Kindersley resident celebrates 90th birthday
By Joan Janzen
Dorothey Bishop recently celebrated her 90th birthday at the D’Arcy School with fifty family members. Her actual birthday was on February 6, but the celebration was postponed twice due to winter storms. Dorothey resides at Evergreen Apartments in Kindersley, where she spends much of her time crocheting, a skill she learned as a child. Despite experiencing failing vision, she continues enjoying her needlework.
“They call me the happy hooker,” she chuckled. Her apartment is filled with samples of her beautiful work. “It’s all in my fingers; I don’t have to see much to do it.” She sells her pieces to residents in the apartment building where she has lived for the past ten years. It reminds her of all the markets she participated in during years gone by. “I made anything I was asked to make,” she said. That included bedspreads, doll clothes, pot holders, sweaters and much, much more.
Dorothey Bishop celebrated her 90th birthday and keeps busy crocheting for the people in her apartment building. Photo by Joan Janzen
Dorothey and Robert Coates were married in Kindersley on April 17, 1954.
She was born in 1934 and grew up on a farm near Leask, Sask., which is located 80 km southwest of Prince Albert. She was the fourth child in a family of eight children. “My mother had a baby almost every year,” she said. “I had five brothers and two sisters.”
Because of poor economic conditions, Dorothey’s grandparents offered to raise her when she was 18 months of age, and her next sibling was about to be born. Her grandparent’s home was just down the road from her parent’s house.
Dorothey’s mom, Linda, was a baby when her parents arrived by ship from Russia to Canada. During the voyage, Linda’s eight siblings became very ill, and all perished from the devastating illness. Dorothey had been told the story of how their bodies were thrown overboard, and her mother was the only surviving child.
Because her grandparents only spoke German and Russian, Dorothey had to learn how to speak English when she enrolled in school. Due to the language barrier, her grandparents were unable to help their granddaughter with her homework, which was a challenge for the young student.
At the age of just seven years, she learned how to crochet. Her mother taught the skill by standing behind her and demonstrating how to work the needles. The little girl caught on immediately, and so began a lifetime hobby.
She remembers being teased at school and an incident when a boy sitting behind her tied her long hair to her chair so she wasn’t able to stand when the teacher called on her to read to the class. It was an embarrassing moment that caused the little girl to dislike her long hair. Not long after, she climbed a spruce tree and managed to have her hair become sticky with tree sap. Because she had done this on purpose, she was happy when her grandma had to cut her long hair.
The Dirty 30s were a time of lack for her family. “We ate a lot of pancakes,” she recalled. But they were fortunate to have a continual supply of pork and beef, which they raised on the farm.
Dorothey’s education stopped suddenly in Grade 8 when she didn’t see eye to eye with her teacher and walked out of the classroom. When she came home, her grandmother asked, “What are you doing home?” That was the last day Dorothey attended school. At that time, she began to hone her artistic abilities by painting signs for farm yards and businesses. “Whatever they ordered, I would paint,” she said.
When her grandfather passed away, she and her grandmother moved in with Dorothey’s mother. By that time, her father had passed away. Dorothey was about 17 at the time and said she had to adjust to living with all her siblings.
It wasn’t long before she began dating her future husband, Robert Coates. She remembered it took a long time before he asked her out because he was so shy. He would drive his motorbike close to their farm and park nearby, not brave enough to drive up to the house. But finally, he made his move.
Robert had been working at Tisdale’s Sales & Service as a mechanic and transmission specialist in Kindersley, and the couple got married there on April 17, 1954. This was during the oil boom in Kindersley, so it was difficult to find a home. They rented for a while before purchasing a home. From 1955 to 1964, their four children were born: Sylvia, Donald, Patricia and Brian. They enjoyed road trips with their Desota to visit relatives in Leask, mushroom picking and fishing. “I love fishing!” Dorothey exclaimed.
It was a shock when Robert had a heart attack at the age of 43 years and passed away. Their children were ages 14, 12, 10 and 4 at the time. Dorothey’s family helped her and her children navigate through this difficult time.
The family moved back to Leask, where she met and married Raymond Bishop, who was a school principal. They were married for five years, and had two sons, Walter and Winston. Both boys suffered from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which causes progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. Walter passed away at the age of 16, and Winston passed away at the age of 25.
Later in life, Dorothey and her good friend, George Butler enjoyed spending time together and went on many adventures. “And we did a lot of fishing,” she said. She provided care for George until he passed away in 2015.
Today, she enjoys regular visits and phone calls from her one surviving brother and time spent with her children. Although she’s faced many challenges throughout her life, you will find her with a smile on her face and an appreciation for life.