Remembering our roots ~ Florice Desmet

John Godsman
Times Contributor

 

The name ‘De Smet’ (later changed to Desmet) first appeared in Strathmore in 1910, when an immigrant cabinetmaker and carpenter arrived from Belgium. His nephew, Joseph Van Tighem and family were already here, as Joseph was the manager of the new Union Bank, which became the Royal Bank.
A cousin, Father Leonard Van Tighem, was the pastor of the new Sacred Heart Church that was built at the west end of 3rd Avenue. At that time there was plenty of work for a carpenter, so after two years he sent for his family to join him. His wife, Irma, and four children Antoinette (13), Anton (11), Joseph Jnr (9) and Mary (6) crossed the Atlantic on the ship that preceded the Titanic in April 1912. They faced a new and exciting life in what at the time was a new pioneer town, in a new country. But, sorrow followed their first year here, when Antoinette died of meningitis, and was buried in the new Strathmore Cemetery. In 1914, Albert Charles was born here in Strathmore. Then their oldest son, Anton, died of Spanish flu in 1918.
Joseph was an avid skater, and spent most of his leisure time either building, supervising, or caretaking the first skating rink in town.
In 1918, the family bought a CPR ‘ready made farm’ in the Elwood district, ten miles east of Strathmore, which is still in the family, being farmed by fourth generation family members and is known as the ‘Tree to Tree Nursery.’
Florice’ family also originated in Western Europe, with her father Peter Nelson Warner being born in Sweden, and came to what is now the Province of Alberta in 1902, two years before it officially became a Province in 1904. Her mother Laverna Sammons came from Iowa to Gleichen in 1910. Peter and Laverna were married in 1919.
Florice (nee Warner) was born in 1922, and lived on the family farm. She became a teacher at Elwood School, until she married Albert Desmet in 1944, and they raised six children at the Elwood family farm. Elaine, Yvonne, Leonard and Joanne have all married and are farming in the Strathmore/Gleichen area.
Robert, the youngest boy, became a phys. ed teacher in Calgary. But, after five years he was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, and died in 1990, nine months after diagnosis. Leona came to the family through adoption in 1967 at the age of four. After school, she spent 27 years working with the Department of Natural Resources. She has three children – Fraser, Sarah, and Lucas, all living and working in Calgary.
As farm parents living 13 miles from town, Florice and Albert were kept very busy taking children to hockey games, school sports, music lessons, and community activities. Albert coached hockey for many years, and was very active in the community, playing a big part in bringing to the Namaka area, the Elwood Telephone Company, and rural electrification, as well as being a leader of the 4-H Beef Club.
They retired from farming in 1971, with their oldest son Leonard taking over. They joined a curling club and bridge club, and volunteered at St Pius Parish Church and Varsity Community Club in Calgary. Regretfully, Albert passed away in 1978 following an aneurysm, which was preceded by gall stone surgery. Florice moved into a Horizon Village bungalow where she lived for the next 25 years. Following the celebration of her 90th Birthday in 2012, she decided to move back to Strathmore to be closer to her family and her 28 great-grandchildren. She now lives in Sagewood.
All of her family live in Southern Alberta, and all of the teenagers are kept busy participating in competitive sports. Presently, two are members of The Young Canadians, six are participants in rodeo, one is in gymnastics, seven compete in water-skiing, seven in snow skiing, and two play in fast pitch competition. Six of her grandchildren have earned four-year scholarships to U.S. Universities.
“God has been good to us,” she said. “We give thanks.”