My Three Sisters

I have three sisters, Dorothy, Madeline and Enid, who grew up on the farm but moved on to careers and family. The second world war opened up a wide range of opportunities for women. Before those years, young women were pretty well restricted to teaching, nursing or homemaking.

When Dorothy chose to become a nurse, she trained at Brockville General for three years to become an RN. She then followed her career in Verdun Protestant Hospital in Verdun, Quebec, until she married Mac and produced Carol and David.

Madeline and Enid both left home to go to work in the Phillips plant in Brockville during the war, taking that opportunity to spread their wings in the wider world.

Madeline married Jim Knox, who was an infantry officer in the Royal Canadian Regiment. Jim was a career soldier and retired as a Colonel, and then contracted to run cadet camps during the summer at Ipperwash. Jim and Madeline had four children, all boys –Doug, Barry, Rickie and Michael. Unfortunately, both Jim and Doug have passed away and are buried in the St. Andrews Presbyterian Church graveyard in Spencerville.

Enid married Malcolm Simpson of Brockville. He too was a service man during the war, serving in the air force. Mac worked in the Phillips plant after the war until his retirement. Their daughter, Joan, lives in Kingston.

My three sisters are all older than I, which, I am sure, gave them lots of chances to practice mothering skills. This latecomer to the family must have seemed like a rare opportunity for them. A baby, a play toy, a pest!

Keep reading. I’m sure they will tell all.