Isfeld Family
of Winnipeg Beach
Einar Pálsson & Grace
Isfeld
Raymond, Terry, Grace, Einar, and Lillian in Sept. 1970
Einar still had farming in his blood. He bought himself a quarter section and had a few cattle and hayland. He also had some cattle at his home on Park Ave, in Wpg. Beach one winter. He had a good sense on humour, and on that Christmas commented, that if you got out to the barn at midnight on Christmas Eve, you would see the cows on their knees. Well, we’ll never know for sure.
Einar and Grace were very hospitable people and as a child, I remember many people coming over to the house for a variety of reasons from getting their violins tuned to getting carpentry repairs for summer residents to buying fish at the fish market on 70 Park Ave.
Down the street was Oli, his brother, and on the other end was Fusi, another brother. Over a couple of streets on Spruce was Evie, and downtown was Gestur. All the brothers had their own fish markets. They would come to each other’s houses and discuss their catches and I remember listening to them talk in Icelandic so no one else would know what they were saying.
Einar had a collection of ghost stories which he told many times over. One that I can recall is the story of him waking up in the middle of the night and seeing a soldier’s reflection in the mirror. The soldier turned and looked away and then he was gone. Some of the stories told were so terrifying, I still have trouble being alone in my house at night. I remember as a child, sweating under the covers after listening to ghost stories. (Terry)
Einar came from a family of 12, three daughters and nine sons. Einar and Grace’s own family consisted of four children.
Robert, their first born had died as an infant shortly after birth.
Lillian Clavir, their second child, lives in St. Catherines, Ontario. Her children are, Rick, along with his sons Eric and Evan, Pam Easson along with her children Sharyn, Keith, and Michael, also of Ontario, and James, along with wife Tara, reside in British Columbia.
Their third child is Raymond, along with wife Mary, of Winnipeg Beach and their six children Randy, wife Joanne, and three children Brendan, Alyssa, and Kaitlyn; Darrel and Grace Sinclair and their children Nicole and Corinne; Cheri and Garth Reimer and their child, Brooks; Tammy and Rick Keller, all of Winnipeg; Andy and Cheryl Lahaie and their children, Emily and Mani of Winnipeg Beach; and youngest son, Warren Lahaie, also of Winnipeg.
Their fourth child Terry, husband Brent Matechuk, who also live in Winnipeg Beach. They have four children; Wendy, Trudy, Brenleigh and Alex Matechuk of Winnipeg and Winnipeg Beach.