The Story of Per and Lilly (née Christensen) Falkenberg-Andersen
Restless and Homesick
Like always, Per was restless, so before long (1956) the couple moved to Vancouver. Their first son was born there. Lilly got her teaching certificate and taught for a couple of years. But she was homesick for Denmark. Because Per loved Lilly, he decided they should go back.
In Denmark, Lilly taught high school and Per studied engineering. Their second son was born in 1961. Per worked as a road engineer for 13 years.
By 1975, Per was restless again. Because Lilly loved Per, she decided they should go back to Canada. Their younger son would go with them but their older son would finish high school in Denmark.
Home at Last
When Per and Lilly returned to Canada, they bought a farm just north of Spruce View, Alberta. The farmyard and house had been unoccupied for years, so they had a big mess to clear away.
They gathered up tangled barbed wire, cleared trees to make room for a new farmhouse, raked and burned branches, picked roots and burned down seven decrepit buildings. It took a while.
Then they built a new access road, shop, lean-to greenhouse, house and even a campground for overnight guests. They planted trees and a vegetable garden and even ground their own wheat into flour for their home-baked bread.
That was just the farmstead. The real work was in the field. Clearing, picking roots, cultivating, harrowing, seeding, swathing, combining and more. On a farm, the work never ends.
Their neighbors wondered if these two Copenhageners had what it takes to stay the course. Now and then, curious folk would drive slowly along the road, just looking. After a while, everyone agreed. Per and Lilly would do just fine.
Adapted from the 2007 Heritage Book,with permission from the Federation of Danish Associations in Canada
• Per and Lilly's adventures continue in Seasonal Snippets
