Former Lamont teacher still loving life at 99 years
For the second year in a row, one of Lamont’s most senior residents will be having a quiet birthday in her nursing home.
Jessie Saruk, who turned 99 on Apr. 20, attributes her longevity to a simple lifestyle.
“Simple living,” she said in a recent phone interview. “I do what I can.”
While Saruk admits her eyesight is waning with the years, her memory remains sharp as she looked back on the story she was told of her birth.
“I was born in 1922 at five o’clock in the morning,” she said. “Delivered by my grandmothers on the farm.”
Saruk shared fond memories of her early years growing up on the family farm in Lamont.
“I had three sisters and two brothers. My brother, William, who was two years older than me was my hero. I tagged along after him and followed him everywhere,” she said. “As a result, I developed a love of the outdoors. A lot of my early years were spent in the outdoors with Bill.”
Saruk also developed a love of tree climbing.
“Many times, grandma had to rescue me out of a treetop. I climbed because he did, but didn’t know how to get down,” she laughed.
Saruk also developed a love of education.
“I attended a one room school for seven years then went to a two-room school seven miles away,” she said. “I graduated from Andrew High School and in 1940 went to the Edmonton Normal School to become a teacher. That was when the war broke out.”
Edmonton Normal Schools were institutions which trained primary and secondary school teachers in Alberta before merging with the University of Alberta in 1945 according to the U of A library. Saruk shared how the war changed her school environment.
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“When it broke out the school premises were taken over by the airport so we were being taught in Garneau Public School in Edmonton,” she said.
“As the war continued the personnel that were our instructors were taken over by the government to lead the soldiers and we were given certificates at Christmas time after only three months in school. We were told we were teachers and to go and teach. My wage was $190 a month.”
While education was important to Saruk, years later it was also important to her husband Alec. After years of summer sessions and night school resulted in a masters in education and psychology for him, Saruk decided it was time for her to go back to school as well.
“After my husband finished, I went to university and I took courses in education because all I had was a certificate and my wage was not very high,” she said.
“When I went into university and got my degree in education my son Bertrand got his degree in science on the same day in 1973.”
Saruk fondly looked back on her many years of teaching.
“I taught for 50 years. Being here (in the nursing home) I even have some of my old pupils here looking after me. I taught them. In one case I taught a little fellow in grade 3 and years later he became the principal of the school and was my principal for eight years,” she said. “It’s nice to reminisce.”
Although her pace has slowed down considerably over the years, Saruk said she is still enjoying life.
“I have three children, six grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren,” she said proudly. “My vision and vertigo give me trouble but I continue living and I play scrabble.”
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Jana Semeniuk
Staff Reporter
