Effie Madeleine (Maddie) Becks
At 104 years young, Maddie is a bright, kind, and charming lady who is living happily at the Manitoulin Centennial Manor in Little Current. “I am well-cared for here, by the staff and my family. At my age, I can’t manage alone.” Maddie is a member of the well-known Wagg family that was central to the Mindemoya business community. Their creamery and store provided many essential requirements to the area, ranging from dairy products to clothing and bulk farm items. Her father, A.J. and mother Effie (Herron) Wagg started Wagg’s Limited, including the central store bought from his father, the post-office, two farms and a creamery in Mindemoya. Maddie and her siblings worked for their father as teens. In later years she and her sister Marion, along with their husbands, ran the businesses. Wagg’s Corner was a popular gathering place for the community of Mindemoya and the surrounding area.
“Tom and Susan Wagg emigrated from England to Canada in the 1840s. His son Frank was the first born in Canada. Frank and his wife Elizabeth Ann Cook farmed in the Goodwood, Ontario area before moving to Manitoulin and farming in Mindemoya, where the Nelder farm and cemetery are located on Ketchankookem Road today. Frank became the first Reeve and Postmaster for Mindemoya. He outlived three of his four wives. Their son was A.J. Wagg, Maddie’s father. Maddie was born on Manitoulin on December the 8th, 1920 to A.J. and Effie Wagg. “We were not sure where our father met our mother, but we think it was in southern Ontario. At that time, the ladies in the community helped each other when babies were born. “My mother wanted my initials to be the same as hers, so I was called Effie Madeline. There were six of us, Helen, Marion, Gladys, me, and Alma Jean, the youngest. I had one brother Doug.”
“My father A.J. Wagg was busy running his two businesses and the farm. A. J. had learned the art of butter and cheese making at the University of Guelph. He had packed his clothes in an old suitcase and arrived at the train to Guelph by horse and wagon. His father was not in agreement about this educational pursuit and did not pay the tuition so A.J. had to work for his education. He did get $100 from his mother but he also had to get up at 4 AM in the morning to milk cows and clean barns at the college. “He graduated successfully in 1900 and a big celebration was held. Now, he had the knowledge he needed to prosper in his agricultural pursuits.”
“He built the creamery in 1901, close to Wagg’s Store which had been started by his Father. A.J. would issue cream cheques to each farmer and then sell butter, milk, eggs, ice cream, meat, clothing, sporting goods, footwear and hardware at the Mindemoya store. He also introduced a herd of pure-bred Ayrshire cattle, in a ‘tuberculosis-free’ area. He raised Yorkshire hogs on another farm. Wagg’s Ltd consisted of the store, the creamery, and a new warehouse for bulk items like flour and animal feed. He also had two farms, and several trucks, employing about 35 people.” In 1931, the creamery burned down and was rebuilt.”
“A.J. was a strong community member. He was a school trustee, joined the Chamber of Commerce, the hospital board, and he helped to get the first bank (Montreal) in Mindemoya. Getting the railway bridge and hydro to the island were also part of his agenda. Mother was busy looking after us and helping dad when she could. For the Royal Winter Fair, each year, she created beautiful butter sculptures. Dad’s significant contributions were later recognized. On June 8, 1986, A.J. was posthumously inducted into the Agricultural Hall of Fame in Milton, Ontario.”
“I remember my younger sister Alma Jean and I would get onto the wagons that stopped at the store for groceries. After the families finished shopping, we liked to ride back with them towards their homes. We would always meet another buggy coming to the store and they would let us hitch a ride on their buggy and return to the store. This could happen several times a day. We didn’t have toys, so this was good, safe entertainment for both of us.”
Mike Erskine’s article, dated December 23, 2020, includes this excerpt from Maddie, “People think my nickname comes from my name, but it’s really spelled Mattie, not Maddie, even though lots of people call me that now. It has nothing to with Madeline,” she explained. “My name is Effie Madeleine, but my nickname comes from Matthew, not Madeline. Every member of the Wagg family took turns reciting the daily Bible reading. “I was fifth in a family of six,” she recalled. When it came to Ms. Becks’ turn, still very young and just learning to read, she began hesitantly…’Matt-hew.’ “My brother laughed and laughed; from that day forward, I was Mattie.”
“We went to school in Mindemoya, but I never really liked school. I had the brains but not the ‘get up and go.’ As a teen, I worked in the store, as did my siblings. I wrapped butter in the creamery and helped with the customers in the store. I met my husband Doug Becks when I was 18. He was visiting his Tracy grandparents’ farm just outside of Mindemoya. He was also working in the mines in Timmins, but he wanted to go to university and become an engineer and he did become an engineer. By 1938, I was living in Toronto when we decided to marry. We were wed in Sudbury, halfway, between North Bay and Manitoulin, to make it easier for the Manitoulin visitors. Dad arranged the wedding as he was a great organizer, and he knew the minister. He was the Sunday School Superintendent of our Mindemoya (now Trinity United Church for over 30 years.“
“After the wedding, it was back to business for everyone. There were no honeymoons back then. We lived in Timmins for a brief time and Doug worked in the mines until he enrolled at the University of Toronto to take engineering. We lived in an apartment just north of Bloor Street and we often had visitors. There would be a regular knock on the door and we would have a family member or friend arrive just in time for supper. It’s a good thing I knew how to cook. It was always a mystery about who would arrive next to stay for a night or two in our extra bedroom. If it were one of my sisters, they would often arrive first, and their husbands would join them later.”
“At the end of the Second World War our family got some very bad news. My older brother Doug was killed in Holland, one day after the war had ended. He stepped on a land mine in a Dutch field they were trying to clear out, after the violence had ended. My brother Doug had been hoping to get back to Manitoulin to help run the dairy and the store. His death was extremely hard on our father. Dad couldn’t run the business by himself anymore, so he asked his daughters to come back to the Island and help.” Marion and Duff Brown worked with Maddie and her husband Doug to run the Wagg businesses.
Over time, Doug and Maddie Becks had four children, Gail, Ron, Jack, and Greg “We had a house in Mindemoya across from the bank until our kids had grown.” Then they moved to a house, designed by Doug, on Big Lake. When Duff and Marion died in a horrific plane crash in March 1979, Maddie and Doug decided to sell the businesses. The sold the dairy business to the Farquhars in 1981. It was the end of a long and successful era. Doug started his teaching career at Manitoulin Secondary School. “We did do a bit of travelling. One year, we travelled to Holland to see brother Doug’s grave and we paid our respects. The couple we stayed with in Holland came to see us as well. When they arrived at our home, they asked if we could take them to both Canadian coasts. We explained that the size of Canada made that wish exceedingly difficult, so we took them to Niagara Falls instead, and they had an enjoyable time.”
In 1990, Maddie and Doug moved from Big Lake to the Sparrow’s Nest apartment complex in Mindemoya. Son Ron’s farm was right beside the apartment building. The couple would visit Maddie’s mum in Florida annually until COVID hit. In Florida, Maddie would get a water pistol, sit strategically close to the bird feeder and blast water at the squirrels if they chose to visit when the cardinals appeared.
Sadly, Maddie’s husband Doug died in 2011, but she stayed in the Sparrow’s Nest for another nine years after he died. In the late 1990’s, the Wagg’s Woods, earlier left to Alma Jean and Maddie, was passed to the local community. It became a park area featuring local vegetation and wildlife and is named Wagg’s Woods Park. Maddie and her sister were allowed to walk there but not touch the fossils or rocks. “Look but don’t touch’ they were told. Grandmother Maddie, daughter Gail and granddaughter Diane were at the opening of a new entrance two years ago. The park now includes an accessibility trail and an upper trail.
For Maddie’s 100th birthday, the staff of the Manitoulin Central Family Health Team had made up a big banner to celebrate this special birthday. They brought the banner over to the parking lot of the Sparrow’s Nest and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to her as she stood on her deck above them. Granddaughter Diane also brought Maddie to the parking lot at the United Church and set her up in her van. Then visitors could bring their birthday wishes to her as she sat safely in the van. A lengthy line of cars brought their best wishes to her from the drive-through at the church. Maddie’s daughter Gail directed traffic. This was the time of COVID isolation.
One day, Maddie decided it was time for her to move to the Centennial Manor, so she asked her daughter Gail to take home her valued possessions. Maddie then called the Manor to say she would be arriving shortly. She had started to pack her suitcase when she fell and broke her hip. She was 102 years old. She spent six weeks in the local hospital before she moved into the Manor. She recovered nicely. “Here it’s faster to get pills for the pain if I need them. When I was living alone this was harder. This is the right place for me now.” These days, a walker helps Maddie get around. “Living at the Manor has been rewarding. We had an outing to a local lake where we fished off a dock. I go out on all bus tours, three or four of us often sit together in the sunroom. We have exercises daily. I also see my friends every day and that’s always rewarding.”
Were you named after anyone?
My mother. We share the same initials. The name Madeleine came from a ship that they had seen.”
Any fond memories?
“Swimming with my sister in Lake Mindemoya. The two of us would hold mother’s hands and walk together into the lake near the dock, laughing and ‘tittering’ all the way as we got accustomed to the cool water. I have gone into that lake yearly up until my 100th birthday.”
Any memories from your school years?
“We were four girls, and we would often be chatting somewhere in the yard. I remember playing with a skipping rope and playing softball. We would visit other communities and play with their teams. We won in Gore Bay once, and that was hard to do. Gore Bay had a skillful team. I liked pitching the ball. In high school, I was part of the Nature Club and that was fun, but again, school was never my favourite place. I seemed to have the skills needed, but not the incentive to succeed.”
Your first hourly wage?
“I don’t recall, but it was likely babysitting for Margaret Love or Francis King. I recall Margaret’s son coming to the Manor with his band and playing music for us. I recognized his face and chatted with him briefly.”
Any memories of your dad’s work?
“I worked for him as a teen. I also knew that he had one of the first cars on the Island. We all learned to drive in his car. During the war years, dad’s friends from Timmins or Toronto would visit us in Toronto.”
“Any other events you recall from that time?”
“We grew up during the depression and the war years, so it was a challenging time when people overseas died. Also, wartime made getting needed items a bit more challenging, so we had to make do with what we had. On the positive side, I remember Pippi (my sister Gladys) who was a high-school teacher here. She never married but she had a cottage on Lake Mindemoya where my sister and I could fish from a boat. I also recall visiting Treasure Island. You had to ring the bell on the mainland to get their attention on the island. If that failed, you were asked to fire a gun into the air.”
Favourite pets?
“A dog named ‘Briar,’ a Springer Spaniel. He was brown and white. We also had a cat named ‘Lovee.’ Someone had left her by our gate at Big Lake and we decided to adopt her. I would be sitting comfortably and knitting when she would insist on sitting on my lap. When I gave her a firm ‘No’ she would head to Doug who would let her sit on his lap. I also used to buy sheep wool from the farmers, wash it, dye it, card it, and spin it on my spinning wheel to make sweaters and scarves. I made quilts too and hooked rugs. One year one of my rugs was included in the Sheguiandah Art Show.”
What did you enjoy most as a parent?
“I read stories to them at night, but I also recall mounds of diapers that had to be washed,” she added, smiling. “I enjoyed watching them grow up and we often encouraged the importance of school.”
Any holiday memories?
“We always had a Christmas tree. I used to hook small rugs for ornaments and make small knit mittens in the shape of a sheep or cow for the tree.”
Communication by phone?
“Yes, we had a party line. I don’t remember the pattern, i.e. two short and one long, for instance, but that ring lasted well into the 1970’s. Neighbours could listen in. I recall my mother helping the neighbours track someone going along the road. She would let them know their progress from her position, ‘they just passed the gate.’ We have a photo of her helping someone with this task.”
Do you recall any memories from your grandparents?
“Doug made clocks for each family. Granddaughter Diane has Maddie’s.”
Any sports you participated in?
“Curling. There was a curling club in Mindemoya and Aunt Gladys was also involved. Curling was fun.”
Any television shows you like?
“Curling occasionally. I have a television here at the Manor, but I have trouble getting it on and off, so I don’t usually watch it.”
What are you most afraid of?”
“Nothing, all my needs are met here.”
Any regrets?
“I should have gone to university, but hindsight is 100 percent.”
What are your strengths?
“Making things out of wool, cooking, baking, caring for a big garden and playing bridge with friends. We used to visit each other’s homes, play bridge, and enjoy tasty snacks. One lady lived on Barrie Island, and we played at her house too, even during the pandemic, if we were all well.”
Anything you still want to do?
“No. I recall the last time Doug and I crossed the bridge to Manitoulin. He said, ‘If we never cross this bridge again, that would be just fine with me.’”
First impression of Doug when you met him?
“He was a special person. There was an instant attraction for both of us, I found out later.”
Any associations you were involved with?
“I was very active in the United Church in Mindemoya. We were often asked to cook meals, make sandwiches and bake pies. We held rummage sales every year and held auctions. Our United Church Women raised money for our hospital.”
Were you part of the hunting world?
“Hunting is popular here and Doug and our sons hunted deer. One time, three of us, all ladies, walked into the bush with a ‘410’ shotgun. We never saw a deer.”
What are you most proud of?
“My family, my dad and mom, dad for his business prowess and being a good dad. Mom for going to college and working for lawyers in Toronto as a legal secretary before moving to the island. I am also proud of our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. They were and are all good kids.”
What do you feel will still be here 100 years from now?
“I hope Wagg’s Woods Park will still be here then, including the benches.”
Do you have a recipe for happiness?
“Don’t be selfish, respect each other, and really look at one another for a deeper understanding. If there are barriers, keep moving, keep active, enjoy outings and be well.”
Maddie’s children were successful. Ron invested his time in Environmental Science here on Manitoulin and taught at Manitoulin Secondary School with his father, Doug. Gail was a registrar at the University of Regina. She also spent 10 years teaching in the United Arab Emirates. Maddie and Doug took two planes to get there and visited her for a month. Both Ron and Gail were teachers. Jack was a dentist in Sudbury and in Alberta before coming back to the Island. Greg is a doctor in Owen Sound. Maddie now has seven grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.
“There is also an A.J. Wagg exhibit at the Mindemoya Information Center. It has been up for some time and can still be enjoyed,” Maddie reminds us, “I have always loved the Island. Manitoulin has continually been a special place. Everybody helps everyone else here. It’s such a wonderful, quiet area with lots of birds, trees, and water. We used to participate in the bird count each year and we always had a bird feeder hanging outside. There are lots of partridges, cardinals, blue jays, chickadees, and nuthatches and many others. Some partridges used to live under a nearby spruce tree. When I had to leave my apartment in Mindemoya, I only wanted to stay here on the Island, and I’m happy here at the Manor. I don’t know of any other place that comes close to our special Manitoulin Island.”
