My Mother Eva Irene Pettyjohn (Daniels)

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Series

Prompt: Longevity

This week I am writing about my mother Eva Irene Pettyjohn (Daniels). She lived to just over 96 years of age which was sixteen years longer than any of her siblings. Matter of fact the average age in her family was 69.4 years. She would always say that she did not know why she lived so long but the good Lord must have some purpose for her.  She was in a care facility for the last eighteen months of her life, but overall she had a life of good health.

 She was born in Merryflat, Saskatchewan, Canada in 1920 and was delivered by her father, the only doctor that her mother had during the birth. There were nine siblings; one was a boy who died at birth they named him John and buried him on the family farm. She had two older sisters, five brothers and one younger brother. She was lonely at times because her older sisters had married and moved away from home when she was only one year old.

Her fond memories growing up were playing many games around the farm; anti-I-over, volleyball over the clothesline, run sheep run and horseshoes. Inside games were Chinese checkers and Dominoes. Music played an integral part in her childhood. Her mother Sarah would play the piano, and the family would gather around and sing. Her cousin also played the banjo, and the two of them would sit out by the gate and sing “Red River Valley” and “The Old Spinning Wheel,” and other songs as the coyotes would join on in.

Her parents worked hard raising Cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, chickens and turkeys, while tending to a large garden. They butchered the pigs and made salted pork, sausage, bacon and ham, and render the fat for lard. This is where my mother learned her skills at being a homemaker, and I say that with all the respect that I would give any trade.

Evangelical Christianity became an important part of her life as she she gave her heart to God as a teenager. Her father, mother and younger brother moved to Consul, Saskatchewan where her mother cooked at a bible school, the first year it operated.  The next fall the four of them moved to a bible school in Lemmon, South Dakota, where my mother attended, and her mother was positioned as the cook. The following year they moved back to Canada. My mother attended bible school in Robsart, Saskatchewan as the school had moved from Consul, not sure if her mother continued as cook or not. This is where she met my father Robert Clive Daniels. She would dictate the class notes and he would type them up in the wide hallway of the old hospital, which had been converted into the bible school. This way she got to spend time with him without getting demerits for fraternizing with a boy.

In October of 1940 she married Robert and moved to Rolling Hills, Alberta where they raised a family of eight on the farm. She was shy and insecure, but she would take part in community events. She raised her niece from three years old as part of the family admitting that she did make many mistakes but felt blessed for having her in her life. She and Robert retired into the town of Rolling Hills. Robert died in 2003 leaving her alone, but she continued to live in her house being active in the senior club and quilting. At 85 she took up golf and enjoyed the outings very much. She passed away in 2017 leaving a large family as her legacy.

Thank you for joining my search!
Dennis

Credit for this series to Amy Johnson Crow Certified Genealogist