One Woman's Journey – Angeline Hogue (1912-1996) continued

Emile Roy and Angeline Hogue (courting years) c.1936

The following excerpts are drawn from the 1994 book Nootsie, The Life of Ernest Emile Roy (1914-1992) written by J. Paul-Emile Roy, CA. This is Part Two. Read more in Part One.

According to Angeline, Christmas time for the Hogue children meant a special treat of bananas and oranges. Each child could look forward to getting them in their Christmas stockings, along with a few pennies. These were not your typical stockings but huge long woollen socks - 17 of them. Christmas was also a time to receive their father's blessing and have fun. There were no radios or movie theatres back then but the Hogues had a Victrola machine on which they would play records. Several of the children also played musical instruments.

In 1932, the Hogue family settled in Jogues and Emile Roy became friends with the Hogue boys. Within two years, he began courting Angeline. In the beginning, Emile would occasionally come to the post office to pick up parcels and would “sneak a look” at Angeline whenever he was there. He bought her a special present for Christmas in 1935. It was a watch with the year and their initials “AH 1935 ER” inscribed on the back. During their courtship, they exchanged greetings for Valentine's Day, Christmas and other occasions.

On their dates, Emile and Angeline shared many precious moments. She noted that, “It didn't take much to please a person in those times.” They would hold hands and Emile would whisper “sweet nothings” in her ear. Even though his feet were planted firmly in the present, he would talk about his plans, hopes and dreams. And, he would explain his ideas for making his dreams come true.

Angeline and Emile wed in 1937

Emile was eager to get married but Angeline was not. Having shared a house with many brothers and sisters, she wanted her own place to live in and was willing to wait for it. So Emile figured, if that was the case, then he would make sure that she had a house. When Emile asked if it would be okay to build a house on part of his father’s property, the response was “Sure, you can build a house on that piece of land across the other side of the river. If you build there, the land is yours.” The house was nearly finished when Angeline and Emile got married in August 1937. It needed a number of finishing touches, however, such as tiles for the kitchen floor. But, after the nurses had given Angeline a shower, they had pretty much everything they needed to get started.

Emile and Angeline 50th anniversary in 1987

On her journey through life, Angeline was never alone. She always had her family at heart. There were many landmarks on that journey. Some were triumphs and some were tragedies. They are worth telling and remembering. After all, she was special, my mom!

One Woman's Journey – Angeline Hogue (1912-1996)

Angeline at age 8 (white dress), c.1920

The following excerpts are drawn from the 1994 book Nootsie, The Life of Ernest Emile Roy (1914-1992) written by J. Paul-Emile Roy, CA. This is Part One. Read more in Part Two.

On May 12, 1912, Marie Marguerite Angeline Hogue was born in the village of Beauharnois, Quebec. She was the 12th child of seventeen children of Palmyre Hogue (a carpenter) and Antoinette Daoust (a teacher). There were nine daughters and eight sons in the family.

To find work, the Hogue family moved to Montreal, Quebec and then Windsor, Ontario. When work was no longer available, they moved to Jogues, which is about 12 miles from Hearst in Northern Ontario. Not far by today’s standards, but it was a long way to go by horse and buggy. It was even farther to go by foot, because few could afford the luxury of horses. Clearing the land of tree stumps and cultivating the soil was done with oxen - a very slow process indeed. Antoinette didn’t want to go, especially when she had to leave behind some of her prized possessions - a set of beautiful antique dishes she inherited from her mother.

When the Hogues moved to Jogues in 1932, Angeline hated it. There was nothing but bush and mosquitoes. She wondered many times why she hadn’t stayed in Montreal, where things were civilized. Everywhere there was black, swampy soil and the mud was like quicksand. But, the alternative to being a “pioneer” was staying in the city, where there was no work, and facing the worst of the depression.

Angeline at age 20, c. 1932

In Montreal, Angeline had worked with the nuns on church matters, fixing the altar, preparing for masses and other religious events. When the family moved to Jogues, Angeline was about 20 years old. She worked for a while as a secretary in a hardware store in Hearst. She had mastered secretarial skills at business school in Windsor at the age of 15. Since it was not possible to commute from Jogues, she obtained room and board in Hearst for about $30 a month.

Angeline also worked at the post office and at the hospital in Hearst as a nurse’s aid and interpreter for the doctors. There were only a few nurses, so Angeline was often called on to help in the maternity ward. It was not all work, though. There were times when a little fun was in order. Once, Angeline played the part of a “fine gentleman” in a play put on by the hospital staff. Afterwards, there was a parade through the streets in a two wheel cart drawn by a bull. So as not to hold up the others in the parade, Angeline's brother tied two carrots at the end of a long pole and dangled them in front of the bull. It worked!

 

Angeline on cart with tophat, c. 1934

Angeline was asked, “How did you survive the depression in the bush?” She replied, “Times were not easy. You could say that the depression became a way of life.” Often, a meal consisted of bread and gravy. That was supplemented, when possible, with game such as deer, moose, rabbit and partridge. There were a lot of wild partridges in those days. Water had to be carried by hand from the nearby river and heated on a campfire. Everything was done by hand without the aid of machines. Washboards were used to do the laundry outside - including the long underwear and bedding sheets. Fighting off the mosquitoes was part of the washday drudgery. She was quick to add, “The darned mosquitoes and black flies never quit!”

One Man's Journey – Emile Roy (1914-1992) continued...

Emile and sleigh, c.1935

The following excerpts are drawn from the 1994 book Nootsie, The Life of Ernest Emile Roy (1914-1992) written by J. Paul-Emile Roy, CA. This is Part Two. Read more in Part One.

Working with nature can be hazardous to your health. On many occasions, it certainly proved to be so for Emile Roy. It’s a good thing he was a “cat with nine lives,” otherwise he may not have survived the many catastrophes that would have meant the end for a lesser man. For example, as a teenager, his leg was badly mangled by a hay bailing machine. A few years later, the heavily loaded sleigh he was driving overturned on a steep hill sending pulp logs flying in all directions and leaving the team of horses lying on their backs with their legs in the air. And, as a young man driving a brand new truck, he was hit broadside by a train.

Emile and bulldozer on frozen lake, c.1940s

Later in life, the bulldozer he was operating in late winter broke through the ice and plummeted 40 feet to the bottom of the lake. In middle age, he fell from the top of a logging truck in the remote bush and broke his shoulder in several places. As a senior, he narrowly missed being crushed by the bucket of a backhoe, although it did serious damage to his leg. These are only some of the misfortunes and hardships he experienced. It is no wonder that he could often be heard swearing a litany in French.

Emile clearing land, c.1980s

Emile was never a violent man, so his bark was certainly worse than his bite. On the positive side, it may be said that swearing has this advantage - when you use it, most people understand exactly how you feel. His wife, Angeline, never gave up trying to reform his bunkhouse language. Then again, he didn't seem to mind one little bit when she chided him and lovingly referred to her as “Woman.”

Emile in photo held by Angeline, his wife

Though he seldom let on, Emile was a deeply religious man. Throughout his life, but especially in his youth, he enjoyed singing in the church choir. Maybe it was the medallion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that he carried around that inspired him. And, maybe it was the evening rosary that he often prayed with Angeline that helped him to face life’s burdens one day at a time.

On his journey through life, Emile was never alone. He always had his family at heart, as evidenced by the fact that he carried around a list of his eight children’s names and telephone numbers in his wallet, just in case he had to get in touch with them. There were many landmarks on that journey. Some were triumphs and some were tragedies. They are worth telling and remembering. After all, he was special, my dad!

One Man's Journey – Emile Roy (1914-1992)

The following excerpts are drawn from the 1994 book Nootsie, The Life of Ernest Emile Roy (1914-1992) written by J. Paul-Emile Roy, CA. This is Part One. Read more in Part Two.

On April 17, 1914, Ernest Emile Roy was born in the village of Ste. Julie, Laurierville, County of Megantic, Quebec. Emile’s father, Alcide Roy, and his mother, Laura Samson, were both born in 1891. Alcide was 20 years old and Laura was 19 when they married on October 3, 1911. They had 9 daughters and 7 sons, Emile being the oldest boy.

Emile (baby), sister Cecile and parents Alcide and Laura, c.1915

Emile was a loving person who cared not only for his fellow man, but for nature's creatures as well. He was an honest, hard-working jack-of-all-trades. A man of high ideals, he was always striving to improve himself. In fact, it was his belief that “if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right.” A good motto for anyone to adhere to!

Emile (centre) at age 5, c.1919

Emile was loyal, kind and considerate, yet fun-loving and generous to a fault. His trademarks were his smile, his moustache and his cap (or, for that matter, any hat). He always had a smile and enjoyed making everyone feel at home. Consequently, those who knew him were proud to be his friend. He had an uncanny ability to socialize with and entertain virtually anyone. And, he believed in the saying that “cheerfulness is what greases the axles of the world.” People around him recognized and appreciated that.

For example, in 1969 the Oakville, Ontario Daily Journal Record newspaper described him as:

•        “a smiling and exuberant man”

•        “the little man who wears a big smile”

•        “the beaming little French Canadian”

•        “a man with a sense of contentment.”

Emile had a passion for the Great Outdoors which began in his early years and lasted his

lifetime. When he was only 11 years old, he went to work in the lumber camps of Northern

Ontario, near Hearst. He built his first truck out of an old car while he was working in the lumber camps. He started to haul pulp there and later, with a bigger truck, moved on to Quebec. He

returned to Ontario and for many years was an independent trucker in the Oakville area.

One thing for sure, he was a man who had to be his own boss. He worked on the assembly line at Ford Canada in Oakville for three months and said, “It almost drove me nuts.” In retirement, he returned to nature by cutting trees and clearing land both in Cedar Springs and in Sprucedale, Ontario. In the autumn of his years, even at the age of 77, he still enjoyed splitting firewood.

Emile at age 15, c.1929

 It seemed that his most basic needs could be met only by escaping the fast-paced world. Accompanied by open waters, uncluttered skies and stately trees, he found solace. On those soft summer evenings when the sun melts into the water, he would listen to the faraway laugh of the loon reverberate between the trees before sailing into the heavens. There, he forgot about the chaos of the world and became one with nature.