Some things are just meant to be. However, some people believe that some things are just not meant to be. I will tell you this story and you can decide for yourself.
Euclide (aka Euc) Xavier Goyer, of French decent, was born in Zenon Park, Sask., in 1930. During his career Euc worked as a carpenter, a cabinet maker, a painter, exterior stucco wall finishing and then did some logging in the winter. He worked on the start-up of the pulp mills in Hinton, Alta., and Crofton, B.C. and eventually ended up in Prince George in 1959 in the construction industry.
Gladys Wiseman was born six miles away from Zenon Park in New Osgoode, Sask., in 1941. Her family moved to Haney, B.C. in 1946. When she was 15 years old her family made a trip back to Saskatchewan and stopped in Zenon for a short while. Gladys grinned and said, "My uncle wouldn't let me out of the car for fear that I would meet a Frenchman from Zenon. He was so serious that I didn't even argue the matter."
Two years later Euc and Gladys coincidentally met one another at a dance and they were married three years later in Haney, and then moved to Prince George in 1961. The couple will soon celebrate 54 years of marriage. Yes, some things are just meant to be.
Together they raised two children: Diane, who lives in Prince George, and Robert (Michelle) who lives in Airdrie, Alta. Gladys proudly said, "We have one granddaughter, Sarah, and she is the apple of our eye!"
Over the years Euc worked for McKeller Construction, Central Homes, Starburst Homes and Wood Craft Construction, building homes and installing cabinets. In 1966 he started his own business and he called it "Euc's Cabinets and Finishing." Gladys was the bookkeeper.
Euc is now 84 years old and he says he still has not retired. He still takes on small jobs and he can be found at the craft fairs with his bird feeders and unique potato bins. They both spend a fair amount of time enjoying their cabin at Norman Lake.
Euc has been a member of the Elks for 45 years and is still active - as needed. He explains it like this.
"We used to have 500 members and now we are down to about 30 members. We helped a lot of people and groups over the years. We don't do as much as we used to do."
Euc was the Elks Exalted Ruler in 1981. He was presented with a thank you badge from the Girl Guides for all his work at the guide camp and for all the projects he had the girls working on. He was also a part of the volunteer team that built the Aurora School for challenged children. Building the school was a joint project between the Prince George Contractor's Association and the Kiwanis. The school was to be built with a twist in that it was to be completed in just one day - just 24 hours. The project was finished about 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
Gladys worked at the school board office as a data entry clerk for the District Resource Centre. She was an active Girl Guide volunteer for nearly 20 years. These days her hobbies are taking long walks with friends, learning line dancing and genealogy.
"We recently discovered floor curling at the Elder Citizens Recreation Centre," Gladys said. "We both love it. We both learned something new and something that we could do together. Believe me this is a first for us. This is proof that it is never to late to learn something new. It was meant to be."
Floor curling is available at the following senior centres: The Elder Citizens Recreation Centre - 250-561-9381; the Hart Pioneer Centre - 250-962-6712; and the Prince George and District Senior Activity Centre - 250-564-3287. Just phone the respective office for all the details.
