MARY'S GENEALOGY TREASURES
John Berezay and
Marie Louise Gaffric Berezay
Marie Louise Gaffric Berezay
A History of Del Bonita and
Surrounding Districts, Pages 272 - 273
John Berezay was from the province of Brittany in France.
He served seven years in the French army at the pay of one
cent per day. In 1877 he married Marie Louise Gaffric.
Marie was born on October 5, 1852 in Tragastelle, Cotte
Du Nord, France.
They rented a place, and Marie stayed home to look after
the home, a horse, and a cow. John worked as a farm
laborer for twelve cents a day. That was considered a
high wage in those days. Their main food consisted of
oat porridge, potatoes, and buttermilk. Marie washed clothes
at a pond on large rocks in cold water, using a wooden mallet
to beat the clothes clean. Thirteen years later she acquired
a wash board.
John and Marie had twelve children, but only six reached
maturity, Frank, Janet, Eva, May, Gene, and Joe.
In 1911, Frank and May who were already in Canada, sent
for their folks and the rest of the family. John and Marie
homesteaded on top of the ridge at Whiskey Gap.
(N.W.-22-1-23-W4th) They built a home, got a few cattle
and made a living milking cows, and by John working out.
During a bitterly cold spell of weather in 1930, John came
down with pneumonia. The roads were impassable so the
doctor and priest drove a car on the railroad track as far
as possible. Then they were met with a team of horses
and sleigh for the remainder of the trip. John passed away
and the priest remained to conduct the funeral service
which was held in the home. The weather was so cold
that only three sons, a son-in-law, and three neighbors
transported the body by bobsleigh the twenty-five miles
to Cardston for burial.
Marie lived the next twenty-one years in her own little
house. During the winter she would spend some time
with various members of her family, but when spring
returned so did Marie.
Her youngest son, Joe, and his family lived just across the
creek from her. He had a homemade speaker installed
between the two houses so that Marie could call him if
necessary.
One evening a small grandson spent the night with her.
During the night a terrific thunderstorm developed. When
Joe looked out next morning he was horrified to see that
lightning had struck a corner of Marie's house. He ran
over and found the door locked. He pounded on the
door but no one answered. Terrified he pounded again
calling their names. Finally Marie said, "I'm coming." When
she saw how agitated he was she asked "Why are you so
excited? The house is insured."
The lightning had hit Marie's bed, setting it on fire, blown
the radio to pieces and crumbled the corner of her house.
She had taken a pail of water; calmly extinguished the
flames and gone back to bed. When she saw the damage
in the daylight she said, "I guess God wasn't ready for me to
die yet."
Whenever Marie saw a new born baby she would take it in her
arms, place a fifty cent silver coin in the tiny hand and repeat
the blessing in French. "que le Bon Dieu Vous Benis A Vous
preserve de tou mal. (May the Lord bless and keep you from
all harm.)
Marie was a devout Catholic. Marie never attended school.
She gradually learned from her children and grandchildren,
to read her prayer book in French and Latin.
Children liked to go over to Grandma, as she was called
and listen to her stories. She always had a cookie for them.
Marie always voiced appreciation to the Canadian Government
for her monthly pension cheque. She signed it with an "X".
This signature was honored by the store and post office
at Whiskey Gap. Small as her cheque was it provided her
with spending money and she managed to make it stretch so
that every Christmas there was a tiny gift for all her children
and grandchildren.
Her greatest ambition was to live to celebrate her hundredth
birthday. In preparation for this her family planned a family
reunion for October 5, 1952.
A week before her birthday her health began to fail and
thirty-six hours before her birthday she passed away.
Her family travelled from far and wide to attend her funeral,
held at the Catholic Church in Cardston. The day was
bright and clear and the Rocky Mountains, which she
loved so much formed an appropriate background for
her burial.
John and Marie's posterity as of 1980 are, twenty-four
grandchildren, seventy-one great-grandchildren, and
one hundred and seven great-great grandchildren.
Return to Individual Histories
Mary Tollestrup