More Than History
Stories of Helena Petrov Thiessen (1909-1996) and Peter Aron Reimer (1903-1958)
by Victor Reimer

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Yes, this is family history! It is an immigrant story. It includes significant scholastic research. It situates the personal and family narrative within the broader political, economic, and social context of the 1920s and the subsequent decades. There are letters by the mother, the father, a son, and a daughter. There is a diary. There are love letters. An interview with the mother injects a personal and poignant memoir. The author's research and recollections convey a tone of affection. Idiosyncratic details add sparkle.

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This is a ruminative history about two young people struggling to adapt to Canada in Saskatoon beginning in 1924. Threads in the story are work, love, the Depression, marriage, children, and scholars' academic analysis of the period. Their hopes and struggles are continuous.

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Born and raised in rural and urban Saskatoon, Victor Reimer has lived and worked in Medicine Hat, Winnipeg, Rosthern, Saskatchewan; Mussoorie, India; Newton, Kansas; and Toronto, Ontario. He taught physics and mathematics. He has been an editor and writer. He has done solar design (MSc.). He and Mary, who have been married for 65 years, have two daughters. Now retired, they are on the Grand River in rural Fergus, Ontario. Vic has done house renovations throughout his life. And he creates furniture and art objects.

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Contributors

Author

Victor Reimer

Illustrator

Abhilasha Dewan