Eccentric Marriages

June 14, 1994

Marion Halpenny
Vancouver, B.C.

Hi once again Joss:

I guess I mentioned I come from a long line of eccentric people. My Grandparents (Your Great-Great) were no exception in that department. They did not have what you would call a regular type marriage.

My Gran was his second wife. His first wife died under very suspicious circumstances. Anyway, they had three children who survived, 2 boys (my father being one of the boys) and 1 girl. When my Grandfather immigrated to the U.S. of A my Grandmother was pregnant. The child she was carrying was my Uncle Monty. He was 18 years old before he met his father.

If the truth be known, my Grandfather was advised to immigrate lest something ugly happen to him. He was endeavoring to form the Bakers’ Union of Scotland. (and not too well received.) So in early 1910 he sailed for the new land and ended up in Boston, Mass where he was one of the founding fathers of the Bakers’ Union of America some years later.

In all fairness to my Grandfather, he sent their fares on at least three occasions. My Grandmother said ‘the time was not right’ and promptly spent the money.

She finally did immigrate in 1928 (at her own expense) but not to Boston. She came to Canada – Toronto, Canada. So at least now they both on the same side of the ocean. About a year after coming to Canada my Grandmother took her vacation and boarded a bus for Boston. It must have been agreeable, for every year thereafter she took off for Boston and stayed with my Grandfather. This arrangement changed when both retired from the work force. My Grandfather moved to New Britain Conn., where my Grandmother lived with him for six months and then back to Toronto for six months.

When he was about 92 years old he slipped out one day on my Grandmother and called my parents’ home in Toronto. It seems he had enough of life and figured it was time to go on to that big bakery in the sky. Seems my Grandmother objected to his wish. She would poke him during the night to see if he was still alive. My oldest brother Peter drove down to New Britain and brought my Grandmother back to Toronto. (She was not amused and I was just glad I was not party to that 24 hour ordeal back and forth.) They received a phone call one week later to say my Grandfather had got his wish – he had died.

My Grandmother, only being in her late 70’s, early 80’s and having a bit of the wanderlust, then went to Rochester, New York for sic months to live with my cousin Eileen. This arrangement was also a tad odd. For my Gran and my Cousin never liked one another as far as I could ever establish. My Gran being an Orange Presbyterian and Eileen a Roman Catholic – Sorry. I do leap ahead of myself. This is for another time.

Back to Grandfather. He lived for over fifty years in the States and never became a citizen. He came to Canada once and was so afraid to cross the border, no amount of pleading could entice him to do so again.

He was a tall man and very handsome according to my Gran. With all due respect to him, I have wondered what he did for female companionship for 50 weeks a year. But that’s only conjecture on my part knowing how fond of women all my brothers were. Hence several multiple marriages.

The things I have written to you about are only a small portion of the gaga yet to come. I do hope you find them of some interest.
Love your grandma