Evelyn Stanley
(Tait) Bertram Dickson
1. Mom was born Feb. 5th, 1913 in Summerland to Reginald & Kathy Tait.
2. Reg left for France in WWI in 1914.
3. Stanley & her mother Kathy moved to Kaleden to live with her parents, Frank & Malena Harrison. They lived at Harrison Point (now Ponderosa Point) overlooking Skaha Lake.
4. Stanley had a good life there with no other children to play with. She made friends with Tygg the dog, their horse, numerous cats and the chickens.
5. When her father Reg returned from the war in 1919, he became Quartermaster of the new Irrigation system that would make the south Okanagan flourish.
6. Reg acquired 10 acres in 1921 on the NW corner of No. 3 Rd. and what was to become the highway. He planted apple samplings, interspersed with a ground crop of cantaloupe, tomatoes and asparagus which he took north to sell to the CPR for there delighted passengers.
5. Mom went to school in Vernon for the next nine years, taking the Motor Steam ship Sikamouse up to Okanagan Landing. She went to and fro three time a year so in total that was 56 trips.
6. In 1930 Stanley went to visit her grandmother Tait in Montreal. It was to be just a visit, but she met a very charming man, Alex Bertram and in 1935 they were married. In due course son John was born followed two years later by Nora.
7. They then moved to Fort Chambly on the Richelieu River. In 1943 Diana was born and lastly Jamie was born in 1947.
8. BIG MOVE ~ the decision was made for the entire family to move, lock, stock and barrel to Oliver, BC.
9. On Nov. 20th, 1947 Princess Elizabeth was married to Prince Phillip and the Bertrams boarded a CPR Colonist Car with a lot of War Brides. After a long journey of five days we landed in Oliver.
10. The first winter we lived in Mr. Mellvile Thompson’s house.
11. Alex started building our new home at the top of Reg’s orchard.
12. Alex passed away in June 1969.
13. Stanley remarried in June 1973, sold the ranch and moved into Oliver to live with her new husband Ted Dickson.
14. They had a wonderful life together golfing and travelling by car on a number of occasions to Parry Sound, Ont.
15. Ted passed away in May 1984.
16. Stanley continued to play golf. She played with friend each weekday morning at 6 am. When she was 90 she tripped in her rock garden and damaged her rotator cuff and couldn’t swing a club. So there ended a budding career as a golfer. She helped build the original course in 1926 and was the oldest standing member when she stopped.
17. In 2007 she sold her home and moved to Victoria to live with her daughter Diana who had kindly build her a suite in her home.
18. Until her death on Sept. 15, 2011 she had a lovely life. She walked every day until cancer reared its ugly head. However she never complained and passed away peacefully, without pain, in her bed, just the way the wanted it.
19. As an aside: Stanley was a great participant in many things in Oliver.
a.She was a staunch member of St. Edwards Anglican Church from the laying of the first brick. She was in the choir, belonged to the ACW, made up gorgeous alter flower arrangement from her garden, was famous for her delicious vegetable trays, backing for bazaars, and any other job she could help with.
b. She sang in the Oliver Choral Society along with Alex and John and later Nora.
c. She was a contributing member of the Oliver Historical Society
d. After Ted’s death she volunteered at Extended Care – McKinney Place
We will all miss her but know she is in a better place now. Photos and story from John Bertram