Emile Lemire

I used to go to Christine Meakel and Holy Angels for 2 or 3 years and I never learned anything, maybe just 2 or 3 words. Then after I went to Red Deer for 10 years. Then I learned how to do my dishwashing job and macramé and rug hooking, which became my hobbies. Dishwashing became my job.

After that in 1979 it was a nice day and I stopped for a cup of coffee and the owner talked to me about working as a dishwasher at his Fullers restaurant. He said it was good timing for me as it was one of his dishwasher’s last night and he wanted me to come in at 5:00. He watched me work for a while and he said that I do a good job, so he hired me. After two years I then worked at Town and Country in Forest Lawn as a dishwasher. Then I worked at Tradewinds. They had lots of dishes because they had lots of weddings and conferences. It was lots of fun.

Then I went to O’Sullivan’s for eight years. I saw lots of turnover of staff. Then I worked at Phil’s Pancake House on Glenmore Trail for pretty near eight years.

After that I decided to do my laundry and I got hit by a car at a crosswalk. I was in the Rockyview Hospital for two months. Then I had to go in the Chinook Nursing home for five months. Not a pleasant place to go.

I applied to work at Topo’s on Tuesday and got hired the next day. Theresa said I must be a real go getter. After two years the restaurant closed. After my leg healed up the people at Phil’s said my leg was in a cast too long and I can no longer have you. Then I went to O’Sullivan’s instead. Then a new manager at Phil’s hired me and after two years the restaurant had to be renovated because the roof was leaking. The repairs took long and I decided to go to Casey’s in Chinook for two and a half months and then it went broke. The same restaurant restarted as Patty’s and I cleaned the bar. After that I worked at Tony Roma’s on fourth street for about a month. After about four months I decided to go to Mount Royal College and Bow Valley College.

I learn computers at Mount Royal and reading and writing at Bow Valley. I also enjoy all the stuff I am learning and working on my crossword puzzles helps me learn to read and write. Sometime I look at the words at Dennys and at Chinook and I sound the letters out and read the words and I can also write them. All three things come together.