Alex Currie

Alexander Clapperton "Alex" Currie (1889 or 1890 - 6 September 1964) was a Canadian Pacific Railway station agent [1] for 41 years until his early retirement due to health issues in 1948.

Beginnings

Currie's parents, John Currie and Mary Riddell, immigrated from Selkirk, Scotland in 1883 to the wool mill town of Almonte, Ontario, Canada [2] which is close to Ottawa, Ontario. Alex was born in Almonte.

All his siblings joined their father in working for the wool industry. However, Currie had a different ambition. Taking a job with the railways at age 17, his job took him far from the mill town of his youth to many small towns across Ontario and Manitoba. In Port Arthur, Ontario, he married Annie Snook on 3 June 1914, 6 years after starting with the CPR.

Marriage and family

Currie's six children

With his wife he had three sons: Jack, Neill, Clyde, and three daughters: Flora (Heylar), Marian (Gillis), and Norma. Norma died at age 6, of diphtheria [3]. Despite the lack of family planning technology available at the time, all their children were born two years apart and most in June.

Four of his six children had issue, and all four had three children, for a total of twelve grandchildren. In 2009, Jack, his last living child, died.

The Currie name continues through Clyde's son Allan and through Jack's eldest two sons Bill and Doug, both of whom had male children and male grandchildren.

Alex's sons: Clyde, Neill, and Jack, 1942, Selkirk Park, Manitoba

Death

On 3 June 1964, he celebrated with his wife their 50th wedding anniversary. On the very same day, his son Jack celebrated with his wife Lucy their 25th wedding anniversary.

Just 95 days later, on 6 September 1964, Currie died at age 74. His death was caused by a sudden and unexpected stroke (according to Marilyn Hermiston).

His final address was 671 Oakenwald Avenue, Fort Garry, Manitoba. [4]

Obituary

Sources

Winnipeg Free Press, 8 September 1964.