Although my mother is known as Sis by family and childhood friends, when they moved to Kingston, she wanted to go by a more mature name and selected Eveleen rather than either of her other two names.
Jack and Eveleen both grew up on farms in Brentwood, a hamlet in Sunnidale Township, Simcoe County, Ontario. Although Jack was six years older, Sis Schell went to school, and was friends with, siblings of Jack, so they always knew one another.
According to my mother, she set her sights on Jack Allen at a young age, but before he showed any interest in her, his brother Les tried to 'court' her. The Schell family boarded school teachers and at one point, Louie Trott, a friend of Jack's, was interested in one of those teachers. She was only willing to attend a dance with Louie if they doubled dated with Sis Schell (who would have only been in her mid/late teens at the time). Louie convinced Jack to be Sis' partner that evening.
 |
| Bride & Grome: Eveleen "Sis" Schell & Jack Allen (June 11, 1949) |
In the mid-1940s, Sis started working as the Cook's Assistant at the Odd Fellows Home in Barrie. Although Barrie is only a short drive from Brentwood, Sis lived at the Home and only returned to Brentwood on her days off. Her mother would drive her back to Barrie very early on Monday mornings so that Sis was able to have Sunday evening with Jack.
When they were apart during the week, Jack wrote letters to Sis. As a child I was aware of him writing an occasion letter as Mom told a story that she would reprimand him for writing short letters, pointing out that there was a back to the paper. So in a future letter, he wrote just a few words on the back page to be able to show that he used both sides of the paper.
He must of written on a more frequent basis and more love letters than just routine news. At the time of their first wedding anniversary after Dad's death, I called Mom to see how she was coping. She informed me that she had been reading his letters! Forty-some years later. She refues to show the letters to me or my brothers. In fact, she has made me promise that I would not read them even after her death.
Dad was a man of few words, letting his actions speak for him. So, even if the letters are not the traditional love letters a man would send his lady-love, the fact that he would actual sit down and write the letters, even if only about the weather, showed his love. I grew up seeing my father leave for work every morning, even Saturdays and Sundays. But he would never leave the house without a kiss from my mother. He wouldn't go to her - he would stand at the back door and wait for her to go to him.
Over the course of a few years, Mom was hospitalized several times (broken ankle, gall stones, etc.). Despite working long hours, and often having to travel out of town to check job sites, Dad made sure he was home to cook dinner for my brothers and myself and then go to the hospital to visit my mother. After returning home, he would then start doing his nightly paperwork before heading to bed to repeat the process the following day.
Sis was only in her teens when she started dating Jack. They eventually talked of marriage, but he was unwilling to give her an engagement ring until she was 18. They married the following year (June 11, 1949) when she was 19. He never actually proposed to her. Mom tells the story that he was at the Schell home one evening, which was their normal practice. He asked her to get some gum from his coat pocket. Instead of gum, she found an engagement ring in the coat pocket. That was his version of a marriage proposal.
 |
| Bride & Groom with the Harry/Gertie Allen family |
As it was the union of two local families in the farming community of Brentwood, it was well attended. Granted my father was from a large family and both of my grandfathers were from large families, which means that there was a massive extended family on both sides. Although many lived locally in various parts of Simcoe County, my mother's uncles travelled from Michigan for the event.
The wedding couple honeymooned in Niagara Falls for a few days before meeting up with Jack's sister Dora and her husband Fred McWhinnie. The two couples travelled to Michigan where they stayed with Sis's uncle Ed and his wife Edna in Ypsilanti (suburban Detroit).
The newlyweds planned on living in an apartment in Barrie. Rental housing was still scarce in post-war times but they eventually found an apartment and then discovered that they didn't like it.They had been given a some parcel of the Allen family farm land to build their own house. During the construction period, they lived with Sis' parents.
They were still living that house when my older brother Garry was born in 1952.
Even after my father's work with E.S. Fox transferred him to Kingston in the mid-1950s, they kept their Brentwood house and travelled back every weekend. At that time, Highway 401 was not completely built and the trip took 6 hours. When it became evident that they would be staying long-term in Kingston, they sold the Brentwood house and bought a house in Kingston. My mother and brothers still reside in that house.
 |
| The house built by Jack. Picture taken in 2007. |
The Brentwood house still stands, but has changed hands several times over the years with each owner making changes and looks totally different from its original existence. But over 65 years later, it still stands as a single family residence.
 |
| 25th Wedding Anniversary (1974) |
Jack died August 20, 1990 at the age of 67. Jack and Eveleen didn't reach the 50th Wedding Anniversary mark, but did have celebrations for other significant anniversaries.
At the time of their 35th Wedding Anniversary (1984), Jack's siblings and their spouses travelled to Kingston to surprise the couple at the restaurant where my brothers and I had gone with my parents. They presented Jack and Sis with an anniversary clock. This started a tradition as the family gave similar clocks to each couple during the next few years for a landmark anniversary - in some cases, 30 years or 50 years.
 |
| 40th Wedding Anniversary (1989) |
I designed and stitched the cross-stitch sampler for my parents' 40th Wedding Anniversary. It still hangs on the dining room wall at my mother's home. The hearts at the bottom signify myself and my brothers.
The love that my parents shared set the bar high for me in finding a life partner, although I never realized it until I finally the love of my life, Terry Legere, when I was in my 30s. I just knew that I wasn't prepared to marry someone just for the sake of being married. I would rather remain single that settle for second best.
My parents never tried to run my life and insist that I had to follow a certain career or life path. They supported me in my decisions and I knew that they would be there if I failed. Although disappointed when I decided to drop out of universary, as they were of the generation that believed a universary degree was the key to success, they accepted my decision that quitting universary and entering the job market was the correct thing for me.
Both of parents represent good role models for me to follow for life. Although my feminist views fuel my need to have a job outside of home, I can acknowledge that my mother was never a meek and mild little housewife. She not only maintained the home in typical housewife fashion, she also was responsible for maintaining the more traditional male roles (garbage, mowing, shovelling, odd jobs) around the house as my father worked long hours to provide the income. My father's dedication to his work and the responsibilities, set a strong work ethic which I have always followed as it is second nature to me. Although he felt the need to work long hours, 7 days a week, he was always there for family members.
My father's death at the relatively young age of 67 was devastating to all the family members, he was able to leave my mother financially secure so that she was able to maintain her life style. Although she had lost her life partner, my mother had the strength and independence of character to continue with her life a widow.
