I, Alma, eldest
daughter of Joseph Bemier and Corinne Gregoire, was
born November 18, 1920 in St. Jean-Baptiste, Manitoba.
I started school at the age of 9 since we lived a
distance from the school "Convent", where I attended.
Our parents decided to wait until my brother Paul was
old enough before I started because we had to walk
through the bush, cross the Red River by ferry and by
boats in the spring, which was very scary.
The big move came in
1932, when my dad bought a farm in Fisher Branch. Dad,
Paul and Uncle Osias made the trip by teams of horses
to bring our belongings. My mother, Roger, Simonne and
I came by car with Uncle Alphonse at the wheel, which
took us a whole day. For us, I guess, it was a big
adventure since we were anxious to see our new home
and big farm.
But soon, hard work
came in, opening land, pulling trees, cutting
cordwood, burning brush, milking cows was tough work
in the life of a "young girl" which to this day I
believe I missed. For when we moved to Fisher Branch
in 1932, was the end of my schooling.
Since my few years
in school were in French, whenever we gathered with
other kids, the language was English. I would never
open my mouth to say the few words I knew, for fear of
being laughed at. But I soon learned by reading and
writing, which was my favorite pastime.
After a few years in
our "teens" in the summer, our Sunday afternoons were
spent by playing baseball and in the winter, dancing
parties at each others house. The boys played violin
and guitar which everybody enjoyed.
After these years of
hard work, our acreage of crops grew and grew. Soon
dad needed extra help with harvesting. One of these
hired hands happened to be Maurice Meilleur, which
proved to be a very dedicated worker and at the same
time, had an eye on his daughter Alma. His efforts
paid off. We were married on September 26, 1949. We
operated the "Meilleur Family Farm", since Maurice's
dad had moved to town. Soon, the children came, 9 in
all, 1 girl and 8 boys.
They were very busy
years, cleaning, cooking, sewing, knitting, etc.
Maurice with the chores and fieldwork. They were happy
years on the farm. The kids always found something to
do, even though there were very few toys in those
days. They grew up very quickly it seems and now, are
all on their own, raising their own families.
In 1968, I became a
Charter Member of the Catholic Women's League, and
have been a member until today. Always very active in
all its functions. We were always involved in the
Church, especially singing in the Choir, which we
still do today. Also was in charge of washing the
altar linens for many years.
In 1975, we left the
farm and moved into town since Maurice took a
butcher's job at the local store after taking a
cooking course. But after a few years, his health
deteriorated with heart problems and hip surgery, so
he retired. In 1985, we sold our house and moved to
the Fisher Branch Chalet. In September of that same
year, we took a trip, a Maritime Tour, which we really
enjoyed. From 1986 to 1991, we spent our winters in
Palm Springs, California.
Maurice became a
Charter Member of the Knights of Columbus in 1977, of
which he was always very involved. He also spent
countless hours pursuing his favorite activities; card
playing, fishing, gardening, fund raising and much
more. When card playing, Maurice was considered the
best, if not the luckiest! Although not the best at
fishing, he never turned down the opportunity. Though
not athletically inclined, he surprised many by
completing a 26 mile Walk-A-Thon at the age of 53,
proving his belief that nothing is impossible.
In September of
1974, we celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary with
many friends and relatives. Then in 1989, we
celebrated our 40th Anniversary with a Mass of
Thanksgiving and a gala evening with friends and
family.
Sadly, on September
11, 1993, Maurice passed away from a massive stroke
and was buried in the Immaculate Conception Cemetery
in Fisher Branch, Manitoba.
I'm still living at
the Chalet which is a nice place to reside. I have
more time to spend with friends, mostly playing cards
and bingo. I also have more time to spend with my
family of 17 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild, who
visit regularly.
