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Looking back with Ruth Jackson

The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.

The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.

Ruth Bredeson came to Flin Flon in 1936 from Rose Valley, Saskatchewan at the age of 17 years. She came to join her father, Mike, and her two brothers, Bert and Norm, who were working at HBMS. The family lived in a small cabin on the pipeline. Their neighbours were the Lund and Norm Murphy families. Ruth was taken out of school at Rose Valley when she was seven years old because her mother had died. Ruth was shifted from one foster home to another. Amanda Markham (Scoville) looked after Ruth when she was first born on the homestead. During her youth Ruth had seen Bert Jackson playing ball, he was a catcher. Bert had also come to Flin Flon looking for work and the couple became reacquainted and married in October of 1937. Their first home was on 61 Boam Street. Then Bert built a house at 112 Green Street where the family lived until Bert got sick and they had to give the house up. The family then moved to a suite at 49 Boam Street, and sons Raymond and Wayne were born while the family lived there. Bert joined the Air Force in 1941 and he went to Haggarsville, Ontario, where he was on the police service. Ruth and the kids followed him there. They lived there until 1945. Rick and Garry were born there. Bert could have stayed there and kept his job but he wanted to come back to Flin Flon. See 'Shopping' P.# Con't from P.# Bert got a job underground at HBMS as a high raise miner. Shortly after arriving back in Flin Flon Karen was born. The family was living at 49 Boam Street. The older kids went to Ross Lake School, where Neil McLennan was the principal. In 1947 the family moved to 94 Green Street. While living there Colleen and Maureen were born. During that time Ruth was a "stay-at-home" mom. She did her shopping at Cash-n-Save and Pop Iannone's. Bert worked underground until 1960 when he quit and took a job with the City of Flin Flon for about five years, and then he took the Flin Flon airport job as maintenance manager until he passed away in 1982. During that time Carol Ann, Bradley and Lori were born. There were 10 children in the family. During the summer, while Bert was working at the airport, the family would stay in a two room shack near the airport. The kids loved to watch the airplanes coming in and going out. Even if there was a flight during the night, they wanted to be wakened so they could see it. They'd spend their days swimming at Sally's Beach. As a family they used to pick raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. Ruth loved to pick berries and would spend all day at it if they were plentiful. She made canned jellies and jams as well as all the homemade bread and buns. The kids would fight over the crust. Ruth started curling as a lead in the 1940s. She curled with Eva Krassilowsky, Elaine Wilson and Gladys Thompson at Ross Lake. Some of the other ladies who curled then were Babe Evans, Ethel Rainville, Ruth Roncin, Thelma Rogal, Vera Scott, Dot Pogue, Minnie Forster, Evelyn Hanson, and later Dixie Meikle. In 1971-72 Ruth Jackson was skipping by then. Along with Betty Fehr, Myrtle Atkinson and Sandy Gagne they won the Mabel Gauthier Memorial Plaque. Ruth also curled in Carmen in the Golden Gals with Elaine Wilson, Edith Chlan and Gladys Thompson. Ruth filled in for Anne Henry who was unable to attend. Ruth gave up curling in about 2000 because of her eyes. Ruth bowled as well for many years in the Tuesday and Friday leagues. Through the years Ruth worked at the Friendly Corner for Ann Hudak, Bus Depot on Third Avenue for Mel and Kay Vancoughnett, washed dishes in the Golden Gate for Mr. Wong, worked on the Highway Power Line as cook for the work crew, was a cook at Marie Chretien's restaurant on Main Street, was waitress at the Flin Flon Hotel, and worked at the Company dorms as a housekeeper for about 10 years. She retired in 1985 only to have Pearl Paskiw ask Ruth to come back for a year to the Company. Ruth smiles, "So then I saved my money for that year and took a bus tour to Nashville town and saw Memphis and Elvis' home. Anne Henry and Phoebe Cole came with me and it was wonderful 'cause I didn't get the chance to travel very much!" Ruth belongs to the Flin Flon/Creighton Seniors, she is a life member of the Legion Ladies Auxiliary and attends bingos, pot luck suppers and enjoys playing cards. Ruth went to the Seniors Summer Games for about 16 years. "I saw so many wonderful places," she recalls. However, 1999 was not a good year for Ruth: her son Raymond passed away in March with throat cancer and then her granddaughter Nicole passed away in August with Lupus. Ruth's children are scattered all over the West. Wayne lives in Canmore, Alberta and is a plumber with four kids; Gary owns a store in Hillberry, Manitoba and has two kids; Rick lives at Schist Lake and works for HBMS at Trout Lake, he has one child; Karen lives in Flin Flon and has two kids; Colleen works at Trout Lake and has five kids; Maureen lives in Flin Flon and has two kids; Carol Ann is a teacher in Spruce Grove and has four kids; Brad is a carpenter in Flin Flon and has one daughter and two step-daughters; and Lori lives in Rosetown, Saskatchewan and has two kids. Ruth has no plans of ever leaving Flin Flon. She says, "It is nice to walk downtown and meet people you know!" Thanks for sharing the memories Ruth!

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