Eileen is happy to be back in Kindersley

By Joan Janzen

Just four months ago, Eileen Dies settled into her new suite at Caleb Village in Kindersley. She loves to keep busy doing needlepoint, knitting and crocheting, but most of all, she loves to sew. Her sewing table was set up, along with her sewing machine and quilting supplies.

Eileen has four sewing machines. “I keep them because I might use them someday, and my granddaughter might want one,” she said. “I have so many machines because Veronica’s Sewing Centre wouldn’t take trade-ins,” she reasoned.

This photo was taken at Mantario School in 1949 when Eileen was in Grade 5: one teacher, one room, eight grades and twenty-seven students. Eileen is in the back row, 4th student from the right.

Eileen Dies has one granddaughter, Jenna, and a grandson, Matthew. She made this quilt for her grandson, who is an Oiler fan, just like she is.

Although Eileen was born in Red Deer, Alberta, on April 18, 1938, she grew up on a farm near Mantario, Sask. Eileen Hunter, as she was known at birth, was an only child, whose father was in the Air Force.

“During the war years, my dad was in the Air Force, so he was away from home a lot,” she recalled. “So my mom and I lived with my grandparents on a farm south of Mantario.” The farm had horses, chickens, cattle, and “I had some little goats,” she said.

After the war ended, Eileen’s dad returned home and took over her grandparent’s farm. But Eileen and her parents moved into the village of Mantario where her dad worked as a mechanic.

“I had two cousins that I spent a lot of time with,” she said. During her elementary years she attended a one-room school in Mantario. Those years included happy memories of Christmas concerts, putting on plays for family and friends, and playing softball.

“I was bussed to Eatonia for my high school years,” she recalled. “Jim Baker was our principal, and I remember being taught French.” However when asked if she could say anything in French, she laughed and assured me she couldn’t. But it was at her high school home economics class that Eileen’s love of sewing first began.

“One of the girls I graduated with and went to school with for twelve years also lives at Caleb,” she added.

After graduating from high school, she was employed at the Bank of Commerce in Kindersley for eight years. “I boarded at my husband’s parent’s place,” she explained. “His family had lots of boarders, about six at a time. The table was full, and the meals were really good!”

“They had a big house and a good-sized table. I had my own room, but I did share with one of the boarders for a while,” she recalled.

Eileen also shared a romantic relationship with her landlord’s son Keith, and they were married on July 18, 1964, at the Free Methodist Church in Kindersley. They had a small wedding with about thirty people present.

Keith owned Vera’s jewelry store downtown, and the newlyweds lived above the store for the first two years of their marriage. After two years, they bought a new three-bedroom home in Kindersley, which was priced at $1500.00! Fifty years later they sold that same home for $170,000. Now that’s a good investment!

Eileen and Keith had one son, Melvin, who developed a love of golf at a young age. “My son lived at the golf course. I always knew where he was,” she smiled. He eventually became a golf pro, continuing his education in San Diego.

While her son was golfing, Eileen was quilting. “My husband would say, ‘I’ll put the potatoes on, and you can sew.’ Sharon Gordon and I joined the Free Methodist sewing group, and we made at least 400 quilts. We spent a lot of days quilting together. The proceeds from the sale of the quilts went to help people throughout the world,” Eileen said.

The couple took their motor home to Turtle Lake every summer and went on many bus tours. A map of the United States and Canada hangs on the wall in Eileen’s suite. Her husband marked every location they had visited. The majority of the map is absolutely covered with markers; a beautiful reminder of all the places they travelled together.

In 2020, Eileen and Keith moved to Fernie, BC, where her son and family were living. It was there that Keith passed away on February 27, 2024. The couple would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this year.

Eileen moved back to her old hometown of Kindersley earlier this year, and said she doesn’t miss living in Fernie. Eileen loves the prairies and she loves her new home at Caleb.