RIVERS
BANNER April 28, 2017
ersary v i n Celebrating our 108th An
Gazette-Reporter
Serving the Rivers, Rapid City and Oak River areas for 107 years
Volume 109, Issue 43
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Marie makes it to a milestone By Sheila Runions Banner Staff
M
arie Dereniwsky was born January 21, 1917 but it wasn’t until she turned 65 and she applied for her pension that she realized she had always celebrated her birthday on the wrong date. So even though she turned 100 three months ago, her public party was held on Sunday, April 23, the date she always thought was her birthday. As she said some 35 years ago, “I’m still going to celebrate in April because that’s when I’m used to it.” Her family were expecting 6080 guests so when 111 signed the book, they were “overwhelmed at the good turnout.” The receiving line to shake Marie’s hand and extend congratulations was a steady stream of people for nearly 30 minutes and then an official program began at 2 p.m. Doug Gourlay provided Marie’s history, his son Gerry read letters and certificates of congratulations*, For She’s a Jolly Good Fellow was sung and then candles on a cake were lit for the big moment. Marie (pronounced Mary) was the oldest of three children born to Tony and Annie Dereniwsky; she was born at Seech, some 35 miles northeast of Hamiota. At age 15 (1932) the Depression was having its effects so Marie left home and hitchhiked south, looking for work. As Doug explained, “It was near Cardale that Jack Broughton stopped and picked her up. She said she was looking for work and wondered if he knew anyone who was hiring. He knew Mom [Catherine Gourlay] was looking for help so he called Mom, then brought Marie over and the rest is history.” When she arrived at the Gourlay farm six miles southeast of Cardale, Andy and Catherine had a family of four boys: Robert “Robin” aged 18, George aged nine, Fred aged seven and
Doug, aged two. Robin was killed in a truck accident in 1960; George served with the air force, married and moved to Ottawa; Fred never married and stayed on the farm; Doug married and moved to Swan River, serving as a politician (councillor, mayor and MLA) in that district from 1972-86. Marie watched the boys grow up and build their own families, all the while staying on the farm as a permanent member of that family with Catherine, and later Fred, who took over the farming operations in 1952 when Andy died. Doug explained the boys caused a “lot of mischief” for Marie. He recalled an incident when he was four: he locked her in an upstairs room, intending to let her out but he fell asleep, woke up and forgot about her. In the meantime, the ever-resourceful Marie “climbed out a window onto the roof and called for help. When no one came to rescue her, she somehow jumped off the roof to get to the ground.” Marie was raised Ukrainian and when she arrived at the Gourlay farm, she didn’t speak much English. Catherine groomed the girl and taught her English as well as chores such as cooking, sewing, stooking sheaves and milking cows. She entered her baking, handiwork and cereals in many area fairs and claimed countless prizes. One of her quilts served as a table cloth on the guest book table. “Marie was a very hard worker and she learned to do things well; she was kind of a perfectionist. She never travelled far and never left often; even when she learned to drive at age 60 she didn’t go far, only taking Mom to Oak River or a few trips to Brandon. It was then that she started to enter fairs in Rapid City, Rivers, Oak River, Hamiota and Strathclair.”
Photos by Sheila Runions
The candles on this cake were lighted during the singing of Happy Birthday, then it was cut in its 48 pieces and served to guests. Marie Dereniwsky was all smiles at her 100th birthday party.
Gerry later said it was a “tough time to convince her to drive at age 60 but I think it was an even harder time to convince her to stop driving at age 95!” He gave a “short testament to her hard work” when he told a story of the day she “lost her legs” in the chicken coup and literally dragged herself by her hands from that building to the main house. “So here’s Marie on the ground, unable to walk and she should be thinking about herself but first she locked up that chicken coup so none of them would escape, before she dragged herself across the yard.” In 1960 she began caretaking White Bank Lea Cemetery, a volunteer position she held until 2010. She was credited by Doug for her “many hours to cut the grass, haul water and make it look in good shape.” She quit maintaining the cemetery in 2010 because she was now living in Oakdale Seniors Home (Oak River); Fred was forced to retire from farming because of failing health, and moved into Brandon in 2009, the same year Marie also had to move. As Doug related, Marie
was not happy about the move, stating, “I might as well be at the farm looking at the trees, there’s nothing to do here. But she got used to Oak River and she enjoyed living there until she just couldn’t cope on her own and she had to move to Birch Lodge in Hamiota [2015]. And that took more convincing to get her to move there, but she’s happy now and they take good care of her.” Marie is hard of hearing but her mind is sharp as a tack. As guests introduced themselves to her she would instantly remember them and ask them about their families. Marie has no immediate family as neither brother married and both are deceased; the Gourlays are her family. “She had relatives at Strathclair and we’d take her home for Christmas but that only lasted a few years,” said Doug. Of the four Gourlay boys, only Doug and George remain. Doug has retired to Brandon; he, his wife Audrey and three of their four children and families were present. George, now 94, is in a veterans’ home in Ottawa; he, his wife Helen and their
daughter were unable to make the trip back to Manitoba. “Marie told us, ‘When I turn 100, I’m going to have a party just like Grandma.’ Mom’s party was in 1983 so Marie was pretty optimistic those 34 years ago!” laughed Doug. Not only did the Gourlays plan this public party but they also had a small celebration with her and the 30 residents of Birch Lodge on Jan. 21. Marie now joins the centenarian club of the Banner district: last August we reported on Margaret Taylor of Rivers; in December she was joined by Rena Cornish of Rapid City; Marie was added in January/ April; Joan Marriott of Rivers is also 100 years old, she declined a newspaper report. * Gerry read congratulations from MLA Doyle Piwniuk, Premier Brian Pallister, MP Robert Sopuck, PM Justin Trudeau, Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon, Gov. Gen. David Johnston and Queen Elizabeth. RM of Oakview Reeve Brent Fortune was in attendance and personally extended greetings and congratulations from his municipality.