HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1989-02-08, Page 21THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1989. PAGE 21.
A 1953 wedding
Bride inherited ready-made family
Lawrence and Mildred Jacklin pose for a picture on their special day
on December 12, 1953.
month’s notice to my employer,
and to tie up the loose ends of my
city life.
The senior Jacklins invited me
back the next weekend, which was
Thanksgiving. Lawrence and the
children came to town on the
Saturday, and when it was time for
them to leave, Marlene insisted on
staying with me.
We talked to each other long
after she should have been in bed,
and her memory of the accident
which had taken her mother was
vivid, despite the fact that she had
been just a wee thing at the time.
She also told me enough about the
series of housekeepers her father
had had (I was the 13th!) that right
then and there I was totally
convinced that this was where I was
needed, and I felt comfortable with
the decision.
The following weekend I came
back to stay at the farm, and on
Saturday, October 25, 1952 I came
back to stay. It was quite an
undertaking, and I’m sure that
Lawrence must have often felt, as I
did at times, that it would never
work out. But at the school’s
Christmas concert, the childrens’
teacher told me that she had
noticed an enormous change in the
children since I had come into their
lives, and I knew I had found my
calling. Baby Wayne did not start
school until the following year, and
I was glad to have one of “my”
children at home with me to love.
My divorce was granted on
November 21, 1952, and Lawrence
and I were married in my home
town of Waterloo on December 12,
less than three weeks later. The
children had all called me “Moth
er” from the very beginning, and
never before had any word meant
so much to me. But being a
step-mother is by no means always
an easy task.
As the children grew up we all
had our differences, especially
during the terrible ‘teens - some of
which must have been just as
difficult for Lawrence and for the
children themselves as they were
for me. My mother always said she
sympathized with all of us, and I
realized that one needs the pa
tience of Job, the wisdom of
Solomen and nerves of steel to be a
stepmother, and I must have had at
least a trace of those qualities,
because we all survived, and after
35 years of “togetherness” are all
still on good terms with each other.
There have been good years and
bad: roses have thorns but thorns
also have roses, and I have often
thought just how empty my life
would have been without my kids,
and now without my son-in-law and
daughters-in-law, who have pro
vided us with seven precious
grandchildren ... at long last,
babies of my own to love and watch
grow!
Lawrence and I quit farming in
1957, bought a new car, took the
children out of school and went on a
month-long holiday - our first ever!
- to the west coast. When we
returned, we rented another farm
house in Morris Twp., where we
lived for 10 years while both
Lawrence and I worked, then
bought our present home in Brus
sels in 1967.
Lawrence has now been retired
for 10 years and I for six, and we
have always been grateful for the
faith, trust, courage and spunk
which has made our marriage work
so well. We have pulled in double
harness for 35 years; we think we
can happily jog along for all that
are left to us!
Bubbly advice
Once the problem of popping the
question has been solved, the
difficulty in popping the cham
pagne cork has to be dealt with.
Paul Masson Vineyards proffers
no advice for the former, but
suggests this for the bubbly:
•Remove the foil capsule to
expose the wire cage.
•Untwist the metal ring until the
cage expands and can easily be
removed.
•Hold the bottle in one hand at a
45-degree angle (away from your
self and your guests) while holding
the cork in place with your other
hand.
•Twist the bottle slowly until the
cork pops open.
Champagne, the vintners sug
gest, should be served in a flute
glass to concentrate the bouquet
and show off the bubbles.
Kitchener-Waterloo Record,
December 12, 1953
Mrs. Mildred M. Thomas,
daughter of Mrs. Thornton, 172
Moore Ave. South, Waterloo, and
the late Mr. Edmund Thornton,
became the bride of Mr. Lawrence
Wesley Jacklin, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Andrew Jacklin of RR 5,
Brussels, at Trinity Memorial
Chapel Dec. 12. Rev. O.P. Hossie
officiated.
The bride wore a street-length
dress of blush ripple taffeta featur
ing a Queen Anne neckline and full
skirt. She wore black accessories
and a corsage of red roses and
white feathered mums.
Mrs. Henry Lindner, Bridgeport,
was her sister’s only attendant. She
wore a twilight blue crepe dress
with satin trim and black accessor
ies. Her corsage was deep pink
roses and white mums.
Mr. Fred Noemar, Bridgeport,
was the best man.
Following a wedding dinner at
the Hacienda, Waterloo, a recep
tion was held at the home of the
bride’s mother. The hostess re
ceived guests wearing a cocoa
brown faille dress with matching
accessories and a corsage of John-
anna Hill roses. The bridegroom’s
mother wore a lace-trimmed pea
cock blue crepe dress with navy
accessories and pink rose corsage.
The couple will live near Brus
sels.
BY MILDRED JACKLIN
BRUSSELS
I filed for divorce in 1952 after
11 years of a disastrous first
marriage, and set out to make
something for my life. I had known
for some time that my most
cherished dream of having children
of my own was not possible, so I
decided to put a classified ad in the
London Free Press to try to find a
job as a housekeeper in a mother
less home, where I could at least
have children to love.
I got so many replies that I could
hardly believe there could be that
many unfortunate children in the
area, but feeling sorry for them
certainly took my mind off my own
troubles!
Among the replies was one from
Andy Jacklin, whose son, Law
rence, had been left alone to raise
four children, as the result of an
automobile accident which had
killed his wife and their infant son
three years earlier. I found out later
that Lawrence himself had refused
to answer any more “position
wanted” ads because of a long list
of unsatisfactory housekeepers he
had had, and was struggling alone
to raise his children and farm as
well, with the help of his parents
and other relatives.
Some instinct told me that this
was the letter I should answer, and
a meeting was arranged for Satur
day, October 4, 1952 at the Jacklin
home in Brussels, where I met
Lawrence for the first time, along
with his children, Gordon, 9, Don,
8, Wayne, 4, and Marlene, 6. After
a short visit, we all went out to
Lawrence’s farm on the 16th of
Grey (now owned by Bob and
Muriel Hart).
The house was set far back from
the road, and struck me as a place
where a city-bred girl like myself
could get very lonely and depress
ed; but 1 quickly realized if I was
going to take on the challenge of
raising four children, I would likely
be too busy to really notice the
loneliness! Between us we decided
to give the arrangement a try, and I
returned to London to give a
WILMA SCOTT FLOWERS
A very special floral service
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sultation at a time to suit the
Call 357-3778
‘ z We offer -
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bride-to-be, by appointment evenings and
weekends. No obligation. Estimate. Com
plete selection of fresh or fabric flowers in
bouquet styles to suit your wedding plans.
Floral arrangements for church, home and
reception hall. Bring your ideas and pictures.
We deliver to bride’s home, church and hall.
We also move arrangements from church to
reception hall if desired. Floral decorations
for bridal dinner tables and hall. Rental of
containers. Free throw-away bouquet or
going away corsage with each booking.
WE TAKE THE TIME TO DO THE
EXTRAS THAT MEAN SO MUCH
ON YOUR WEDDING DAY!
RR#1, Belgrave
Lot35, Con.7, East Wawanosh