Remembering our roots ~ Bert and Carol Katterhagen

John Godsman
Times Contributor

 

Bert’s family name was originally Koetterhagen and they have traced this name back to Germany in the 1800s.
In the early 1900s the family moved to Wisconsin, and the name changed to Ketterhagen. His grandfather moved again to Uniontown, Washington State, (north of Lewiston) to start farming, and the name became Katterhagen.
In 1917, he moved to the Rockyford area to acquire land from the federal government and CPR. The plan was to take advantage of this cheap land, by purchasing 3,000 acres – then return to Washington state and purchase more land there. But, this plan didn’t come to fruition and they ended up selling the Washington land, and keeping their land in Alberta. They came to Rockyford, as there was already a German settlement here.
Bert’s father, Harvey Katterhagen, was born in Uniontown, Wash. in 1901, the second of four brothers. The 3,000 acres were split between three of the brothers – Irvin, Harvey (Bert’s Dad) and Lambert (nicknamed ‘Skinner’).
Apparently, ‘Skinner’ was known for his ability to move a piece of farm equipment through a gate without damaging anything! Hence the nickname!
Harvey married Winifred Ardis Schafer in 1926. The Schafer family came from Edwardsville, Ill. in 1909.They had four children of which Bert was number three, born in 1936.
He has one brother ‘Harvey Jr’ and two sisters Caroline and Sylvia. After attending school at St Rita’s Catholic School in Rockyford through Grade 12, Bert farmed with his father and brother Harvey Jr. Regretfully, their Dad was killed in a farming accident in June 1958.
In 1971, brother Harvey sold his portion of the farm and moved to Calgary. To this day, Bert continues to operate and live on the family farm, which in the past has had cattle, etc., but is now only grain. This year, 2017, the farm will be 100 years old.
Carol’s family name was ’Goheen’ and originated in Ireland. They came first to Ontario, then west to Saskatchewan in 1907. Her father ‘Henry’ was born in Ontario, and moved to Lacadena, Sask. in 1910 where he met his future wife Laura Minogue. Her family had also moved from Ontario. They were married in 1923 and had nine children, of which Carol was the youngest, born in 1940. Carol attended Lacadena School through Grade 12, then went to Secretarial College in Saskatoon for a year, followed by working as a secretary with different companies in Saskatchewan, Calgary and San Francisco.
After moving to Calgary in the early 1960s, she shared an apartment with Bert’s sister Sylvia and they worked in San Francisco for a year. Carol and Bert were married in 1965. They have one son Ross and two daughters Lisa and Cheryl, and four grandchildren.
Carol was secretary at the Rockyford School for 11 years.
Bert served on Church Council at St. Rita’s for four years, and was a member of Knights of Columbus. For a few years he was the projectionist at the Rockyford Theatre. For 17 years Bert was a pottery instructor for Adult Education.
For many years aviation has been a part of their lives. Harvey, Bert, Sylvia and Ross have their pilot’s licence. Harvey and Bert aerial-sprayed their own crops and for neighbours. Many churches and other businesses in this area have benefited from his work. Through the years they did a lot of camping with their family. After retiring they travelled in the U.S., have enjoyed some cruises and spent many hours on the golf course.
The main changes they have seen in this area over the past 80 years are the increase in farm size, and the new technology for farm equipment.