Long-time Prince George residents Alcide and Margaret (Lainchbry) Gauthier have lived in Prince George since 1964. Here is their story.
Alcide was born - and grew up in - Plamondon, Alta., in 1932. Alcide said, "I grew up on a farm in a small town where I was related to nearly everyone. I had 26 aunts and uncles and they all had kids so I had cousins all over town. I had to go to Drayton Valley, Alberta, to find a wife and I sure found a good one. I can remember the day I met Margret Lainchbry very well. I was working in the trucking industry hauling crude oil. I happened to stop at a caf and there she was. I had to chase her but I eventually chased her down and the rest is history."
Alcide and Margaret will soon celebrate 58 years of marriage. Margaret said, "I worked at the caf until we got married. Then I took on the job of raising our family." Alcide spoke up and passionately said, "Raising a family is a job of its own. Looking after kids in my book comes first because it is a big deal."
Alcide has worked with and has understood heavy equipment all of his life. He confidently said, "I can run anything with a lever or a steering wheel on it. I was born on a farm and you just learn and you do what it takes to keep the equipment running. When I was 16 years old I was running a cat and I just moved on to other equipment from there.
"We got married and moved to Fort Smith in the South Slave region of the Northwest Territories. I was running and repairing heavy equipment. Eventually we moved back to Alberta and I went to work on the construction of the Brazene Dam. Oh the stories I could tell you about that experience. I was 27 years old and it was my job to run the DC12. A DC12 is simply two cats put together side by side doing a much bigger job."
Alcide worked at the Brazene Dam construction site for four years. He said he made big wages and worked long hours. The going wage at the time was $2 per hour. I can't even imagine a wage of $2 per hour for a heavy equipment operator.
In 1964 Alcide was contacted and offered a job in Summit Lake to run a specialized machine. He successfully bargained for the same take-home pay but shorter hours. The young family eventually ended up in Prince George. He worked as a bush foreman for 14 years and then went to work for Northwood Pulp for 15 years until his retirement in 1998.
They traveled a great deal right after retirement. Cruising, bus trips and traveling in their motorhome kept them busy until they retired from traveling and sold the motorhome.
I had a great conversation with Alcide and Margaret about how things were when they first started out and how they managed with virtually no money. Alcide proudly said, "Margaret was always willing to live in the camps. Sometimes our home had plain wooden floors but Margaret kept them spotless. We were not rich and I can tell you we stuck together and we never gave up. We had a good life but best of all we had each other and we had our family."
They had three children - son Edward (recently deceased), Morleen, who worked at Prince George Pulp, daughters Lorraine, and Janet (Bruce) Pattinson, who both work for School District 57. They have 12 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren and one great great grandchild with another one on the way.
There is an extensive history of volunteerism with both Alcide and Margaret throughout their lives. Alcide is an accomplished square dance caller and Margaret has been an active Royal Purple member for the past 35 years. They agree that all their volunteer work has been satisfying and it is now their turn to relax and let the younger people do the work.
They love their carpet bowling and they also participate in the drama club at the Elder Citizens Recreation Centre. Alcide is the actor and Margret is his personal coach.
I asked what the secret was to a successful 58 years of marriage and Alcide said, ''Yes, dear' is the basic recipe for a long and happy marriage."
