the dance and didn’t see Gayle anywhere she asked where he might be. Mom said she had no idea! It wasn’t until years later that she found out he had gone to the shooting gallery and then home to watch wrestling that night.

 

They did continue dating and mom waited for dad while he was on his mission. They got married on July 15, 1966. They had three children: Dawn, Gaylene and Neil. Throughout their married life they’ve had the opportunity to travel extensively and enjoy many adventures together. Mom says she always felt like she was blessed with the most wonderful husband in the world. Her dad once said that he knew that if she married Gayle she’d always be well taken care of, and he was right.

 

Mom cared for dad while he was ill and took great care to make sure he was comfortable and happy. I’m sure he’ll continue to watch over her and care for her. He was concerned about leaving her and voiced this often to his son-in-law and we promise him that we will take good care of her.

 

 

Work

 

Ever since he was old enough to work Dad always had a job. He worked for Skyway Air Spray Company as a flagman. He worked on farms doing combining and swathing. The major in Taber hired him in high school to take care of his garden and yard. He drove a school bus for the school division when he was in Grade 12. He drove the route that took him past Uncle Arley’s and Aunt Edna’s houses. He only left his cousins a couple of times, much to his Aunts’ dismay. When dad came home from his mission he went to work at Thomas Cook Travel. As a result he had the opportunity to travel extensively. He returned to Denmark several times a year. The head office for Thomas Cook Travel was in England and when he would travel to the head office he would often make a stop in Denmark. While working for Thomas Cook mom and dad traveled to Russia, China, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Malasia, Kuala Lumpur, Foromsa, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, Bahamas, Brazil England, Scotland, Holland, Luxenburg, Belgium, France, Spain, Morocco, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, West Germany, East Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and many places in the USA. He also had the opportunity to fly on many of the inaugural flights for different airlines. He took the inaugural flight with KLM airlines from Amsterdam to Stockholm, the inaugural Air France flight from Paris to Moscow, and the inaugural Qantas flight to the South Pacific. One of his most memorable flights was aboard the Concord during its inaugural flight from Paris to Rio de Janeiro. He moved up through the managerial chain at Thomas Cook until he realized the next move would be to a bigger city like Toronto or Vancouver and so he started to look around for different options.

 

Thanks to his hard work ethic and business-minded ways he often worked one or two jobs and had a business on the side. He was able to build up a nest egg from the office cleaning business he and mom started. We would go as a family and help vacuum or clean ashtrays and empty garbages. He wanted to venture out on his own and after much thought and research ventured towards the motel industry. Mom wasn’t that keen on the idea until she read the life history of President Kimball. He told of how he had attempted and became successful in many different businesses and did very well in some, and lost his shirt in others. Mom decided that if a man as great as President Kimball could try things and accept defeat often, we too could stand the risk. Dad was just waiting for mom to give him the green light because when she told him she was willing to go the hunt was on for a motel to buy. They found one in Kelowna called The Four Seasons and off we were for a new adventure. We all worked in the motel. We cleaned rooms, mowed grass, cleaned pools, worked on the desk and answered the night bell and more. We’ll always be grateful for the good work ethic our dad taught us.

 

They spent many years in Kelowna until they decided to move back to Alberta to return to friends and family. Dad continued in the hotel management industry though and had the opportunity to manage hotels in Lethbridge, Jasper, Calgary, Peace River – but his favorite was Waterton’s Prince of Wales Hotel. It was a beautiful property with a cute little house just down the hill. The staff for the hotel lived in dorms right by their house and they spent their summers enjoying the students that would come work there.  His last hotel he worked at was in Peace River and he always said he was sorry he took so long to find that company as they treated their employees amazingly well and had a great business. He took a leave from the hotel in Peace River when he became ill. He made many friends there and kept in touch with them through his illness.

 

 

Dad loved the gospel and served wherever he was asked to serve. He particularly enjoyed teaching. When he was first married he taught early morning seminary at Bowness High School in Calgary. He spent many years as a Gospel Doctrine Teacher and also as a Gospel Essentials Teacher. He served in the Bishopric, in the Stake Sunday School presidency and on the High Council in different ward and stakes he lived in. He knew the scriptures well and loved to quote them and teach from them. We know that he is happy now. As he slipped away into the next life he had a big smile on his face. I have a friend of another faith who says that her pastor says that people who are ready to meet God always smile when they pass on. I think she was right.

 

He would want us to work hard, to be committed to the gospel, and to family, and to have fun along the way. We are grateful for his example.

 

 

Grandma's House

 by Lester Ann Hyde Jensen

When Mom was just a little girl

Grandma used to say

United States was better

In almost every way.

Why it was like a garden

With beauty everywhere.

Surely the street were paved with gold

And people had no cares.

So one day when Mom was older

To go there was her dream

She wanted to see the garden

So great and lush and green.

Now Mother lived in Alberta and 

Montana's just south or the border.

And when she finally crossed that line,

The landscape nearly floored her.

Why USA was quite the same

In each and every way.

She decided Canada was her home

And home was where she'd stay.

The story doesn't end there

There was family there she found.

She learned that she did love them,

And their love for her was sound.

Though she didn't find the Eden

She had expected there

She found the Eden of her family

For whom she learned to care.

And then the moral came to her

Grandma loved her native land

Not only for the greatness

But because of her Van Dam clan.

Heukelum, The Netherlands (part 2)

 by Lester Ann Hyde Jensen

The mayor, Jacob A DeJohgh, a dapper looking man with a quick wit, was there to meet us. He seemed as excited about our being there as we were. This quiet little town was not used to visitors. Mayor DeJohgh told us we were the first foreign group to ever officially visit their town. He told us a bit about the 750 year old city that enjoyed its apex of importance during the 14th century. The population was 15,000. He had been mayor for 8 years and it was a full time job. He was also the water minister of the Lingwell district. He served a four-year term after each election. His title was "Dyke Count" and when he gave us this explanation he jokingly said, "I hope you realize I am a very important man." He presented us with a copy of the marriage records of Huibert VanDam, grandfather of Herbert VanDam

We all agreed with the sentiments Sam Bailey expressed when he offered the prayer and blessing on the food. He expressed our gratitude for being "home", for being here together and for the wonderful heritage we received from this place. We all felt very grateful and very excited to be here. It was a dream come true for all of us. 

After a lovely lunch of beef stock soup, cheese, breads, sliced meats and "krokets", a Dutch specialty, and fresh fruit for dessert, we were presented with post cards depicting the restaurant and the city. We mailed them home while we were there so we would have them with the postmark from Heukelum. 

We went exploring up and down the cobblestone streets of the village. Our presence caused quite a stir in the town. The townspeople weren't accustomed to visitors, especially visitors who came 20 or so at a time and were so interested in poking through every nook and cranny of the town. We felt many eyes watching us from behind those pretty Dutch lace curtains. 

Our search took us to the 15th century Dutch Reformed Church and cemetery. We poked around in the cemetary. Lee and Marj remarked that the name "Rust" must have been a prominent Dutch name. However, Kean, who had served a mission in Holland spoke the language, explained that "RUST" meant "rest" as in rest in peace.

Van Voorden, the church organist, came over from his store across the street. He asked if we would like him to open the church. Silly question. We went inside, took pictures of the organ and the pulpit. Kean and Gayle each preached sermons from the enormous and ornate pulpit with the aid of the 15th Century Bible. The organist then took them up to the organ lost where he demonstrated the very small keyboard. Gayle and Tawna also took their turns at playing. Gayle played "We Thank Thee Oh God For a Prophet" and Tawna played, "How Great Thou Art". As we left the church and bid farewell to Mr. Van Voorden, we went on our way down the street and people came from every direction to chat with him. They must have been curious as to who we were.

We touched city hall. The mayor presented us with gifts and we handled the book that contained the original marriage documents of Huibert VanDam. Many family members had their pictures taken with the book.

Marge Allen then expressed our appreciation and presented the mayor with a copy of The Book of Mormon. Reluctantly, we boarded the bus again for our return to Amsterdam and our hotel. That evening, in our family meeting, we were all in awe over the things that had transpired during the day. We felt like cast members in the movie, Roots, being able to return to the place where this great family started and who knows, maybe we planted a few seeds of our own.

Heukelum, The Netherlands

 by Lester Ann Hyde Jensen

It was March 28, 1990, my 46th birthday. It was also Trudy Brown Racz's 39th birthday and the birthday of our Grandmother, Sarah Evans Van Dam Day. She would have been 92. We were in Heukelum, the Netherlands, the birthplace of Herbert VanDam. How appropriate that we should be here on this day. Trudy and I are first cousins. Our mothers, Verna Dan Brown and Luella Floy Day Hyde are sisters, daughters of Sarah Evans Van Dam Day and granddaughters of Herbert VanDam. Trudy and I felt like pinching ourselves. Were we really here on this special day or was it all a wonderful dream?

That morning, we had taken a narrow winding road by the Ulist River to get to Heukelum. We crossed the river on a ferryboat, thes ame method people had used for centuries as they approached the village. Twenty camera shutters snapped in unison as we approached. The members of our group, all Herbert VanDam descendants, were so excited. The air in the bus was electric.

We had finally reached our destination, the birthplace of our common ancestor. We stopped at the DeWiel Restaurant, which overlooked the canal and several impressive yachts. Just outside the door stood the status of The Ferryman, or in Dutch, "Der Veerman", the symbol of Heukelum. The town was once very important in the canal system and everything came to the city by ferry. Later that day, many of us bought smaller copies of the statue. The tables were set in anticipation of our arrival. It was beautiful, quaint and clean. A welcoming fire burned in the fireplace. As we were not used to the cool moist climate of Holland in March, we were most appreciative of this warm gesture. 

....to be continued

https://vanderkrogt.net/standbeelden/object.php?record=GL25ad

A Pilgrimage of Love

 by Lester Ann Hyde Jensen

A century ago Van Dams set out for "Where the love is".

They found the promised valley despite trials and sacrifices.

Their family grew in the light and love of the gospel.

They were blessed. Their pilgrimage was a success.

Today their children set out in search of Hukelum.

Thrilled as we walked where ancestors walked before.

We learned to love, found each other in our quest.

We were blessed. Our pilgrimage was a success.

Grandma Camp Dinner

 By Jillian Ackroyd 

For a number of years, we spent a week every summer with Grandpa and Papa for Grandma Camp. It was a fun week with cousins and grandparents where lots of events were planned. Each day one grandchild got to plan and help make dinner. One day, my brother didn't like what was on the menu so he got up the courage to tell Grandma that he didn't want to eat what was for dinner....because he was a vegetarian. She kindly asked him what he would like to eat. He quickly replied, "How about a hamburger?"

Let The Record Show....

By Dawn Jensen Ackroyd

One Sunday afternoon, when we lived in Black Mountain in Kelowna, the kids were left to clean up dinner and the parents went and had a Sunday nap. Someone got the ghetto blaster out and the music started. Apparently, this doesn't help parents sleep very well and my mom came in and told us to please turn down the music. 

Well, actually, the cassette shows otherwise. It turned out mom had hit the record button when she asked us to pipe down and Gaylene's mix tape was suddenly being recorded over. She kept that cassette for years (Maybe even still has it? Could be!) We enjoyed laughing about that recording for years. 

(Imagine Quiet Riot being played very loudly....ironically, the song was Come On Feel the Noise)

Then suddenly, BAM! "Shut up!"

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! 

Quiet voices of three teenagers start to emerge:

Voice #1: Wowee....she's grumpy. 
Voice #2: Ya. I can't wait until I can have kids so I can make them do all the dishes.

Voice #3: Ya. They just had me so I could mow the lawn. 


And just in case you don't know the song....enjoy! 
(You'll have to turn your volume right up to really get the feel of the experience of my poor parents!)

 

The Stove

 

By: Lester Ann Hyde Jensen

It was a cold winter morning and Dad had been up early making a fire in the kitchen stove so the house would be warm when the rest of us got up.  We always enjoyed the kitchen stove.  You could sit on the oven door and be warmed by the stove.  The reservoir on the side kept water hot for bathing, doing dishes, etc.  We sat on that too.  On this cold morning, we brought our clothes from the bedroom and dressed in front of the stove. 

Dad warned us before he left for the barn.  “Don’t get too close to the stove.   You could get burned.”

Shirley was three or four years old, and I was seven or eight.  All the other family members had left the kitchen to go about their day.  Mom had gone into her bedroom to make the bed.  Shirley and I were the only ones left in the kitchen.  For some unknown reason, Shirley climbed onto the reservoir and since she met with no ill effects, she decided to walk across the top of the hot stove.  She was wearing hard soled boot type shoes and overalls Mom had made using fabric that had come from the Sugar Factory.  I was called kelly cloth and mom used them to make everything from clothes to rugs. 

As Shirley walked across the surface of the hot stove, she came to the lids that opened into the firebox.  The rim that was supposed to hold the lid in place had been broken on one side and her weight on the lid made it cave in, permitting her to fall right into the flaming fire box.  There she stood up to her knees in the fire. 

I yelled, “Oh, Mom, Mom!” and proceeded to lift Shirley out of the stove. 

Mom said she heard me call, but she heard nothing more so continued making the bed.  I sat Shirley on the counter and took her shoes off.   As I undid  the laces, they just fell apart in my hands.  The rim of the opening to the stove had touched her leg in two spots and that appeared to be the extent of her injuries.  The canvas material in her overalls was strong enough to protect her legs from further damage.  Thankfully, she had only been in the stove for a matter of seconds, or the outcome could have been so much more serious. 

Mom, who had now heard enough commotion to emerge from the bedroom, washed Shirley’s legs in cold water and applied mentholatum before we took her to the doctor to have her checked.  She had third degree burns on leg, but the burns were relatively small compared to the damage that could have been done.  I shudder to think of how much more serious it could have been. 

We had no electric range, no dishwasher, no vacuum cleaner, or automatic washer or dryer, but we had lots of love.  There were dangers connected to the equipment that was used in our homes just as there are dangers in our homes today.  We are so much more fortunate to have the safety features that make our homes more comfortable and safer today.  The law dictates that electricity be installed correctly and safely.  Smoke detectors protect our homes from fire.  Seatbelts and children’s car seats protect us and our children while traveling in our cars.  Yet, there are so many more insidious things out there we must protect our children from today.  Life was much simpler then.