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.