A lifetime of memories: Rose Niles reflects on 90 years in Kindersley
By Joan Janzen
“I have so many friends!” Rose Niles said as she ushered me into her home, where I was greeted by the aroma of her delicious homemade soup. Rose is looking forward to celebrating her 90th birthday with her family and friends in July, and she was happy to share her memories of living in the Kindersley area her entire life.
She was born on July 31, 1936, in the Kindersley Hospital and grew up on a farm located seven miles west of town, along with two brothers and two sisters.
Rose Niles has lived in the Kindersley area all her life and is looking forward to celebrating her 90th birthday with family and friends in July.
Rose was 15 years old in this photo.
Rose is pictured with her favourite aunt, who would come to visit from B.C. in the summer and help her celebrate her birthday.
Back in the day, the family car was a typical backdrop for family photos. Rose is in the centre with her parents, two older brothers, and both her older and younger sisters.
She attended Cloverhill School, a one-room school just two miles from the farm that taught Grades 1–12. Her favourite teacher eventually married her uncle, and Rose remembers coming home from school and helping her mom with chores. The family spoke German as well as English, although Rose no longer speaks German today.
The years of drought during the 1930s were dry and dusty. “Times were tough,” Rose recalled. “I remember Mom going to town to get groceries. Basically, she used ration coupons for sugar and flour.”
“My dad made the best homemade sausage,” she said. On special occasions, they would make ice cream with an ice cream maker. “My mom made the best homemade soup and noodles!”
Her mom also made many of their clothes out of sugar and flour bags. “But we also ordered a lot from the Eaton’s catalogue. It was a big deal when we got an order!” Rose remembered.
Their family didn’t have a lot of money, but she remembers celebrating birthdays when she got a little older. “My favourite aunt came from Vancouver to visit, and she always came in the summer when it was my birthday,” she explained.
As kids, she and her siblings had fun playing games like hide-and-seek and played hockey on the dugout in the winter. “The boys would always put me in the net to be the goalie and shoot pucks at me,” she laughed.
In the evenings, her dad would listen to his favourite shows on their battery-operated radio. “My mom would tell me to snap my dad’s suspenders,” she said. “Then he’d get all huffy, and my mom and I would laugh like crazy!”
By the age of 12, Rose was learning how to cook. One winter day, the family was asking for molasses cookies, so her brother purchased molasses while he was in town getting the mail and groceries. Rose and her mom had been busy putting up new wallpaper.
“It was cold outside when my brother came home with the molasses, so we put it in the warming oven,” she said. “I punched open the container and the hot molasses splashed all over the new wallpaper!” The molasses was hotter than she had anticipated.
Rose quit school in Grade 9 and began to work and contribute to the family’s finances. Her first job was helping out on a farm, and she later moved to Kindersley and worked as a waitress in a café, where she met Pat Elmhurst.
“I was 16 when we got married,” she said. “We soon started having a family. I stayed home until my youngest started school, then I went back to waitressing.” She also helped out at her husband’s shop, Pat’s Plumbing & Heating, before she was approached by Ivy Nokleby about working at the nursing home. “I worked there and got so attached to the residents,” she said.
She worked there until 1972, when her husband was killed in a tragic car accident. At that time, her children ranged in age from 12 to 18.
It was a very difficult time, but Rose’s good friend Hazel Neumeier was there to help her through it all. “We have been friends for 55 years,” Rose added.
In 1974, Rose married Stan Niles. “He was one of Pat’s best friends, and I had known him for a long time,” she noted. She and Stan enjoyed volunteering with the Elks Club. Rose was a member of the Royal Purple and then the Elks Club for 50 years. “The Elks ran the bingo, and Stan and I always helped. Once in a while they would let me play,” she said. Rose loves playing bingo.
She also loves making things for her family and friends. “I made a handmade recipe book for all my grandkids,” she said. She also makes embroidered tea towels, homemade blankets, chicken pies, cookies, and homemade soup. “The grandkids all say it’s so good, Gramma!” Rose reported. It takes a lot of homemade soup to feed her 20 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.
“I grew up in a close-knit family, and my kids and I are also a very close-knit family,” she said. “It’s hard to believe it’s been over 10 years since I lost Stan.”
Rose has faced many challenges throughout her life, including the sudden loss of her son Bob last year. Nevertheless, she accepts things as they come, keeps active, and enjoys spending time with family and friends.
“Living here all my life, I have so many friends, which is a big help for my heart and mind. I’m so thankful that I live in a community like this,” she concluded.
The feeling is mutual, Rose; we are so thankful to have you as our neighbour and friend.