Alcide Lajimodere was a proud native American veteran of W.W.II.
I was told recently that he was listed as a POW,veteran of foreign war and a long time a member of the Belcourt American Legion.
One of my former college classmates,a direct decedent of Ben Lajimodere. Denise Lajimodere told me over 35 years ago that Alcide was a cousin to her dad. Alcide was the uncle of Toosie Poitra Delorme, mom of Carol Ann (Parisien) Lavalle. Tootsie’s mother who was married to Ralph Poitra died when Tootsie was 5 years old, Tootsie was then sent to a mission boarding school as were her siblings. Alcide and Mrs. Poitra also had two brothers, Ovide and Francis. I don’t know if there were other siblings.
Alcide’s parents were friends of my grandparents, William and Rose Metcalfe. My dad, Cliff told me that the couples, visited frequently back and forth as neighbors. Out of respect, dad always referred to them as Mr. and Mrs. Lajimodere. He told stories of riding in the wagon box along with his parents to visit the Lajimodere family where he played with Francis. Francis who was about my dads age, called my dad from Grafton ND, every New Years Eve, the last few years dad lived
Alcide lived at various places.
Among the various seasons of farm work in the Turtle Mountains: Harvesting of trees for firewood usually in the winter when a fallen tree would be rolled up on a sled and pulled out by a team of horses brought into the home yard and piled. Calving and lambing season,Fencing season came as soon as the ground thawed in the spring, Castrating and dehorning season. Sheep shearing season. Planting crops season. Cultivating and summer fallowing season which included rock picking. Cleaning the calf pens season. Haying season. Fence post sharpening season. Sawing up the dried logs. Putting up and hauling hay. Wood splitting season. Harvesting. Among many jobs dad hired help for.
When we were youngsters our dad Cliff hired men seasonally. When we were adolescents I along with my sisters, Nancy and Cyndy became the hired men.
Many of the men dad hired worked in their areas of expertise. As I recall, all had the utmost respect of both mom and dad. Mom cooked 3 square meals a day and also served lunches. She felt that working men needed hot meals. She also found out their favorite meals and made a habit of cooking one of their favorite meals for them. Alcide’s favorite meal he’d ask for was Mom’s Chop Suey.
When the time came to pay to pay a hired man, Dad would always always say, “How much do we owe you” Then he’d say, “Get the checkbook Lottie” and tell her to write the check for more,usually saying to the hired man, “You’re worth more.”
My sister Nancy and I have fond memories of Alcide Lajimodere beginning when we when we were small small children living in the house with no plumbing. But when working for dad he usually fenced, sharpened fence posts or hayed. And he’d stay for maybe a week at a time.
Alcide was undoubtedly a very homely man.
Dad would say to us Alcide Lajimodere is as “homely” as his sister the first Mrs. Ralph Poitra was beautiful. WOW! We girls thought ….”She really must have been a beauty!” Dad also said Alcide was kind,honest,trustworthy, a hard worker and a story teller. We were not to be frightened of him but treat him with respect. And we did because we never heard him speak disrespectfully or swear.
Alcide was of medium dark complexion with native American features. He was tall and rangy thin, wearing clean blue chambray work shirts and denim blue work pants and his straight black hair was always trimmed. He didn’t have hardly any facial hair. When he cleaned up before meals he’d always wash up, then look at himself in the mirror combing his hair he’s say something like, ” um hum, What a handsome man”. We girls eyed him with wonder, WOW! He really believes that?”