ONLINE EXHIBITION
Early Life
Marie Wolniewicz was born in Poland on September 9, 1903. In 1907, her father came to Edmonton to work on the High Level Bridge. Marie and her mother Anna would soon join him in Edmonton in 1908.
Within the first year in Canada, Marie’s father passed away. Anna felt it would be easier to raise Marie in a smaller town so the two moved to St. Albert. Marie went to the St. Albert Youville Convent School for one year. She spoke almost no English when she started but then began learning both English and French. Father Mérer School (the Brick School) opened in 1909, and Marie completed the rest of her schooling there. Her mother Anna remarried in 1909, this time to Alfred Chevigny. The family then lived on Perron Street, right across from where the St. Albert Arena (Ducky Dome) would be built.
One of Marie’s earliest claims to fame came in 1909 when she was chosen to present a bouquet of flowers to Father Lacombe during the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of his ordination. Although French was still new to Marie, Father Lacombe was impressed with Marie’s command of the language.
