Fonds med-520 - William and Gertrude Lokier fonds

Bill Lokier was born in Medicine Hat in 1908 the son of Tom & Eliza Lokier. Together with his sister Altha they grew up at the River Bend ranch on the South Saskatchewan river north of Medicine Hat. He was educated at home, in nearby one room schools and by his grand father A.B. Smith. Later in the 1920's, he attended Olds Agricultural College. During World War II he enlisted and served overseas. At this time in 1941 the River Bend Ranch was expropriated from his family and became part of the Suffield military base. This caused considerable consternation in the family with his father Tom ultimately moving permanently to Victoria B.C. and his mother and sister moving to Medicine Hat. After the war Bill investigated several ranching opportunities and chose a cattle farm along the Bow River in Scandia south of Brooks which he purchased and developed. During the next 20 years he focused on raising purebred Aberdeen Angus Cows as his primary stock. In 1971 he won 1st prize at the Toronto Royal Agricultural fair for a pen of his purebred calves. In addition to the ranch Bill was active in many local organizations including the United Church, school boards, rural electrification and early telephone associations in the 1950's and 60's. In 1952 Bill married Gertrude Lewis who was a school teacher at the Tilley school. Together they operated the ranch until 1975. Gertrude Lewis was born in Wales and at a young age immigrated with her family to a farm in Saskatchewan where she grew up in the central Butte area. In addition to the farm the family operated a hotel and restaurant in the community. Gertrude attended school until grade eleven where upon she entered normal school to become a teacher and received her first class permanent certificate after several years of focused effort. During the war she enlisted with the Canadian Women's Army Corps and became a clerk serving in military barracks in Regina until she was discharged in 1946. Gertrude next accepted a teaching position in Tilley where she taught until 1952 when she met & married Bill. Together they operated the River View ranch until their retirement in 1975 when they moved to Lethbridge. Bill died in 1997 and it is not known when Gertrude passed.