Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Irla, my sister-in-law, met my brother Donald age 20 when he as a member of the Nairn St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church was appointed to visit neighbouring Vaneck United Church where she age 21 was a member. Their first date soon afterward almost didn’t happen because my father needed the car the same night. My father wouldn’t give in and my brother was devastated. Fortunately, my mother intervened on her son’s behalf, and Don and Irla lived happily ever after.
My parents were so proud and happy to have Irla for their beloved daughter-in-law. In my father’s eyes, Irla could do no wrong. Both were so proud of her musical talents. I envied her ability to play the piano by ear. Mother in her letters to me in Toronto in the 1950s recounted Irla’s latest musical accomplishments, then with the Earle Terry Singers in London, Ont.
My mother first took notice of Irla’s ability to organize when she and Don were married in Vaneck United Church, 15 August 1953. It was a picture-perfect country wedding on a beautiful summer day where everything went off exactly as Irla had planned. My most vivid memory is the newly-married couple driving to the reception in Ilderton in a decorated Model-A Ford. During the following nine years three daughters were born. These three little girls, Carole 8, Louise 7, and Brenda 3, all beautifully dressed, excitedly came to my wedding where their mother was one of my three attendants.
Personally, I’m forever grateful to Irla for organizing the Stewart Roots Tour to Scotland in 1993. In July of 1991 I had finally finished writing the 650-page tome, From Heather to Hill, a family history and genealogy of our Scottish progenitor and Ontario pioneer, John Stewart, aka Jack of the Hill. Relatives talked about a tour to Scotland to see the sites mentioned in my book, but after bringing it to fruition, I was feeling a bit spent. Irla and Donald stepped up to the plate and arranged our tour primarily to see Stronuich, in Glen Lyon, Jack of the Hill’s birthplace. Don and Irla had previously toured Scotland, seen Stronuich, and knew the famous sites in the area to visit and also the best hotels. At the end of the day, we sang Scottish songs led by Irla. They hired a bus for 80, the number on the trip. It was a smooth and enjoyable experience allowing me to sit back and truly relax.
Irla was born three days before I was. We used to joke that because she was older I had to do what she said. I wish that she was still here.
Margaret Bennet-Alder, born Stewart
