January 29. 2020 So Far Away
My maternal grandmother, Eliza Pauline (Lena) Rivard was the first of her family to attend school. She was born in Newport, MI in 1893. Although the family spoke French at home, she learned English as well. Her father Edouard Rivard was born in St Albans Quebec Canada, and her mother Rose Leduc was born in Newport. Lena married Gus Wickenheiser in 1915 and moved from St Charles Parish in Newport, to St Patrick Parish in Carleton, just a few miles away. After a year or two of marriage they bought property on Exeter Road in Carleton, built a home, and lived there the rest of their lives. Grandma visited family out of state and in Canada, but they were always short visits. She believed home is where the heart is, and never ventured very far away.