Romeo Parent of French descent was born in Vonda, Sask., in 1925.
At the age of 24, he met and later married Lillian Bernard. Lillian was born in Birch Hill, Sask., in 1929; she was working as a school teacher when she met Romeo.
Romeo reflected back and said, “I met Lillian at a ball game. After the ball game, she was walking out with another fellow so I approached him and asked him where he was going with my girlfriend; this was my way of flirting with her. The fellow turned out to be her brother. That was over 70 years ago but I remember the day very well. It actually turned out to be the luckiest day of my life.”
The young couple got married in Zenon Park, Sask. on August 30, 1950.
In 1951, Romeo left his bride behind in the care of her parents while he headed west to Prince George to follow a job opportunity. He had the promise of a job working for his uncle who owned a sawmill at Fyfe Lake.
Romeo said, “The train arrived in Prince George in the middle of the night so I just slept at the train station. In the morning, I headed to the Prince George Hotel to meet up with my uncle. People could see my pack sack and by the time I got to the hotel I had three job offers which I had to turn down. I got settled in my job and then I sent for my wife.”
Time went by and Romeo found a better paying job working as a faller for McBride Timber just west of Prince George. Later, he worked for Clear Lake Sawmills on the Blackwater Road until he partnered with his two brothers Paul and Maurice and they started their own company and named it RPM Logging. At one point in time, RPM Logging had nearly 60 employees and kept Clear Lake Sawmills supplied with logs for many years.
Romeo invested in two D9 Caterpillars – a large and powerful track-type tractor usually sold as a bulldozer equipped with a detachable large blade and a rear ripper attachment - and formed the Skyway Construction Company. His company cleared land all over the north and by the end of the first year he had four D9 Cats. He landed contracts to clear the land at Williston Lake for the W.A.C. Bennett Dam and for the Mica Dam project north of Revelstoke.
He is proud to say that his company cleared the land in a matter of a few days for the Immaculate Conception Church in the College Heights area. The church was consecrated in 1977 with the Parent family being one of the many founding families. The surrounding area began to develop and Parent Road – one of the many roads in the area – came into being.
Romeo explained, “When we arrived in Prince George Lillian worked as a substitute teacher specializing in French and all facets of mathematics. Once the children started to arrive, she became a stay at home mom.
“I was away for many years doing contract work and Lillian held the family together in my absence. She did the books for our company and they always balanced right up to the day that we sold the company. In fact, she is the reigning crib champion of the family. She has always had a knack for numbers and in her younger years she always scored 100 per cent on her algebra and matriculation exams.”
Romeo and Lillian had seven daughters: Diane (Darrell), Lucille (Ray), Margaret (John), Lorette (Harry), Janet (deceased) was married to Bob, Murielle (Tony) and Suzanne (Orlando) who in turn gave them 17 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren.
Romeo’s father lived to be 106 years old and he is determined to beat that record and I believe that he will.
Romeo and Lillian go back 70 years in the history of Prince George and they should write a book about it. They were members of the original French-Canadian club and Romeo served on the board of directors for the Sacred Heart Credit Union. That credit union has since become Spruce Credit Union and continues to operate today.
When I asked Lillian what her biggest accomplishment had been in her 91 years on this earth she said, “My big accomplishment has been our seven girls. I originally wanted to be a nun and enter a convent until I met Romeo. He was a good Catholic and we both wanted a big family so it all worked out just fine.
“Romeo has been a good provider. In our earlier days, he did a lot of hunting and fishing and provided the food for our family as well as many other families.
“I always had a huge garden but now in my retirement I just enjoy the grandchildren and watch the family do all the work in the garden. We have had 70 years of a good marriage and ended up with a truly great family.”
