Remembering our past ~ George & Marianne Pinchbeck

Times Contributor

 

George’s family originated in Lincolnshire, England, and in 1912 sailed to Halifax. They crossed Canada to Alberta initially settling in Irvington, before homesteading in Mayerthorpe in 1917. George was born in Edmonton in 1940, the eldest of a family of five with two brothers and two sisters.

Marianne’s family originated in the Ruhr Valley, in Germany. They arrived in the Edmonton area in 1931, before moving to Onoway, Alta. in the early 1940’s, where she was born. Her parents worked for another German family, with her mother doing the cooking and laundry, while her father was a farm labourer and worked on the roads. In the winter, her father sold blocks of ice that he had cut from the nearby lake.

George started his education at the one-room Connorcreek School, when he was four years old. His mother was a teacher there, and while hired labour looked after his siblings, George accompanied his mother to school-riding there on horseback. After graduating from Mayerthorpe School following Grade 12 he completed a 12-month teacher training course at the University of Alberta, and became a teacher (at the age of 18) at Onoway School for five years, where he first met Marianne. During those five years he completed his Masters Degree of Education, at night school, and this was the start of his career in education. Over the next 11 years he served in several locations in Alberta as Principal and Superintendent, before moving to Strathmore in 1975 where he continued to work as Superintendent of Schools for Wheatland County for eight years, then the Rockyview School Division thru’ 1995, when he retired. 

When he was a young boy, George and his brother had trap lines to catch weasels, and with the fur from squirrels they shot, they sold the pelts for 65 cents each. The boys all had many adventures at the farm, and to this day have scars from axes, saws, and barbwire fences, proving they weren’t always careful in what they were doing.

Marianne was raised on a small mixed farm, near Onoway. There were five girls and one boy in the household, and no plumbing, no electricity and no telephone. As the youngest, Marianne thought her four older sisters were quite attractive, and boys came by car for five miles each way, just to ask for a date, on very dusty roads. One Halloween her father had reinforced the outhouse with extra braces so that it wouldn’t get tipped over. Pranksters found out and cut the braces with a saw, and the outhouse did tip over. 

The farmer next door also decided to pull a prank on would be outhouse pranksters. He waited until just before dusk before moving the outhouse back a few feet. Marianne often wonders how those Halloweeners got clean before they went home!

Marianne took all her education in Onoway, through Grade 12, then became a medical records librarian at the brand new Stony Plains Hospital for the next 3.5 years. She and George had started dating soon after she graduated from Onoway High School, and when George started studying at the University of Alberta, she moved to Misericordia Hospital in Edmonton for a year.

They were married at Heatherdown in 1964, and have two children – a son and a daughter – and two grandsons. From 1972 to 1975, they lived in Spirit River, and this was a whole new culture. The local people soon had them addicted to the wonderful Ukrainian foods like perogies, cabbage rolls and other ethnic delicacies. They found no one gave a second thought to getting up at 2 a.m. to curl in a 24-hour bonspiel, or drive for an hour to Grande Prairie for a coffee! After their family arrived, Marianne became a stay-at-home Mum, but she soon found outside interests that included coaching junior high basketball, helping to start a hospital auxiliary; she worked occasionally for the Dept. of Agriculture, assisted with the Boy Scouts, sang in choirs, played the organ at church, etc. 

When George was appointed as the new principal at Sedgewick Central High School, they enjoyed touring the area to see the abundance of waterfowl, such as American Bittern. One of the teachers decided a “teacher football team” should be formed to challenge the student team. As principal George became a member of this group, and came home from a game very sore and bruised! Some of the students at this school travelled 63 miles each way to attend school!

Following their move to Strathmore, Marianne went back to work at Western Feedlots, and also served as a teaching assistant in kindergarten, before going back to University to take her teaching degree. She taught at Brentwood for 16 years, followed by part-time for 14 years at Golden Hills Resource Centre, before retiring in December 2013. 

Their children and grandchildren, who live nearby, are avid sports players, playing hockey, basketball, volleyball, swimming, gymnastics, and being on track teams. Both George and Marianne love following and cheering them on. Besides the physical benefits for their children, they have gained wonderful life-long friends from the spectator seats.

George has been a member of Strathmore Lions for 38 years, a member of the board for the Aquatic Society, has served in many positions on Strathmore United Church Board, sings with both the United Church Choir and the Gleichen & Community Choir, and is a shareholder and a member of Strathmore Golf Club. 

Marianne also sings with the Gleichen & Community Choir, is a volunteer with Christmas Hamper (children’s toys), and assists with the United Church bi-annual Thrift Sale, and told me she is addicted to golf! They have enjoyed travelling to places like Africa, Australia, South America and Europe.

George is an avid reader of non-fiction and has a library containing over 2,000 books, which he lets Marianne read on occasion!

They advised that when they moved here in 1975 the population was approximately 1,100, streets were dirt, not paved, there were boardwalks down each side. The golf course was only nine holes, and some of the greens were sand.

On reflection, they feel very fortunate to having made their home here in Strathmore, and raised their family here. It has been a great place to live.