MYRTLE A. LANE

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MYRTLE A. LANE Myrtle Aleta Lane was born on the 12th day of January, 1903, at the farm home of her Lane grandparents in the Pacific District of the Rural Municipality of Wallace, west of Virden. She was the second child of Elizabeth Dickinson Lane and James Henry Lane, pioneers from St. Marys, ON. The family home was a shanty until 1908 when a two-storey building was erected on the farm, which included a furnace and lightning rods on the house. At age seven, Myrtle began attending Hargrave School until the family moved to Virden in 1912. In June of that year, she developed osteomyelitis (infection of the bone), and spent the next five years in and out of hospital. After her recovery, she completed high school at Virden Collegiate, and began work at the Good Roads office, which was involved with the building of the old No. 1 Highway. She left there to attend "Normal School" (Teachers College) in Dauphin. Myrtle took great pride in the fact that she never wrote a resume or completed a job application. Her first teaching position was as a supply teacher in Cromer, MB, filling in for Miss Phyllis Holt for the month of June, 1925. Miss Holt had to leave teaching because she was being married. Myrtle taught nine grades in a one room rural school, and was invited to return in the fall to continue her career. She remembered with delight the Christmas concerts, field days, boarding with various families in the community, and the kindness people showed to a young teacher who was "greener than grass." She left Cromer in December, 1927, to complete Normal School training in Winnipeg which she did in April, 1928. The following month, the Virden Public School asked her to substitute for one year in the classroom of a teacher who was taking a leave of absence. She accepted, and stayed at Virden Public School until her retirement in June, 1968. The last eleven years, she was Principal. Myrtle was both a career, and a professional teacher. She had high expectations and standards, both of the children she taught as well as the colleagues with whom she worked. She formed lifelong friendships in her profession, particularly with other female teachers who shared her dedication and devotion to excellence. Her teaching was characterized by a deep love of, and respect for, children. She kept a complete list of names of each of her classes from 1925-1968 as well as photographs of each class. These are now in the Virden Public Library. School choirs held a special place and Myrtle had a key role in establishing the Music Festival in Virden. During her years at Virden Public School, she experienced the change from four wood furnaces which burned 150 cords of wood a winter to gas furnaces. Outdoor toilets, a well for drinking water, the principal standing at the back door of the school ringing the hand bell were part of her every day life. When electricity finally came to the school in the form of a dangling light bulb in the centre of the classroom ceiling, the teachers had a dinner for the school board to show their appreciation. A highlight of her teaching career was the preparation of a book about Manitoba in general, and Virden in particular. The gift was presented to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip during the 1959 Royal Tour, for the royal children, before a crowd of fifteen hundred people. In addition to her many activities at school, Myrtle also welcomed new Canadians to Virden, and, with other teachers, taught them after school hours to read and write the English language. And so it is that people from Denmark, Germany, and Laos were made to feel welcome, and equipped with lasting skills for their new country. Church life was always important to Myrtle. She made a profession of faith in the Methodist Church in 1912 while sick in bed. Her parents were active church people, and hymn sings at home were common events. In her adult life, she was active in St. Pauls United Church, where she held many offices, serving at various times as an Elder, Clerk of Session, congregational secretary, and historian and archivist. Myrtle had a great sense of, and appreciation for, the pioneer history of the Virden area. She was involved in the Museum Board for many years, and worked diligently when the Museum was being organized and opened, and as a guide. She also took an active part in the Cemetery Board, and the building campaigns of the Sherwood Retirement Home and WestMan Nursing Home. Myrtles contributions to the community were recognized in Centennial Year when she was awarded a medal by the Canadian Government for her service to the community. In 1968, the Myrtle Lane Bursary was established by the school board, to be awarded annually. In 1988, she was nominated by the Arts Club of Virden as "Woman of the Year," in the category of community living, and received a pendant. She was also the recipient of the Air Canada "Heart of Gold" award. Recently, the community built and dedicated "The Bridge to Higher Learning" to acknowledge her contribution to education. Following her retirement, Myrtle travelled extensively. She delighted in the world around her, and had friends in every corner of the world. And so there were trips to Britain, Bermuda, New Zealand, Australia, both coasts, and many parts of the United States. In 1997, Myrtle moved to the WestMan Nursing Home, where she spent the last five years of her life. She enjoyed an extensive correspondence and appreciated peoples visits from far and wide. She entered her one hundredth year on the 12th of January with many visits and remembrances from family and friends. Following a short illness, she died at the Virden Hospital on Sunday, February 3, 2002. She is predeceased by her parents, James (1925) and Elizabeth (1959) and her brothers, James (1899) and Ewart (1997). She is survived by first and second cousins, and by dear friends whom she considered as family. Funeral services were held at St. Pauls United Church, Virden, on Thursday, February 7. The Rev. Brenda Ferguson, minister of St. Pauls, and the Rev. Dr. Bob Root of Peterborough, ON officiated. Myrtle is buried in the Virden Cemetery, next to her brothers. Shortly before she died, she wrote in a letter that the winter was moving along and the next season would be spring, with all the promise of renewal that springtime brings. "Hope springs eternal in the human heart," were her words. She is remembered for her love of life, her easy laugh, her strength of character and faith, and her deep and abiding friendships. She will be missed. Donations in Myrtles memory may be made to the Virden Auditorium Theatre, P.O. Box 1982, Virden, MB ROM 2CO.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Feb 28, 2002