Elsie (Suderman) Wiens of Dutch descent was born in Winnipeg, Man., in 1934.
Elsie's story is quite unique; her grandparents were of Dutch descent and living in Russia. They had moved to Russia with a promise from the Russian government of religious freedom if they moved there and worked to develop the land.
There was not enough land in Holland so the opportunity to obtain land in Russia suited them until their freedom of religion was suspended when communism took a foothold in the country.
The entire Dutch community decided to leave Russia before it was too late to leave; they immigrated to Canada in the 1920s and many settled in Manitoba. Both Elsie's mother and her father were teens at the time of the migration to Canada.
Her parents eventually met one another, got married and started their family in Winnipeg. Time went by and along came Elsie, the second of five children.
Her parents eventually decided to move to Abbotsford to further the secondary education of their children at the Mennonite Educational Institute (MEI).
After Elsie graduated from MEI she enrolled in a four-year program at the Columbia Bible College - a Mennonite Brethren Bible Institute.
It was while she attended this college that she would meet the love of her life. She met Wil Wiens and the young couple got married in 1955. Wil joked and said, "We got married on July 1st and every year since then all of Canada celebrates our big day along with us."
Wil (Wilmer) Wiens was born in Humboldt, Sask., in 1931. His parents moved to Chilliwack in 1934 during the Great Depression; they wanted to leave behind poor crops, the cold weather and the dust storms.
Wil was raised and educated in Chilliwack. He completed Normal School in 1950 and started his career as a teacher. He completed his education at UBC, earning a bachelors degree in English and psychology.
At the age of 21 he was offered a job as principal in White Rock. Wil felt he was too young to hold that position so instead he moved to Prince George where he taught 12 students in the school at Bud Lake, followed by a job teaching at Telachick.
Telachick is approximately 27 kilometres west of Prince George on Highway 16 near the Isle Pierre area.
In 1956 Wil began his administrative career serving as the principal at King George V, Connaught, Spruceland and Lakeland elementary schools.
In 1977 he was appointed as administrative assistant at Duchess Park secondary where he worked until he retired at the age of 50. Wil said, "I retired at age 50 because I always believed that we needed youthful teachers and principals in the public school system."
Wil and Elsie decided to take a one-month vacation in Europe in the summer of 1972.
Wil said, "We left our eldest daughter, who was 16 at the time, in charge of the house and the rest of the family while we were gone. We didn't think anything of it back then mainly because our kids were always so responsible. Things were so different back then. I am sure we would be judged harshly these days for that decision."
Wil moved from the teaching profession into the well drilling business.
He said, "I had a partner and we bought a drilling rig; we drilled wells until the business dried up - no pun intended."
In the early 80s Wil returned to school administration and worked for four years in the native community of Gitsegukla near Hazelton. During that time the band council took over the school from the Department of Indian Affairs. A new school and gymnasium were built, the curriculum was brought up to B.C. standards and with that more budget money became available. The teachers' salaries were brought in line with the local school district and that resulted in acquiring qualified teachers. The attendance improved to 95 per cent, the highest increase Wil had seen in any school.
He said, "I retired again at the age of 72 and built a shop on our property by the river so that I could do some carpenter work and maintenance work on recreational vehicles."
Over the years Wil built three houses and his hobbies now include swimming, sailing, skiing, canoeing and curling.
Elsie was a stay-at-home mom and raised their six children - JoAnne (Howard) Robertson, who lives in Comox; Gerald, who lives in Terrace; Carmen (Don) Zurowski of Prince George; Kristen (Darold) Thorp, from Cranbrook; Glen, who lives in Terrace; and Grant (Kerri), who lives in Alberta.
They have 17 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.
Elsie used to sing in the church choir and with the Cantata singers.
She has volunteered for the Cancer Society, the Health Unit and now she works at the Hospice Resale Store one morning each week. Elsie enjoys sewing, crafts and gardening.
Wil and Elsie enjoy spending time with their family and friends. They have fairly good health and still live in the family home on a lovely spot near the Fraser River.
They said in unison, "Life is good."
