General

Gordon met Ann at a Youth for Christ function where she was an usher. When they decided to get married Ann was too young to sign the wedding license without her parents’ consent. Luckily for all of us her mom signed the papers. On Thursday, June 10, 1954 Ann and Gordon tied the knot.  The high that day in Edmonton was just over 18 degrees Celsius (but of course in 1954 weather in Canada was measured in Fahrenheit). Just 4 days prior Edmonton experienced a record amount of rain.  Gordon’s father passed away suddenly just prior to the wedding. Gord suggested the wedding be postponed but Ann really didn’t want to start plans all over again so the wedding went ahead at Central Baptist Church in Edmonton. It was the same church where just one week earlier Ann’s brother’s wedding took place. Lilacs and sweet peas adorned the church. The bridesmaids wore custom made pink dresses. Gordon’s niece, Marg and Ann’s sisters, Elma and Alice stood up for Ann. Gordon’s friend, Sam and Ann’s brother Bert and some relative stranger, Bill who was boarding at the house stood in at the last minute and stood up for Gordon. Maureen, a family friend,  was the flower girl.  Wayne, nephew to Gordon was the ring bearer. Reverend Fifer (now isn’t that close to Fifendekel) performed the wedding service. Iva Spratt was the organist and Irvin Strauss, the wedding singer. Ann made pink aprons for everyone in the youth group and it was  the youth group that served the supper in those pink aprons prepared by Ann’s Aunt Minnie and Uncle Gus. The menu consisted of delicious fried chicken, beautifully decorated tortes and they fed a very large group of wedding guests.  Getting away from the wedding was quite the ordeal. Bert, who had driven taxi, was in charge of driving Gordon’s 1952 Hudson Wasp to the Highland’s area where they had parked a truck to make their get away. That’s how things happened at weddings in 1954.  Brides and Grooms were followed by guests as they made their exit. Bert got lost but eventually found the truck. Ann and Gordon honeymooned in Banff for the weekend making their way home through Jasper. They returned home to Fort Saskatchewan. Those early years were difficult. Health, finances, were challenges. Together they tried their hand at a few different careers. Gord worked for Esso in Redeater, Ann worked in Edmonton for a dry cleaners. They later bought a dairy quota and rented a farm to try their hand at running a dairy while their family grew to two boys and three girls. In 1965 (or close to then) they moved to Edmonton where Gordon and his brother-in-law Elmer bought in to a Pacific 66 service station and long haul trucks for Atco and Trans Canada. Eventually Gordon started framing houses and then building spec homes , usually duplexes. He worked with his father-in-law, his brother-in-law and then with his brother through his construction phase. Ann took on a sales position with Johnston Walkers, in the ladies dress department, worked at Imperial Bake and serve for her brother-in-law , painted the house Gordon built and eventually bought a yarn shop located originally on 124 street. The Edmonton Yarn Barn stayed with the family in name for many years even after Fifendekel came to be. 70 years is a remarkable number of birth years let alone a marriage. Daily they worked side by side and went home together every evening together. They became inseparable. We at Fifendekel all know Gordon and Ann as mom and dad whether they were born into the family or chose to become a Fife employee.  We are all family here because that’s how mom and dad want it.  Congratulations on 70 years.