There are some people who have lived in Cochrane all of their lives and plan to stay in Cochrane until their time is up. Leona Toner is one of these distinctive Cochranites.
Her father, Robert (Scottie) Hamilton Patterson, was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1909 and came to Canada when he was a young man. He served in the Canadian Navy during the Second World War. When he first came to Cochrane he worked for the Edge family; managed the Cochrane Hotel and ran the Locker Plant where people used to rent freezer space for their perishable food. Just For You Flowers and More is located there now.
Scottie married Ellen Brown in 1940 and they had three children: Donald, Murray and Pat. After Ellen died in a car accident, Scottie married Virginia Kells from Hardisty, Alta., who was working at the Range Grill Café, owned by her brother Norman and sister-in-law Laura (which is now Tim’s Pizza). Scottie and Virginia had two children: Robert (Bob), born in 1954, and Leona, born in 1959. Leona’s relative, Pat, also worked at the Range Grill and when Leona grew up, she too chose to work there for a period of seven years. The Range Grill Café was all in the family, it seems.
Leona loved the restaurant business: even worked as a camp cook up north at Rainbow Lake for a year and spent some time at the Cochrane Café before her serious career began at the Big Hill Lodge in Cochrane in 1987. She was first a housekeeper, then a shift worker and finally a cook. What an amazing career it’s been for Leona. She has been there for 28 years and has been head cook for a number of them.
It was the same year (1987) that Leona married James Toner, who was a mechanic, specializing in servicing ice rink equipment. It was strange that Leona had known James’ mother all her life, but it took his niece to finally introduce them to each other. He was a well-liked guy by everyone who knew him. James suddenly passed away this year after his battle with cancer May 7 at the age of 54.
Leona’s first child, Blair, is also deceased. Their two adult children, Charlotte, 23, and James Jr., 20, and grandson Quinten are still living at home.
Leona’s parents built the house she lives in now. Her father had purchased the land from Andy Sharp sometime around 1954. Leona speaks of happier times: “In 1999, James and I decided to buy the house I grew up in. Five kids were raised here, including my own and now my grandson lives here too.”
Her future plans are firm, as she explains, “When it’s time for me to go to Big Hill Lodge, I’ll just pack my bag, move across the street and the kids can have the house – dust and all.”
Leona’s experience at the lodge has been a very positive one and she describes the people as becoming her second family.
“I’ve known a lot of old timers in the lodge: my Grade 4 teacher, Helen Scott; my mom, Virginia, lived here; and so did my aunt, Laura Kells. In the last 28 years I’ve met so many wonderful people, both staff and residents. I plan to continue working here another 10 years.”
