Our Family Tree

Born in Loverna. Lived on a farm. Had 2 younger sisters while living in Saskatechwan. The farm house had a dirt floor. In winter the water on the stove woiuld freeze over night. The only heat was from a stove. Jean and her sisters walked many miles to school. Many times after walking home from school they had to walk back to town to get tobacco for her mother. Jean was always strongly against smoking, because of her mother's smoking. Never finished highschool. The family moved to Lindbergh, Alberta in 1943. George was adopted by the family. Her father, Frank, wanted a son.

Jean completed highschool through correspondence. Jean worked at packing plant where she met the love of her life, Marvin. Jean and Marvin married. Jean life long best friend was Charlotte Pickwick. Marvin was friends with her husband Rudy. Jean was friends with Charlotte before she met Marvin. Another good friend was Lid and Don Acorn. Lid and Don were neighbours and lived on both sides of the Severinsen house. Lid and Don eventually moved to Whitehorse. Jean and Marvin travelled to Whitehorse a few times to visit.
Jean and Marvin lived on 86th street for the most of their married life. It was a small two bedroom, one bathroom house. It was very crowded as there were nine people living there.

Jean stayed home to raise the seven children. The family relied on Marvin's salary from the dairy and there were few extras.
Vacations were when her sister Peggy, Margaret, would drive from Coldlake and bring Jean and the kids back. The children would always get car sick since they rarely spent any time in cars. In the early years transportation for the family was bus, bike or walk.
Jean was a Brownie and Guide leader with her daughters for many years. The house would be full of cookies during Guide Cookie sales.
Jean was a Catholic and all the children were baptised and the family attend the local church, St. Alphonsus. There were problems within the church and Jean stopped attending. Later Jean and Marvin tried other churches finally attending an Angican church.
1969 the family got their first car. And summer vacations were spent camping in tents. Later a tent trailer was purchased and longer trips were made. Once to London Ontario to visit Dot (Dorothy) and Bill. Dot's first husband was Bernard Severinsen, marvin's brother.
Jean and Marvin would travel to Minnesota and Saskatchewan to visit Schmalzbauer aunts, uncles and cousins. Jean's father Frank lived with the family in the early 1970's. Frank was recovering from colon cancer. Jean's Uncle Louis lived close to the family and would come over for meals.

There were many challenges. Dorothy, their second child, starting have seizures when she was young. It turned out she had epilepsy. It took many years before the doctors finally found a medication that would help stop the seizures. Dorothy had brain damage from some of the more severe seizures. Jean went back to work when Gord, the youngest, started school. She worked for a local pharmacy. Later she got a job as a clerk for the Bank of Montreal. Finally she worked for the City of Edmonton.

Jean's daughter Dianne, the third child, died from colon cancer when she was 27. This was a terrible time for Jean. She had said it wasn't right that a child should die before the parent. Dianne had two children, Charmaine and Jocelyn, Jean loved the grandchildren and spent a lot of time visiting and caring for them. Jean and Marvin spent a lot of time visiting their children and grandchildren. Marvin loved driving so they were on the road for many days of the year driving to Calgary, Victoria and Coldlake to visit Colleen and Vic.

Jean and Marvin loved golfing and during the summer would golf three times a week. They would take their grandchildren golfing. They loved to golf but never kept score. They just loved being outside. Jean and Tony also spent time gambing in casinos. Jean would set a $20 limit. If she lost $20, she quit. If she won $20, she quit. One of Jean and Marvin's saying was that ther were spending their children's inheritance. There had been a falling out with Jean and her sister, Mildred, over their father's inheritance. Mildred had kept his house, which was the majority of the estate. Jean never forgave Mildred. Jean did not want a similar thing to happen after she died.

When Jean was in her sixties she fell on ice and broke her ankle while walking the dog. She had to drag herself down the back alley until Marvin came to find her. Jean was worried about Marvin after he retired. Marvin had a heart by-pass. Marvin was fine after. Jean was the one that ended up having a stoke. She had problems communicating for a while. She said she knew what she wanted to say but the worng words would come out.

Jean loved to spend time at the ocean. She had never seen the Ocean until Brian and Deb moved to Victoria. Jean loved to visit Victoria. She loved to visit Brian, Deb and her four grandchildren.

Jean ended up having idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis which is hardening of the lung tissue. There was no cure. She was on oxygen and lived for less than two years.