Josie was born March 19, 1913, in Bankhead, Alberta. She was the only girl of five children. Her parents were immigrants who came to Bankhead from Poland. Her father, Frank Jerwa, was born in 1880. While working in the coal mine in Bankhead, he was run over by the C.P.R. train, thereby crippling him for the rest of his life. At the time, the C.P.R. offered him a lump sum payment for the accident. He wanted to take it but his oldest son, Joe, persuaded him to take a monthly cheque instead. In the early 1960’s, a C.P.R. agent came to Canmore to make sure he was still alive as the cheques were still being sent to him. Sure enough, there he was, alive and well. Frank Jerwa lived to ninety-two years of age and collected the cheques for fifty-seven years. Thank goodness for his oldest Joe!
When the coal mine closed in Bankhead, due to a miners’ strike, the family moved to Canmore, taking up residence on the “mine side” of the town. With Josie’s father being crippled and her mother, Anna, very ill, she had to leave school in her early years to help raise the family. She had four brothers, all of whom went on to play professional hockey. Joe played hockey for the New York Americans (New York Rangers). He later resided in Vancouver along with his brother, Frank. The other two brothers, Steve and Art, played hockey in the Seattle area. Steve later remained in Canmore and Art moved to Banff.
Fred Marra
Fred Marra was born August 25, 1904, in Alice Superior, Italy. He first came to Canmore in the early 1900’s from Alice Superior, Italy. He had a brother, Cardo, and a sister, Elda. Elda became sick in her early years and died very young. The family lived in Canmore, but for a short time moved to the United States. When they returned to Canmore, Fred began working for the Canmore mines, employed as a machinist. By pushing his age ahead one year when he was hired, this enabled him to receive an award for the longest working employee in the Canmore mines, which spanned “fifty years”. Cardo went to work for C.T. Sing Grocery store and later bought the store and managed it with his son, Ron, for over fifty years. During their younger years in Canmore, Fred and Cardo excelled in many sports in their community. Amongst their favourites were tennis, baseball, basketball, and golf. If opportunity would have presented itself, they would have gone a long way in sports – especially in tennis and Baseball.
In the early 1930’s, Josie married Fred Marra. Fred and Josie had two sons, Connel and Lionel. Connel worked in the Canmore mines and later played in the band for the Canadian Armed Forces. Lionel went to the University in Calgary and obtained a degree in Education. He remained in Calgary where he taught school for the Calgary Separate School Board. During their younger years, Connel and Lionel formed their own band and played around the Canmore and Banff areas, with their cousins, Ron Marra and Eldene. Fred and Josie attended all of their dances, which covered over twenty-five years.
In the late 1940’s, Fred moved his family to Prospect, another area of Canmore. This would move him closer to his work. The many friends he met in this particular community were very active in “get-togethers”. Fred and Josie’s fondest Memories came from the years they spent in Prospect. These people would get together and hold a “Rug Bee”, where everyone would gather their old clothes and cut them up in strips and make rugs. Everyone would bring food and drinks and the affair would last the whole weekend. Everyone went home with new rugs! Most enjoyable. These same friends would head for the mushroom patch, by #3 mine, where they would pick mushrooms (button heads). They would then meet at one of the houses where they would clean them, fry them and “pig out” mushrooms.
It was during these years that Josie worked in Banff and later operated the restaurant in the Y.M.C.A. and the restaurant in the Canmore Hotel. The Canmore Hotel was then owned by Alphonse and Mary Rodda. In the 1950’s, the family moved to the “horseshoe” part of town. Here they later retired and enjoyed their grandchildren, Connie, Lisa, Gina, and Mark. Josie died in 1981 at the age of sixty-eight and Fred died in 1985 at the age of eighty.
Fred and Cardo Marra
In Canmore Seniors at the Summit, ed. Canmore Seniors Association, 2000, p.174-176.
