Remembering our past – Leo & Betty Gauthier

Times Contributor

 

The Gauthier family history shows the original family moved from France to Quebec in the 1600’s. In 1909, Leo’s father moved from Quebec to Gleichen, then to Cluny. He was married in 1910. Leo’s mother’s family moved from Montmarte, France to Saskatchewan in the mid-1890’s. Their destination point was marked with a teepee, but his mother’s father (Leo’s grandfather) soon constructed the first building – a mud house, and this was in 1895! They named it Montmarte, Saskatchewan. 

In 1905, because of a severe drought, the family moved everything to Gleichen by rail boxcar. Later they moved to Cluny, where grandfather purchased a 240 acre farm, six miles north. This area was known as “Quelletville”, and Leo’s grandmother opened a Post Office here in 1910 which stayed in use until 1924. Leo was born in Cluny in 1925, and attended school at Jeanne D’Arc.

Betty was born in Atchison, Kansas in 1925, and moved with her family to the Standard area three years later. Why did they move here from Kansas? Betty’s grandfather came to Standard, after hearing of the cheap land, “For Sale” in Southern Alberta. He purchased land east of Standard for $11 per acre! Then he contacted his son (Betty’s father), and told him to move the family here, to run the farm. Betty attended Standard School through Grade 9, then completed her schooling at St Mary’s high School in Calgary. After graduating, she obtained a secretarial position with Manufacturers Life in Calgary. In the early 40’s, she was introduced to Leo Gauthier at a Sports Day in Chancellor, by Damien Corbeill’s sister. But, right after this she and a girlfriend travelled to Los Angeles, and started working there. Betty was an American citizen, so it was easy for her to get work. She spent the next 18 months working with an insurance company. Her parents came to visit her, and she became homesick, so she returned to Standard and rekindled her friendship with Leo.

After Leo quit school at age 16, he worked as a farm labourer for different farmers in and around Cluny. But, in the late 40’s and early 50’s, winters were bitterly cold, so he headed to Calgary to find indoor work. He got a job as a receiver with Hudson Bay Company. As a receiver, it was his job to deliver the goods delivered to the store, to the appropriate departments. Leo and Betty were married in June 1951, which means they celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary last year. This marriage produced five sons, one daughter, 16 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. After the wedding, they remained in Calgary until Leo quit working at the HudsonBay store in November 1951, then they went south for the remainder of the winter. 

On returning to Canada in the spring of 1952, they moved to Cluny, where Leo joined United Grain Growers as an Elevator Manager. He remained in this position with UGG for 35 years, spending 14 years at Cluny, then 21 years at Hussar. They retired to Strathmore in 1987, because as they grew older they both recognized they needed to be closer to good medical facilities.

Reflecting on their years of marriage, and community involvement – their sons all played hockey in Hussar, which meant someone was always required to transport them to games. They have happy memories of participating in skits for 25th Wedding Anniversaries. Betty was a member of Ladies Aid, and enjoyed working with ceramics. They are volunteers at Strathmore Hospital palliative and pastoral care. Both have been choir members at the Catholic Church in Strathmore. Since retiring, Betty has become a very accomplished artist, painting pictures and plates.  Leo spends his time enjoying life and retirement.

When asked what changes they’d seen over the past 60+ years, both responded about the growth in population. When they moved to Strathmore in 1987, the population was 4,000. Now it is around 14,000. IGA, Co-op and Home Hardware were all downtown. They remembered that in the 1950’s, streets and roads in Strathmore were in such poor shape, that they rarely stopped here for shopping, but continued from Cluny to Calgary on the main highway, that at the time was a gravel road!