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Jean was born to Esther and August Knoepfli in Sylvan Lake, April 11, 1927. She and Allan moved with their parents, first to the Last Lake District and then to Deer Hill in 1934. Jean and Allan worked hard to help with the farming, especially after their father's sudden passing from a stroke when Jean was only 15.
Jean attended the Deer Hill School, which taught up to grade 9. She had a keen interest in drawing, which resulted in many beautiful paintings in the years to come. She also had some Bible School training...
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Jean was born to Esther and August Knoepfli in Sylvan Lake, April 11, 1927. She and Allan moved with their parents, first to the Last Lake District and then to Deer Hill in 1934. Jean and Allan worked hard to help with the farming, especially after their father's sudden passing from a stroke when Jean was only 15.
Jean attended the Deer Hill School, which taught up to grade 9. She had a keen interest in drawing, which resulted in many beautiful paintings in the years to come. She also had some Bible School training later.
Jean and Gerald Vick were married on July 11, 1949 in Deer Hill, nearly 65 years ago. They farmed there until they retired to Fairview in 1995.
Jean was one of the first cooks for the David Thompson Bible Camp, when it began in 1961. In 1962 electric power came to Deer Hill. The water pump and the water heater being most greatly appreciated. The arrival of the telephone in 1966, saved many trips to town to order parts, fuel and many things like that.
Jean devoted her life to her husband 4 children. She grew a large garden, loved flowers, cooked and baked almost anything - often without a recipe, sewed many of the children's clothes, made quilts, crocheted, knitted sweaters, socks and mitts with wool from their pet sheep, Queenie, did chores when Gerald had to go away to work, and raised chickens.
She also helped in the fields, especially at haying time. They had cows, a couple of horses, sometimes pigs - always a dog and cat.
On various occasions when she was called upon to be the "veterinarian" - like removing potato sprouts from the bulging crop of a turkey, nursing the dog back to health after being chewed up by a neighbor's dog or doing mouth-to-beak resuscitation on a drowning chick.
She and Gerald very much enjoyed their trips to Israel, Australia and India.
Jean loved music and learned to play the piano along with the girls when they took lessons. For years she was part of the Northern Lights Missionary Group who made and gave away quilts to people who needed them, like victims of fire or as gifts to graduating students.
An important part of Jean's life was her faith - church, hymns and a relationship with God which she shared with her family, whom she loved very dearly.
Pictures of her children and grandchildren are scattered all around her house. She also made many albums. As a family member and friend, Jean has always been only kind, giving, always smiling, easy to laugh and very friendly.
Jean lived the last 5 years in Continuing Care. Gerald faithfully visited her daily. The staff became like family and their loving care was so much appreciated.
Jean was predeceased by her parents, Esther and August Knoepfli, her brother Allan and sisters-inlaw, Garnette (and Wilfred) Murphy, Deloris (and Gilbert) Morrison, and Stan Cox. Dorothy Cox passed away the day of Jean's funeral.
Jean leaves to mourn her husband, Gerald, her children, Vera (Dave) Brisbin, Janet (Richard) McLean, Garv (Marilvn) Vick and Calvin (Cathy) Vick and sister-in-law Rebecca Knoepfli.
Gerald and Jean Vick
Gerald Oscar Vick was born in LaFleche, Saskatchewan on July 16, 1919, the eldest child of Victor and Christine. He is the only brother to sisters, Garnette, Deloris, & Dorothy. Gerald’s parents were born and raised in the Dakotas and some of both families moved into Saskatchewan shortly before Victor and Christine met. After their marriage in 1918, both Victor and Christine worked for the telephone companies, doing lines and looking after the switchboard. Gerald and his sisters and parents moved to places such as Sexsmith, Blue Hawk, Figure Eight Lake and Last Lake where the family farmed and lived for many years.
Jean Eleanor Knoepfli was born in Sylvan Lake on April 11, 1927. She was the first and only daughter of August and Esther Knoepfli and sister to Allan. The family moved north to the Deer Lake District in 1933 and settled in to farm. They rode horseback to the Deer Hill School in summer and sleigh in the winter. During these homesteading days, the Knoepflis and Vicks became not only close neighbors but very good friends. August passed away suddenly in 1942, leaving Esther, Allan and Jean and Jim Nadeau to carry on.
Gerald attended schools in Mount Star (near Sexsmith), Blue Hawk, Figure Eight Lake, Last Lake and Meredian and remembers some of his favorite teachers, Miss Ketter, Miss Roy and Mr. French.
In 1941 Gerald joined the Royal Canadian Armed forces and did his boot camp and training in Camrose, Alberta and Brandon, Manitoba. On one occasion, Gerald had spent a couple of days in the hospital. When he returned, he and his troop were presenting arms – first do the gun moves, stop, take ½ step back. Stop. While in the hospital, Gerald had missed the part about what happened after the second “stop.” So he stopped and the rest kept going. This was quite embarrassing. Another time when he met an officer, he as usual saluted as he should have. The problem was, usually the soldiers wore a “wedgie,” a hat with no beak and the salute was to bring your hand farthest way around, shortest way down. On this particular occasion, Gerald was wearing the pith helmet for the first time and in the middle of the salute, he knocked the helmet right off his head. This was again pretty embarrassing for a 19 year old. He returned home to Deer Hill in 1942. Gerald also ran large machinery and worked on the construction of the Alaska Highway.
Jean attended school in Burnt Lee and Deer Hill and in 1944-45 attended Bible School at The Lighthouse Tabernacle, in Grande Prairie. After her formal education, Jean worked for a while at Schmelke’s Hardware in Peace River. She worked for Jean Labourne in 1946-47. During a couple of winters she worked as a second-cook, along with her future mother-in-law, at the lumber mills. She worked for Dr. and Mrs. Letts and did housework. In Hines Creek she worked for a family doing housework and looking after children. She also worked in a store in Whitelaw.
As young people, both Gerald and Jean attended community functions such as softball, box socials and country dances. Community lunches were always part of these outings. On July 11, 1949 they were married at Jean’s home in Deer Hill. After they honeymooned in Dawson creek, they settled into the new house that Gerald, with Allan’s help, had built of lumber he had cut at Cook’s sawmill.
It was in Deer Hill that Gerald and Jean had four children, Vera, Janet, Gary and Calvin. As a family, they farmed and raised cattle. In earlier years they had horses. During many winters Gerald worked at the lumber mills: Thordeson’s, Cook’s and HR&N, while Jean and the kids looked after things on the farm. Gerald worked on building roads for the Dept. of Highways out of Peace River. He also worked for several different companies driving cat, cutting seismic lines in the bush. Gerald also spent several years working at CANFOR, the Fairview Auction and the College.
Gerald enjoyed sports – baseball in particular. He often played first base. He and the Deer Hill team played against teams such as Whitelaw, David Thompson and Granger. The family enjoyed these baseball outings. Horseshoes was another sport they enjoyed. Saturday nights would often find the family in Fairview watching Hockey Night in Canada with Grandma and Granddad Vick (Victor and Christine, who lived in Fairview from 1960 to 1971 and 1990). Of course watching the real thing – the Fairview Monarchs was good entertainment too. At that time you could go to watch a good game of hockey for 50 cents! Some winters Jean and Gerald both curled, along with Allan Knoepfli, the Aune brothers, and Archie & Betsy Hayes, sometimes in Whitelaw and sometimes in Hines Creek.
In 1962 electricity was brought into the Deer Hill District and in 1966 AGT put in the telephones – party line at first. That was pretty exciting!!!
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Contributed by the kids
Dad, although he seems like a pretty quiet guy, is a bit of a character. He loves to pull tricks on people and who would be more gullible than his poor Mom? Once he phoned Grandma from downtown Fairview pretending to be someone from the Town Water Company. He said the water was going to be off so that she should gather and save some water for flushing, cooking etc. When we got up to her house later on, we found that Grandma had the tub full, the sinks full and pots of water on the stove and all over. Another time he found a set of her old dentures at their old homestead and instead of giving them to her or just chucking them out, he gave them to Uncle John Lindman to mail from “out of town.” A few months later, Uncle John mailed the teeth to Grandma. She worried for weeks about some poor soul going without their teeth (not realizing, of course, that they were hers). Finally Dad owned up to his prank.
Mom, on the other hand, in a different time and place could have been, would have been, or should have been, a vet. One time she found a half grown chick nearly drowned in some water and after mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, the chick survived to become fully grown (and was butchered). Another chicken story – we had hauled out and dumped the potatoes sprouts in the spring and a young chicken made a real pig of itself, stuffing its crop so full that it was cutting off its breathing. Mom found the poor thing just about dead, so brought it in for emergency surgery. She cut the skin, cut the crop open, pulled out sprout after sprout (at which time the chicken suddenly breathed and started flopping), sewed up the crop, sewed up the skin and let the chicken go. This chicken also survived, probably to end up butchered too. Mom also mended up dogs; once when Sandy had a foot nearly cut off by a mower, another time when he was chewed up by another much bigger dog.
On the farm we had a few horses, lots of cattle, some pigs and almost always chickens. A few times Mom had turkeys but Dad didn’t appreciate them because they left their calling cards all over. And they seemed to like Dad and follow him all over. There was also one sheep, Queenie, who turned out to be a much lived family pet for many years. We still have quilts with her wool in them. There was always a dog and one or two cats.
Mom sewed most of the clothes for us girls when we were younger. In these later years she has been part of the Northern Lights Missionary Group, who make and give away quilts to people who need them, like victims of fire or as gifts to graduating students.
Mom and Dad attended the Hines Creek Gospel Chapel for many years, before moving into Fairview and attending church at the Fairview Gospel Chapel.
In 1995 Mom and Dad moved into Fairview. It hasn’t taken them long to become very involved there. Dad is a member of Legion #84. He has his carpentry skills to keep him busy and cares for the fairly large yard. Mom continues to plant and keep a big garden – which she has always done. She plants an extra row of peas just for Dad to snitch at. In the fall you may find both Mom and Dad our picking saskatoons, blueberries, or whatever berry happens to be in season. Mom enjoys crocheting and painting. Together they have had some trips including travels to Israel, Australia, India and most recently, the Knoepfli Falls in Ontario.
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Gerald and Jean had four children born into their family. Vera (in April 1950 at her Grandma’s house on a very snowy winter-like night), Janet (in February 1952), Gary (in May 1954 at home – Dr. Lett’s arrived not quite in time – on a tractor because the roads were so bad) and Calvin (in September 1965).
The children all grew up on the farm and were bussed to Hines Creek for their 12 years of formal education. The year Vera started school was the first year the school bus came to the Hines Creek area. In those years, some of the roads were lacking gravel, so there was some exciting trips for George Olstad, the bus driver, when there had been two or three days of rain (at least the kids found it exciting). The kids on the Deer Hill school bus liked to sing and they would often be heard singing the miles away.
The family started attending Sunday evening services at David Thompson Hall when Hazel Taylor came from Ontario to work with the CSSM in Hines Creek and Eureka River areas in 1954. In winter, benches were set up in a circle around the old wood stove and Miss Taylor played a little portable pump organ for music. The Sam Eeles family came in 1960, took over the services and eventually this group of worshippers moved to Hines Creek where they had obtained a church building of their own – The Hines Creek Gospel Mission. The highlight of the week for the teenagers was the Friday night Young People’s activities. Vera and Janet did some singing at church-related activities, accompanied by their Dad on the guitar. Both girls took piano lessons from Mrs. Olstad.
As the family grew up, there were also good times visiting the neighbors around, even though transportation wasn’t always easy. Walking worked if nothing else. Grandparents on both sides lived less than 3 miles away. Holiday celebrations were a good time for family to get together.
After high school graduation, Vera took 3 years of study at Prairie Bible Institute in Three Hills and in 1971 married Dave Brisbin, who was pasturing a church in Bonanza, Alberta, which turned out to be a 16 year commitment for him. He also managed the David Thompson Bible Camp for 9 years and is now pasturing Fairview Gospel Chapel. Dave and Vera moved to Fairview in 1988 and then just out of town in 1990. Vera has taught piano lessons during most of their married years. They have three children, Troy (and Esther) of Calgary, Trina, also of Calgary and Trevor of Grande Prairie.
Janet attended PBI for two years worked at the hospital in Fairview and then took Medical E-ray training at the Misericordia Hospital in Edmonton. She then worked in High Level and Spirit River Hospitals. She then trained in Medical Lab technology in Edmonton and Olds. Since then she has worked in Grande Prairie and LaCrete. In 1979, Janet married Dick McLean, a teacher and they have lived in various communities, including a year’s teacher exchange in Australia. They also spent a couple years in South Dakota, where Dick received his doctorate in Educational Administration. Dick and Janet have 2 girls (Hillary and Shauna) who both live in Calgary. Dick and Janet live in Eaglesham.
Gary has worked most of his life in construction and oilfield work. He married Marilyn (Puddy) Bjornson in 1975. She is a gal of many talents and has worked at various jobs through the years, such things as catering, parts person, bookkeeping and crafts to mention a few. They have 2 children, Danny (and Shannon, with grandchildren Kiana and Dawson), and Dawn (and Kelly, with granddaughter Faith). The family has a cabin at the Hines Creek golf course, a perfect retreat for these golfing enthusiasts.
Calvin attended Peace River Bible Institute for 2 years after High School where he met his future wife, Cathy Faszer, the daughter of missionaries to India. They were married in 1988. Both Calvin and Cathy graduated from LPN training in Grouard in 1987 and a year later Calvin took Emergency Medical Training. Fifteen years late he continues working in this career. Cathy worked in McLennan and High Prairie until the children came along. They have a daughter, Bronwyn and a son Adam, who are both little musicians. While working at the hospital, Calvin has had a few other jobs on the side, such as installing satellite dishes, handyman and truck driving.
One time when Dad was working in Whitehorse, the window of his bunkhouse was facing the window of his foreman’s office, just across the street, so they could easily keep an eye on what he was doing. One day when the foreman went into town, Dad snuck over and made a dummy using his hat, overalls, boots, etc. and set him up in a chair so he could be easily seen through the window when the foreman came home. When he did come back, he hurried through the door, only to get a good dousing from a pail of water which was carefully placed over the door. Dad was quite pleased with himself, but this wasn’t over. One night later on, he woke up from a sound sleep, with someone tickling his feet. He was very ticklish. But he couldn’t move. The foreman had managed to wrap a rope around him and his cot, so he had to just lay there and take his punishment. The score was even for the time being anyway!
Jean's Story as written by Jean herself.
Jean Vick
Gerald Vick and I were married July 11, 1949, at my mother, Esther Knoepfli’s place. We had an outdoor wedding and walked through an archway made of spruce boughs, decorated with roses and ribbons made by my Aunt Olga Thompson from Brentley. Our minister was Rev. Norman McKrae. When he came to visit he always carried a pair of coveralls and a pair of sheep shears in his car and was ready to give a helping hand. He said”That’s half of my ministry.” He always read a scripture and prayer for us before he and his wife left.
We moved to our homestead home on SW quarter, T. 84, R.2 W6 and to this day we still live in the same house with an addition added in 1965.
We homesteaded a quarter west of this one later and bought260 acres from Gerald’s parents when they moved to Fairview in 1961. The N.W. of 21 has the shore of Jerry Lake on the west side. We have enjoyed picnics, boating, swimming and the beautiful scenery here, also the work of the beavers. In earlier years we (My mother, Allan, Mother Vick, Deloris, Dorothy and Gerald) made several trips over to the Islands in Jerry Lake to pick raspberries or cranberries. We used a big boat made by my Dad and once we used a raft. On the return trip with it, we put the pails of berries on the raft and we waded in to shore.
We have four children. Vera, born in 1950, was married to Dave Brisbin in 1971. They have three children, Troy, Trina and Trevor. Dave is a minister with the Canadian Sunday School Mission. Vera assists him and is a piano teacher. They live in Fairview.
Janet, born in 1952, married Dick McLean in 1979. They have two children, Hillary and Shauna. Disk is a school teacher and Janet a Lab and X-ray technician. They live at Buffalo Head Prairie.
Gary, born in 1954, married Marilyn B. Johnson in 1975. They have two children, Danny and Dawn. Gary works in construction work and Marilyn helps with the book work and is very handy at Crafts and sells some. They live at Eureka River.
Calvin, born in 1965, married Cathy Faszer in 1988. Calvin works as an E.M.T. Ambulance attendant and Cathy as an R.N.A. Both work in the High Prairie Health Complex.
All of our children went to and graduated from Hines Creek Elementary and High School.
Our first graded roads were constructed in 1956, when a few children from our district were old enough to go to school and had to be bussed in to Hines Creek. Before that, most of the roads in our district were two track wagon trails. A few cars and trucks did travel on them when the mud holes weren’t too bad.
We did mixed farming through the years. Gerald has worked out at various places in the winter time, being away from home at Cooks Mill, Thordarson’s Mill, Hemstocks, Englands, M zers, Lapachucks and Zavisha’s. He also worked on construction with Mulodowich, Estabrook, Walds and Gene Westagone. From 1965, he worked five consecutive years with North Canadian Forest Industries Ltd. at which time he was able to stay at home all year around. He worked two more years with N.C.F.L. part time. From the time he started work with N.C.F.L. we were able to take a holiday in the summer.
When Gerald worked away from home, I had the cattle to feed and water. The children helped when they were old enough and I’d call on my brother Allan if there was a calving problem.
To get to social events we depended on Knoepfli’s or Granddad Vick to take us, or for short distances and in nice weather, the three older children and I got on the Massey “30” tractor and went. No wonder Gary went into construction work! He’s been behind a steering wheel since he was a baby!
All our children have helped with field work, when they were old enough to drive a tractor. I’ve helped in the fields too, especially at haying time when square bales were still popular.
I’ve always been able to have a nice garden and in recent years been able to grow tomatoes and “cucs” in a greenhouse.
Our main entertainment in the early years was Soft Ball in the summer, competing with other districts and towns. Card parties were popular in the winter time.
As the children got older, they were involved with church “Young People’s Group.” They went tobogganing, sleigh rides, croquinole tournaments and indoor games, volleyball, broomball, ending with a Bible lesson and a good lunch.
We attended services at the David Thompson Hall before 1960 when an Anglican minister, Mr. Brown came there and later Hazel Taylor came as a pioneer missionary with the Canadian Sunday School Mission and had services at the David Thompson Hall with good attendance. Later we had meetings at her home in Hines Creek. Then a little church was moved in, called “Hines Creek Gospel Mission.” Sam Eeles was our minister there and Hazel Taylor then went to minister at Eureka River. We have attended the Hines Creek Gospel Mission ever since.
The David Thompson Bible Camp was started by these two groups and has now grown to have about 400 campers this past summer - 1989.
Things have changed in many ways through the years. In 1962 we got electric power in, which meant many electric appliances to follow. The two I appreciated the most are the water pump and water heater. We bring our water in from a large dugout.
When we were first married we had a shallow seepage well that we carried water from. As the weather got dryer, it went dry. Then we melted snow, caught rain off the roof and hauled water from Aune’s place – about four miles north and west of us.
In 1966 we got the telephone in which saved making unnecessary trips to town to order a machinery part that may not be carried in stock, or being able to order fuel when we needed it and of course “visit” a little. Most of us now have a car and a truck or two. We have graveled roads and pavement within eleven miles of our place now.
With thanks to our children, we enjoyed a trip to “The Holy Land” in 1976 and a trip to Australia in 1986.
We are thankful to have enjoyed good health through the years. |
