Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of Douglas Haig Wright

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Descendants of Douglas Haig Wright

Generation No. 1

1. DOUGLAS HAIG² WRIGHT (RICHARD PHILIP¹) was born September 17, 1917 in Oak Lake Manitoba, and died May 04, 1996 in Transcona Manitoba. He married EDITH LOUISE SHERBO April 30, 1941 in Transcona. She was born November 07, 1919 in Transcona Manitoba, and died February 07, 1993 in Transcona.

Notes for DOUGLAS HAIG WRIGHT:
The following is an excerpt taken from a centennial book - page 410
" SPRINGFIELD
1st Rural Municipality in Manitoba 1873- 1973 "

" . . . Douglas Wright and his wife Edith built their first home on the N.E. of 23-10-4E. Thier children were Heather, Irene, Deanna, and Douglas. Douglas built a new home on 23-10-4E south of the Greater Winnipeg Water District railroad. He works at Griffin Steel Foundries and farms his own and rented land. He served as school trustee at Suthwyn School. Douglas Jr. works with his father and lives in a trailer house on adjacent land. . . "

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e-mail from Heather Magura Nov 23 / 05

Douglas Haig Wright was born September 27, 1917 at Oak Lake, Manitoba to Richard Philip Wright and Margaret Fulton - the youngest son in a family of 5 boys and 1 girl.

He often told the story of how when he was born at home he was so small (less than 3 pounds) the doctor placed him in a shoe box filled with cotton batting and put the box on the oven door of the wood stove to keep him warm. His small birth weight was attributed to the umbical cord being wrapped around his middle and there was some concern for his survival.

In 1921, at the age of 4 years, Douglas and his family moved to the Dugald area and settled at Suthwyn. They first lived in a rented home on 36-10-4E in the RM of Springfield. In 1926 they rented the Superintendent's house on the GWWD Railroad. It was a two story green shingle sided farmhouse large enough to accommodate the family of eight.

Douglas often mentioned that there was no heating to speak of on the second floor and he and his brother, Norman, during the cold winters often woke up in the morning to freezing temperatures. He said they used to shove their clothes under the covers to warm up before putting them on and dashing downstairs to the warmth of the cook stove. He also said the family pet cat was always in demand to help warm up their beds!

Douglas spoke of leaving school at an early age and of his mother being unwell. He recalled how he and Eunice, being the youngest, did most of the household chores and he enjoyed bragging in later years of his bread making and cooking skills on a wood stove in those days.

During the depression of the 1930's Douglas often told stories of how they cut wood for heat and raised their own chickens for eggs and their own cattle for milk and meat. Any spending money was earned working on the neighboring farms and Douglas often mentioned working as a young man for the Edie family on their mixed farm and the long, hard hours as a laborer for fifty cents per day. It was during this time as a direct result of working with the cattle that he developed asthma.

Douglas grew up working on the family farm and from the very beginning knew grain farming would be his life's work. He also possessed a natural mechanical aptitude and as a young man spent whatever leisure time he had taking motors (or anything else he could get his hands on) apart and rebuilding them back together again. This aptitude served Douglas well in later years and allowed him to successfully maintain and repair his own line of farming equipment from tractors to trucks to combines. In fact his reputation was well known in the district and there was always someone with a mechanical problem at his door looking for his expertise!

Douglas enjoyed dancing and in 1939 he met Edith Louise Sherbo of Transcona, MB at a community dance at the Dugald Hall. Douglas and Edith loved to dance and often other dancers would clear the floor to admire their fancy footwork.

Edith Sherbo was born and raised in Transcona, the daughter of Frank Sherbo and Wilda Maranda. She had two sisters, Pearl (Jowsey) and Ruby (Smith) and one brother Roy Sherbo (married to Stella Golebiowski). In the 1920's, her father co-owned a shoe repair business in Transcona until poor health forced him to retire. Upon his retirement in the late 1930's, Edith's mother, Wilda Maranda, began her family restaurant business, the Nite Lite Bar. She and Frank Sherbo operated the business together until 1949 when he passed away suddently from a heart attack. Since hard work and self-reliance were the mottos of Wilda Maranda's life, she confidently decided to continue on alone and successfully ran her business until 1973 when she retired at the age of 75 years. Wilda had inherited her business skills from her father and Edith's grandfather, Joseph Maranda (grandmother, Eugene), who established the first taxi service running between Transcona and Winnipeg driving a 1912 touring car over the mud roads. In addition to running the jitney service, he also operated a lumber yard in Transcona. Wilda Sherbo enjoyed her retirement until she passed away March 12, 1983.

During his courting of Edith, Douglas always enjoyed telling the story of how he and Norman (who at that time was courting Nellie Sutherland) shared the same car. On one particular occasion Norman came home from his date with Nellie and told Douglas "I know where you and Edith were last night!" Apparently the Transcona Police had come along where he and Nellie were parked and gave him a hard time about "these country boys who think they can come into town to park". It turned out Douglas and Edith had been in the same spot in the same car the night before and had been warned by the same policeman to move along. Norman had to do some fancy explaining.

In 1940 jobs were very scarce and so Douglas, in search of employment, travelled east to Sudbury where his brothers Preston and Cecil were working for Inco. He arrived in Sudbury by rail on March 24, 1940 and was met by Cecil and Charlotte. In a letter Douglas wrote to Edith on May 10, 1940 he states he travelled 2800 miles looking for work, 1000 by train and 1800 by car. He spoke of spending time with Cecil and Charlotte and Preston and Bea. He wrote of intending to join the Air Force in May of 1940 and had already written an examination and was classified as a standard mechanic. He mentioned if conscription occurred he would most likely be called for duty.

Douglas returned to Manitoba later that year and did get called for duty but due to a health problem - a childhood accident causing injury to the vertebrae in his neck - he could not pass the medical. He and Norman at this time were working the family farm and each began renting additional land on his own.

Douglas and Edith were married in Transcona MB by Reverend Henry Moore at the Knox United Church on April 30, 1941. Witnesses were Pearl Sherbo (sister of Edith) and Robert Clark (close friend of Douglas).

When they were first married they lived in the Wright family home. Douglas built their first home in the early 1940's on the NE23-10-4E in the RM of Springfield. It consisted of two large rooms and later a small front room was added. Their four children Heather, Irene, Deanna and Douglas Jr. were born while they still lived there. We all recall the family gatherings and parties that took place in this home and the laughter and good food Edith always prepared. She was an exceptional cook and baked wonderful sweet treats for all who visited.

At this time, in addition to farming, Douglas made extra money by converting the box of his grain truck to haul gravel. We recall him leaving the house so early it was still dark and not returning until late in the evening. On one occasion Irene and I (Heather) wanted to go with him on his gravel run and so he humored us by allowing us to accompany him. Mom packed us lunches and we were very excited at the prospect of a wonderful adventure. After two hours we wanted to go home, we had had enough but, of course, he could not lose his turn at the gravel pit and so we spent the whole long, long day riding in the truck until he dropped us off in the late afternoon. We never asked to go with him to haul gravel again!

In 1954 Douglas and Edith decided it was time to build a new home on 80 acres they had purchased on 23-10-4E south of the Greater Winnipeg Water District Railroad. It was to be a three-bedroom bungalow and brother-in-law, Hector Esselmont, was the carpenter in charge. It was very exciting for all of us moving from the small three-room house to this large new bungalow with an indoor washroom and running water.

I recall the basement was poured one hot day in July. The concrete was hand mixed and moved by wheelbarrow to the forms. There was a huge crew on hand to perform this task including Douglas' brothers Gordon, Cecil and Norman. We moved into our new house in the fall of 1954. This house is today located at 14-10-4E and is still in the family as the residence of Douglas' & Edith's grandchildren, Duane and Kim Wright.

In addition to farming Douglas always worked a second job - as well as hauling gravel over the years he was a distributor for Radio Oil Refineries, worked at the CNR shops and latterly as a record clerk at Griffin Steel Foundries. He purchased his own line of farm equipment which he maintained and upgraded with newer and bigger models over the years. From the steel-wheeled L model Case tractor to a Versatile 4-wheel drive 875 tractor and from one pull-type Massey-Harris threshing machine to two combines - Massey Ferguson & White -- in his lifetime he saw farming evolve from the horse and intensive manpower mode to the massive machines of today.

In June of 1964 Douglas and Edith's eldest daughter, Heather, was married to Herb Magura, in July of 1965, their second daughter, Irene, was married to Jim Carpenter and in October of 1965, their third daughter, Deanna, was married to Neil Dohie . Douglas always commented that all his daughters were married within 16 months and he had to haul quite a few loads of grain to sponsor all these weddings! The price of having daughters....

In April of 1966 Douglas and Edith celebrated their 25th Wedding Anniversary. Their children hosted a dinner and dance in their honor at the Cavalier Hotel in Transcona with approximately 200 friends and family in attendance. In honor of the occasion the children of Douglas and Edith presented them with a trip to Nassau, Bahamas. It was the first time either Douglas or Edith had been on a plane or had had an opportunity to travel out of the country. They enjoyed their holiday immensely and met many new friends. One of the couples they met from Michigan travelled to visit them in Dugald a year later and presented them with a photo he had taken of them at lunch by the pool of their hotel.

In April, 1972 Douglas & Edith's son, Douglas Frank was married to Roszena Spilchuk. Since Douglas Jr. worked on the farm as well as the CNR, he and Roszena set up house in a mobile home in the same yard as Douglas & Edith.

Douglas and Edith on October 25, 1976 lost their only son, Douglas Frank Wright, in an automobile accident. He was 27 years of age and left his wife, Roszena, and two children - Douglas Duane ("Duane") age 3 years and Kimberley Nichole age 2 years. After Doug's passing, his widow and his two children continued to live in their house trailer in Douglas and Edith's farm yard, where it is still located today.

Douglas and Edith decided to do a bit more travelling and in 1982 and 1984 vacationed in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was an especially memorable time for them and they often spoke of how much fun they had touring the Island with sister and brother-in-law, Eunice and Hector Esselmont, who were also visiting Hawaii on these occasions.

In April, 1991 Douglas and Edith celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary. Their children hosted a Reception and Dinner at Dal's Restaurant for approximately 80 family and close friends. Douglas and Edith enjoyed their evening and often reminisced about how much they enjoyed speaking to and visiting with everyone.

The City of Winnipeg, in 1980, had notified Douglas and Edith of the City's intention to expropriation their home and property at 23-10- 4E to make way for the city water reservoirs. In October, 1991, after a great deal of negotiation with the City, Douglas and Edith were able to retain their home and buildings and began the move to 14-10-4E.

Their daughter and son-in-law, Heather and Herb Magura had built a home near this location in 1976 and Douglas and Edith created their new yard just south of them. For a few months they stayed with their daughter and son-in-law as they had their home made ready on a new foundation and reconnected to sewer and water services.

The mobile home used as a residence by Roszena Wright and her two children Duane and Kim was moved to the new location as well. A new machine shed and granaries were erected. The following spring the family all pitched in and planted trees for a new shelterbelt, leveled the yard and planted grass seed. Today the yard is established and reflects the hard work and determination Douglas and Edith exhibited in re-establishing at their stage in life.

For several years Edith Wright had suffered with diabetes and, later in her life, heart disease. On February 17, 1993 she unexpectedly passed away from heart failure.

After all the years together, her passing left a great void in Douglas' life although he tried his best to be independent and care for himself. Douglas had suffered with rheumatoid arthritis since 1965 and it seemed with Edith's passing his health began to deteriorate. He found it increasingly more difficult to be independent as time went on. However, with the help of his son-in-law, Herb Magura, and his grandson, Douglas Duane Wright, he continued to farm until his death on May 4, 1996 at the age of 78 years.

More About DOUGLAS WRIGHT and EDITH SHERBO:
Marriage: April 30, 1941, Transcona

Children of DOUGLAS WRIGHT and EDITH SHERBO are:

HEATHER WILDA³ WRIGHT, b. March 29, 1942, St Boniface Manitoba; m. HERBERT JOHN MAGURA, June 06, 1964, Winnipeg; b. June 20, 1942, Beausejour Man.

Notes for HEATHER WILDA WRIGHT:
E-Mail from Heather Magura Nov 20, 2005:

Heather attended grade school at Suthwyn School, which was located a mile and a half from her family home. She completed Grade Nine by correspondence and then attended Transcona Collegiate and completed a combined business/matriculation course.

After graduation she was employed by the Attorney-General's Department for the Province of Manitoba for five years until her marriage to Herb Magura on June 6, 1964. After their marriage, Heather and Herb lived at Pointe due Bois, MB where Herb was employed by Winnipeg Hydro.

In May, 1965 they moved back to Winnipeg and Heather began her career with the Richardson organization. She worked 27 years as the Executive Assistant to the President of Richardson Securities of Canada (latterly known as Richardson Greenshields) and then transferred to the grain division (James Richardson International) in 1992 when Richardson Greenshields' head office was moved to Toronto. Heather was the Executive Assistant to the President of James Richardson International until her retirement June 30, 1997 - the same day that her husband, Herb, retired as a Yardmaster with the CNR .

In 1976, Heather and Herb built a home on an acreage located 14-10-4E in the RM of Springfield just a mile from where Heather grew up. Both Heather and Herb came from farm backgrounds and the lure of country living was just too much to resist. They planted a shelterbelt, leveled the soil, planted grass seed and established a large 3-acre yard out of a farm field.

Before retirement Heather and Herb often took winter vacation to warmer climates and since 1981 have travelled to Australia, Fiji, Venezuela, Bahamas, and several times to their favorite vacation paradise, Hawaii. Oftentimes they would be joined by family or friends and in 1987 Heather's two sisters, their husbands and a niece all vacationed in Hawaii together - a very good time was had by all!

In 1989 Heather and Herb celebrated their 25th Wedding Anniversary and were honored at a Dinner and Dance held on June 9, 1989 at the Knights of Columbus Centre in Winnipeg. The celebration was attended by 175 of their family, friends and neighbors.

In retirement, summer months find Heather and Herb helping their nephew, Duane Wright, farm and maintaining their large yard, with a little golf whenever possible. In the winter months, Heather and Herb journey south and spend the winters in their Fifth Wheel RV in Mesa, Arizona.

On June 6, 2004 Heather and Herb celebrated their 40th Wedding Anniversary by hosting a Reception & Dinner at the Canad Inn in Transcona for their immediate family and a few friends. Many of those in attendance were at our 25th Anniversary and enjoyed looking through the photos from 1989! It was a beautiful day and one that we shall always remember

More About HERBERT MAGURA and HEATHER WRIGHT:
Marriage: June 06, 1964, Winnipeg

2.	ii.	IRENE MARGARET WRIGHT, b. July 31, 1944, St Boniface Manitoba.
3.	iii.	DEANNA EDITH WRIGHT, b. December 29, 1946, St Boniface Manitoba.
4.	iv.	DOUGLAS FRANK WRIGHT, b. July 09, 1950, Winnipeg Manitoba; d. October 24, 1976, Transcona.

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