Remembering our roots ~Eugene & Ellen Helfrich

John Godsman
Times Contributor

 

Eugene’s ancestors originated in Germany, but were amongst the farmers who moved to Russia during the reign of Catherine the Great. There was a need for agricultural workers to operate farms in Russia, so large numbers of German farmers answered the call for assistance.
However, when the Bolshevik Revolution began, they became part of a mass migration known as “Germans from Russia”; farmers living in Russia who became very concerned for their future, because of Russian politics. In the late 1800s, many of them dispersed throughout the world, and the remainder had to wait until after World War Two to move to the west. The Helfrich family searched for farmland in the United States, before finally settling in North Dakota, then moving to Prelate, Sask. in 1913.
As they travelled looking for land, their children were born along the way, and Eugene’s Dad Joe was born in Oklahoma. Eugene’s mother’s family, the Giegers, came directly to Canada from Russia, and settled in Fox Valley, Sask.
Joe Helfrich and Aplonia Gieger were married in 1930, and farmed at Portrieve, Sask. where Eugene was born in 1937, the middle child of a family of nine. After Eugene finished Grade 1 in Portrieve, the family moved to Leader, Sask. in 1944, where he completed his education.
After graduating from High School, he worked in the CIBC bank in Leader, before moving to Rockyford in 1957 to join his brothers who were building a feedmill. After Superior Feed and Supply in Rockyford was completed, the brothers moved to Strathmore to build another feedmill, now known as Landmark Feeds Inc. on Hwy 817, south of town. After selling the Strathmore feedmill in 1989, Eugene worked as a realtor for Remax until he retired in 2011.
Ellen’s father – Roy Voutier – was born in North Sidney, N.S. His ancestors were Huguenots from France that settled in the Channel Islands and Newfoundland. Roy came west on a harvest train from Eastern Canada, and worked for farmers in Saskatchewan and Alberta, before renting land in the Nightingale area and starting farming on his own. He met Ellen’s mother Nellie Den Boer at a dance in Nightingale in 1941, and they were married in 1942. Nellie’s parents Peter and Martina Den Boer were immigrants from the Netherlands, who had arrived in Canada in 1914 and farmed at Baintree.
Roy and Nellie lived on the farm in Nightingale until 1948, when they purchased and moved to a farm near Strathmore. This farm was located at the east end of Brent Blvd across George Freeman Trail, and has recently been demolished to make way for the new Prairie Edge Estates. Ellen was born in 1944, the eldest of three children. She attended school in Strathmore, and graduated from Samuel Crowther High School in 1962. In between having family, she attended night school at SAIT for five years, and received her diploma in Clothing Construction and Design. She later became a part-time teacher at SAIT in these same subjects.
Eugene and Ellen met at a New Year’s Eve Dance at the Memorial Hall in Strathmore in 1960, and were married in 1963. Over the next few years, two boys and two girls were added to their family, and they now have seven grandchildren, with a great-grandchild expected in November. As you can see, family is a big part of their lives. After living in town for a few years, they purchased the Voutier Family Farm in 1973, building a new home next to Ellen’s parents. In 2010, they moved to their new home just north of town.
Eugene has always been very involved in the community, and particularly with the Ag Society. He was part of the committee that purchased the land now owned by the Ag Society. He is Past President of Strathmore Lion’s Club, where he has been a member for 50 years.
His summers are spent golfing, gardening and some farming, whilst winter activities include curling and playing bridge. Ellen enjoys cooking, reading, playing bridge, and she always finds time for projects with her sewing machine. They both enjoy travelling and look forward to visiting new places and new countries.
When I asked Eugene what changes he’d seen in the last 50+ years, his response was “You now have to remove your keys and lock your vehicle, when you park downtown!”