Our lady this week is Elaine Joyce Cook, Kanatatsenri.....born July 11, 1938.  Elaine’s parents were Thomas Benedict and Annie Oakes. The memory she has of them is that her father used to work as a woodsman in Monette, Ontario. Later on, he began working in Cornwall at Howard Smith Paper Company. He walked across that bridge everyday in all seasons. When winter came it was so cold and he still had to walk, which eventually caused him to become ill with pneumonia and Tuberculosis. He was only 36 years old when he died. Her mother was left to tend to the young children.

The names of her paternal grandparents were Andrew and Cecelia Benedict and her maternal grandfather was Mitchell Oakes.  He lived alone after his wife passed away so this young family of Elaine’s moved with him on Cornwall Island.

It was like survival as a young child, as Elaine remembers it.  Her mother passed away when she was only 7 years old.  At age eight she inherited the duties of looking after her two young brothers and a sister. “Some of the chores we had to tend to were making sure we had a garden, preserving the harvest, and making sure we had water and wood in the house. Cooking, taking care of the children and housework was a daily responsibility.  My biggest responsibility was taking care of my siblings and making sure they were safe.  I was like a second mother to them; all the while growing up. We also did have days of fun when we would play with our friends. We were all poor but we didn’t know it at the time,” smiled Elaine.

When they had to go live with their grandpa, they had to learn to speak Mohawk very quick. That is all her grandfather could speak.  So when she went to school, Elaine didn’t know Mohawk very well, so she began to put English language second and began to learn from her classmates.  This is how she picked up the native words so quickly along with her grandpa.  She soon made many friends and all their preferred language became Mohawk.

  Elaine’s teacher’s names were Emily Peters, Gladys Thompson and Mrs. Gant.

“Oh, Mrs. Gant used to drive us around in her ole Model T Ford. On Sundays she would pile us in and give us a ride to church. When we got to the bridge at the top, she would turn off her engine and coast down the bridge, it was fun,” said Elaine as she laughed.

Those were some of her favorite memories.  Elaine joined the work force as a young teenager. She was known as the neighborhood cleaning lady as she went house to house working for the elderly women.  She performed chores such as mopping floors, washing dishes, hanging clothes, and much more. They paid her $.25 and she saved every bit of it. She used this money to help her family if they lacked anything.  Eventually she went on to babysitting and the money always came in handy when they needed food or something.

“Its doubtful to find young teenagers that do this today; to work and earn money,” said Elaine.

At age 15, Elaine became a waitress at the New York Cafe in Cornwall. She was always ambitious which caused her to find other jobs easily.  Her brother Dave used to row the boat across to take her to work in Cornwall, sometimes on cold and windy days. She finally decided to rent a room for the week that cost her $3.00.

As she grew older and continued work, she realized she never had time to think about dating. If she did go out, such as a hayride, she took her siblings.  At age 17, she met Abe Ransom after a glance at each other while walking the road with friends. He drove by her in his shiny red convertible. He saw her and smiled, but she didn’t think anything of him.  She had heard about him, but didn’t take him serious...like he was about her.  He started coming around to see her at her home and suddenly one day he popped the question.  She wanted to make sure of the situation and put marriage on hold for one year to prepare and to get to know each other better.  Elaine saw Abe as a very hard worker and she was now reassured that he was a good man.  She also saw that working a farm was hard work, but she accepted all of that. The days were so long and when finished, they had to get ready for the next day beginning at 5am.

“Cows, pigs, chickens and all that goes with it, was my new life,” said Elaine. She felt that all that hard work in her new life caused them not to have time for each other.  The children came along and filled their home and shared their lives.  Their children are Shawna, Wally, Theresa, Akat, and Wilson, and Jeff Barnes was like their adopted son.  After them, we were blessed with 22 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.

She lived at the farm for 43 years even after her late husband passed away.  Elaine has lived at the apartment for 15 years and she really loves it there. She explained to her children that she saw them all go to college and were ready to go on their own. She also would be ready to move on her own and kept in close touch which them. “ I always taught them to be independent and that I can’t be there all the time. Elaine did remarry Bobby Cook for awhile until his passing. Now that she lives at the apartment, she is really happy. She has a rich life because of her children, her faith, and her friends, and she strives to help people in need with a positive outlook as much as she can.

Through the Kateri Tekakwitha Conferences, she has traveled to many states and has really enjoyed her travels and many people. The job she had at the church was enjoyable and the people who came to her confided and trusted her.  

The biggest changes she has seen since her young days are examples such as children not being active outdoors enough, too much TV or internet, unhealthy eating, and the respect isn’t as strong.  The concerns over the drugs are high and more babies are being born with defects and setbacks in learning. Hopefully, that will improve over time.

  Elaine, niawen for the visit, I have really enjoyed the time with you. These stories are so interesting and it is nice that our readers look forward to reading them. Again, niawen my friend.        Sesi