Sarah Singh

For Laura Simpson, life began in a small town. Herbert, Saskatchewan, population 759 as of 2011. The town was founded as a primarily Mennonite community, forming when settlers came over from Manitoba and, before that, Russia. Laura’s grandparents were instrumental in the formation of Herbert. One of her grandfathers owned the town flour mill, which allowed farmers from all around to come in and get their wheat ground. Her other grandfather owned a lumber yard and hardware store. He would put together packages for homesteaders which really helped new settlers who were just coming in. Later on, he built a power plant and was the first in Herbert to have electricity in his home. With all of this history, it is no wonder that Laura is incredibly proud of her past.

Life in Herbert continued on as normal until Laura was in third grade. Up until that point, Laura had been attending school at the big schoolhouse in town. Many of her classmates were farmer’s kids who would come in from outlying areas. This caused the size of the classes to increase, even reaching modern day estimates of twenty-five students per class! It was after third grade that Laura’s family moved to British Columbia and there she stayed.

Laura went on to become a nurse, graduating from Vancouver General Hospital in 1956, just after getting married. She and her husband then moved to Surrey while she began working at the old St. Mary’s Hospital. When Laura was living in Surrey, it was mostly farmland, not anything like the urban metropolis it is today. Driving through Surrey now, Laura is astounded by how much has changed in the last twenty years. The farm she used to live next to has now been converted into a subdivision. Construction is not the only thing that’s boomed either. Laura has also noticed tremendous improvements in communication. From the advent of Internet to cellphones and emails, Laura has seen it all and is frankly amazed by how fast the technology continues to change.

Laura’s husband’s studies eventually led the family to New York where she lived for three years. While in New York, the University Riots broke out as students protested the Vietnam War. Laura and her husband were thrilled to be around to witness such an exciting moment in history. Upon her return to Canada, it was not hard for Laura to find work again and she began working at the Valleyview hospital, an offshoot of the Riverview hospital. Laura recalls the work there as slightly depressing. There were many instances when the patients were sent out into the community but had nowhere to go and so ended up living on the streets or in the poorest parts of the city. Regardless, her efforts at the hospital probably made life better for many individuals.

A few years after moving back to Canada, Laura and her husband bought a general store on the shores of Kootenay Lake. A few months later they moved from Surrey to the tiny town of Gray Creek where they stayed for the next 15 years. Just as in Herbert, Laura could experience the small town feel again. Gray Creek was full of people searching for a place to be able to escape from the consumerism and “go-go-go” attitude of living in the city and just relax. Suddenly there was more time to talk, to interact with others face-to-face. Suddenly life became a whole lot less complicated. When the Simpsons originally bought The Lakeview, it was just a house in which the living room was the store. In other words, it was quite small. After eleven years and two expansions, the Simpsons were able to sell a little bit of everything, including general groceries, specialty cheeses, liquor, bulk items, and even garden supplies for a time. They would also have dried fruit and camping supplies. In short, The Lakeview carried anything you would need to make a living in Gray Creek.

From the vantage point of their store, Laura and her husband were able to see the town evolve as new settlers arrived. In the time that they were living there, many draft dodgers were settling in, trying to avoid being enlisted for the war. Laura had the pleasure of meeting a lot of these people at the store. Many of them did not have any sort of relatives nearby and so began to look at the Simpsons as sort of surrogate parents. Everyone really enjoyed going to The Lakeview and were glad for the personal connection they had with the Simpsons.

Laura, in turn, learned a lot from being at the store. Although it was open seven days a week and she was needed to man the store, Laura grew to appreciate how much the community came together to hold events for its citizens. She also realized just how far a smile can go. Most people, if you are nice to them, will be nice back.

Though the Simpsons had big dreams for their little store by the lake, the hours were long and they decided to retire, leaving behind the beautiful lakefront and moving back to the coast. In 1999, Laura moved back to New Westminster and was reunited with all two of her three wonderful children. She has stayed in New West since then, enjoying the convenience of having all commodities close by.

However, even though she has moved back for good, Laura’s itch to travel has not been completely satisfied. If she could travel anywhere in the world she would love to see more of the Mediterranean countries. She enjoys experiencing other cultures and has previously traveled to Italy, France, Denmark, and around the United States. She also had the pleasure of traveling across Canada via train. What a great experience! Now she would like to go back to Arizona and Utah and see more of the canyons. Laura would also love another visit to San Diego so she can explore the rest of Balboa Park. Imagine, all the fantastic stories she will have upon her return.

In parting, Laura has some advice to pass onto the next generation. Along with going out to explore the world and such, Laura advises us to take it easy. By this she means that we all need to relax and go with the flow. Too many of us, herself included, spend too much time analyzing our decisions instead of just acting. Whether you’re worried about work, school, or your enormous pile of laundry, this tip is applicable to us all. Thank you for the advice, Laura! We wish you the best of luck with your future travels!