My grandfather, Achilles Marra, was the first man to voluntarily retire from Canmore mines. His son, Fred Marra, was one of the first to retire from the mine with fifty years of service. A sister, my aunt Elda, died at age thirteen from a ruptured appendix. My grandfather Cormier was a stationary steam engineer at the powerhouse at the mine. A happy memory is going to the powerhouse and blowing the whistle: one for work, two for listen in the morning and three for no work. My grandfather Marra came to Canmore to work in the mine as well as play in the mine band.
I was born June 21, 1933 in Canmore, Alberta in the building that has now been redone (Bob Warwick’s building). That was really the original hospital right at the end of Main Street. My parents, Cardo and Jeanne, lived on Mineside. My dad walked my mother to the hospital to have me, their first child. Following the birth of a stillborn girl, three more daughters were born: Eldene, Yvonne, and Sharon. When we were growing up, I remember the Christmas Eve party put on by the union for their employees. At this time each child received a toy purchased by the union. We were also recipients of a toy even though our parents were not mine employees. Eldene is still living in town, Yvonne and Sharon both live in Calgary. I went to school in Canmore, where Lawrence Grassi school is now, until I was too smart. Miss Redfern, later Mrs. Baxter, was one of my teachers. I acted in school plays, a big production of “A Christmas Carol”, and Christmas productions at the Union Hall. I quit school in 1949 on November 20 and started work on November 21 for my dad. The store had been bought by my parents in 1945 from C.T. Sing and Co. An interesting situation involved the giving of Christmas turkeys by the Mine company to their employees. Because these turkeys were distributed through the store, C.T. Sing felt an obligation to do the same for his customers. When my parents purchased the store, they continued this tradition for the first few years, it really being a hardship. The family, my parents, my sisters and I, and my Grandma Marra moved above the store in 1946. Although there was a kitchen upstairs, we usually used the big eating area downstairs that C.T. Sing had used as a type of restaurant for some of the bachelors. It was very common to be joined for coffee in the morning or for lunch by delivery people: the milkman, the breadman, truckdrivers, etc. and customers. I stocked shelves and went to take orders from our customers. Usual procedure was to take the bill book to their house, take their order, then deliver the order later. First we did Townside, then we did Mineside.
C.T. Sing had started the store in 1919. The building used to be the company store at the Georgetown mine. Because the customers could get credit at the minestore, it was necessary to extend credit at the other store too. The Chinese fellows had to refinance twice, a six month strike in 1926 and a nine month strike in 1929. When Cardo took over the store in 1945, he was still receiving payments on one person’s bill from the 1929 strike, two dollars a month until it was paid. I have great memories of being around the store when the Chinese were there. I was invited to Sunday dinner, by myself! I considered these people very good friends. We used to deliver with horse and wagon or sleigh. After having four runaways in about six months, my parents decided we needed to deliver with a car. Then we bought a small delivery van. Each morning we went to the station to pick up the bread. Over the course of the winter there was limited produce: apples, oranges and bananas. An icehouse was used for refrigeration. The river used to freeze over really thick and a fellow used to go and cut ice blocks. Sawdust from the mine was used to insulate the ice. C.T. Sing was the first store in the area to put in mechanical refrigeration. My parents were able to retire after Virginia and I took over the store in 1965. They were able to remain in their own home for all of their retirement. My mother passed away when she was 64; my father died when he was 84.
I met my wife, Virginia, in Banff, when I was nineteen. We have been happily married for forty three years. She, one of three girls, was born and raised in Black Diamond, her parents being Evelyn and Art Cobb. She came to Banff to work when she was sixteen, met me, Ron, fell in love with the mountains and me and has been very happy living in Canmore ever since. We have two children: a daughter, Pam, and a son, Philip. Pam married Albert Bernauer and had two children: Bradley and Jennifer. She has since remarried and her present husband is Steve Forman. Pam works at the store as head cashier. Philip married Karen Slee and they have two sons: Adam and Ryan. Phil is the owner / operator of Marra’s Grocery and his wife, Karen, is the office manager.
As far as I am concerned, I have been involved with hockey as a player and a coach, baseball as a player and a coach/ manager, the golf club: on the executive, president for five terms and been honored with a lifetime membership. I have played in the family orchestra as the drummer. My sister, Eldene, played the keyboard, and cousins Connel and Lionel played trumpet and sax. We played for over twenty-five years, all over the valley including Revelstoke, Fernie and Calgary. We were the last band to play in the Cascade Dance Hall in Banff. Thanks to Virginia who looked after the house and family, worked in the store, etc. I was able to supplement the family income by my involvement in the orchestra. Over the years the store operation has donated to countless charities and groups. It has been our hope that this involvement would not only help the community but also contribute to the community and make it a very nice place in which to live. Our family has had a life of commitment, my uncle fifty years at the mine, my father over fifty years in the store, and me over fifty years in the store, our way of contributing to the fabric of the community.
Cardo and Ron have had the pleasure of working at the store with three generations. The first being Cardo, Ron, Philip and Pam, and the second being Ron, Phil, Pam, Brad, Adam and Ryan.
Cardo’s parents, Marie and Achilles Marra
Cardo and Jeanne Marra
In Canmore Seniors at the Summit, ed. Canmore Seniors Association, 2000, p.176-177.
