Larry and Helen Donnelly

By Helen Donnelly (nee de Champlain)

Larry was born June 25, 1938 at home on the farm of William and Helen Donnelly in the Jeffrey area. The farm situated on the SE22‑59‑24‑4 belonged to Willie's dad Roger Donnelly. Larry along with his older siblings Geraldine and Douglas grew up on the farm.

Jack Donnelly family.

They attended school at Jeffrey; having to walk or use the horses to get there. They had many great times there; turning the clocks ahead so you could get out earlier, playing out in the woods all day and not going to school and always playing tricks on one another on the walks home. Larry loved to toss his lunch kit up into the air to play catch with it; he'd miss the odd catch and end up with another busted lunch kit. When he had to use a lard pail, he'd leave it sit at the road gate, so of course, he'd get a new one again.

After a few years, the bus came around to take them to school in Vimy. Marcel Bernard had the route in this area. Getting the buses through some of the roads proved to be no easy task. Larry remembers John Lynch pulling the bus through mud or snowdrifts with his horses. Larry thought grade eight was enough school, so he quit and worked for the Lynches, on the farm.

He also worked on the oilrigs and helped his Dad when harvest time came. Douglas and Larry had nearly new cars to drive so they'd go to all the dances and pool halls with the guys and girls, of course.

In the summer, the Clyde picnic was a great place to meet new people. That's where Larry met some girls from Legal. It was in 1958, while at a neighbor's place, that Helen de Champlain (myself) first met Larry. After dating for three years, while I finished school, we were married November 4, 1961 in Legal. We lived on the Bill Bird farm across the road from the home place so Larry could help out on the farm. Our first child, a son, Gary was born April 11, 1962. He was our pride and joy and that of his grandparents.

As Willie's health was failing they decided to move to the Bird farm and we moved to the home place that we bought later. As Willie was to have open‑heart surgery, they bought a house in Clyde and moved in 1964 in the spring. Helen Sr. lived there till April of 1997 when she moved to the Pembina Lodge then six weeks later to the Westlock Long Term Facility.

On June 10, 1964 our second child, a daughter, Shelly was born. She was the first granddaughter on both sides of the family so she was extra special and she became a great playmate for Gary. He loved to pull her in his red wagon to go on a picnic up the driveway. We wasted no time and had a third child, another beautiful daughter, Sherry, was born July 28, 1965.

While our children were growing up, we continued to milk cows, feed pigs and raise commercial cattle. We grew all the feed for them and managed to make ends meet. The children started school in Vimy with the same bus driver that had picked up Larry, taking them to school. We always had the city cousins visiting during the holidays.

The summer months were always full of fun and excitement. There'd be picnics and rodeos and boating at the lake and lots of wiener roasts.

In 1972 we built our new house and what a joy to have running water and forced air heating. Those first eleven years of hauling and heating water were certainly a chore with three young children and visiting cousins. I'll always remember the Christmas morning when the water in the tree stand was frozen solid. The new house was extremely appreciated.

The children went on to Westlock for high school. Gary started to work at the cement plant with only one semester of high school left. He thought work was more important and it was, he was hired on in April by Otis Elevators and started off his career. Shelly attended Grant McEwan College and graduated as a teacher's aid in 1983. She started as a special needs aide and enjoyed her work. Sherry graduated from high school in 1983. She worked as a dental assistant for two years but changed careers to start at the Westlock Daycare.

The year Gary left home, in 1980, we quit milking cows and bought more commercial cows so as to lighten the load for Larry. We increased our pasture and hay land and grew only enough grain for feed. With no cows to milk Larry had time to travel. He flew to Chicago with his brother to pick up his motor home. Uncle Ed Donnelly and Todd, Doug's son, also went. They had a fun‑filled trip home. Larry drove to Manitoba with a friend, Gerry Blais, and drove up to Whitehorse with him. He enjoyed the beautiful sites on his way up to the Yukon.

Our children bought us each a ticket to Las Vegas as a 25th Anniversary gift. We really enjoyed

Larry and Helen Donnelly family.

our second trip there and the fabulous shows and sights.

In 1985 I had the opportunity to start working away from home after the children left. I started in the flower shop in Clyde and also part‑time at the Post Office. After the flower shop, I worked at Nilsson Bros. in the kitchen. I kept on at the Post Office till 1993 and am still at the mart. I enjoyed my job and meeting new people. I've kept active in St. Patrick's Catholic Church as a member of the parish council for one term and as a C.W.L. member for over 25 years; serving as a secretary, as treasurer and presently as president.

As the years progressed, so did the farm. We uncovered a huge rock that made the front page of the Westlock News a few times. It measures approximately 14 feet long by 11 feet high by 6 feet wide. It certainly has been an attraction.

In 1989 we built a new shed for the newer machinery which we purchased over the years. In 1990 Walter Hess sold us his 80 acres of pasture and hay land E 1/2 of NE22‑59‑24‑W4 which adjoined our land. Our cows love the bush and peaceful surroundings of this land as they tried it out a few times before we owned it.

We both found it difficult when the "nest" became empty; but are proud of our children. Gary is still in the elevator trade and now works to! Schindler as Safety Codes Officer and mechanic. He owns a house in Edmonton in the Meadowlark area and is single. He loves his 1998 Harley Davidson Road King Classic Motorcycle, his 1966 Mustang car and his 1988 Chevy Truck. He loves to play ball hockey and to travel especially to Mexico in winter and in the States on his "Harley" in the summertime.

Shelly has worked as a teacher's assistant since graduating and has traveled to Hawaii, Mexico, Los Angeles, Toronto and B.C. She was married September 28, 1996 to Kent Verlik, Retail Network manager for the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission. They bought a house in Edmonton by the Mill Creek Ravine. Their first child, a son, Kyle Williams was born March 23, 1998.

Sherry still works at the Westlock Daycare mostly in the office. She was married to Shayne Frith‑Smith on June 3, 1995. He works as a truck driver for Champion Feeds Services and also manages the warehouse. He also has a lovely daughter. Jennifer was born February 2, 1989, from a previous marriage. They travelled to BC for a great holiday. On June 1, 1998 they will move into a home they bought in Westlock. They're expecting a baby the first week in September 1998.

We continued to calve out about 50 calves and

grow enough hay and grain for their use. We hope our health will allow us to stay farming a few more years so that our grandchildren can come and visit the farm, which was first settled by their great‑greatgrandfather.