Marg Reichert

Marg has lived her whole life in the Similkameen Area. She was born and educated in Princeton, B.C. Her parents, the Anderson's had a farm. They raised cattle, chickens and pigs. Marg belonged to the local 4H club and excelled in school sports. She had 5 brothers and sisters.

Marg met her husband Ed when she was working at a service station in Princeton. At this time Ed was working in the Tie Mill at Manning Siding (now part of the Mullin Ranch). A common Friday night entertainment for Marg was joining a group of girlfriends who piled into a car for the drive to their boyfriend's camp where they made dinner for the guys.

Ed and Marg were married in Princeton and in 1961 they moved to Tulameen. And as Marg said in those days there were very few permanent residents and most of the people who had cabins only came to Tulameen between Easter and Thanksgiving. Now about 85% of the cabins are used year round and there are many large, new and beautiful homes.

Marg and Ed have three sons, Tom, Bob and Bill. They are all respected business people who live in Tulameen. When Tom was a baby it was discovered that he had an enlarged heart. The surgery and care meant a three month stay in Vancouver and huge medical bills and other expenses. The Tulameen Community Club put on a benefit to help the Reicherts with the medical bill, which Marg said was a lot of money in those days! After that act of community kindness and generosity Marg decided to become actively involved in the Tulameen Community Club.

And so she did and still does!

Marg has been president of the Tulameen Community Club for over 10 years. She presides over the monthly meetings in a friendly manner with ease, competence, intelligence and a natural flare.

Marg was a Tulameen School Representative for five years and even did some substitute teaching. She said it never failed she would be starting to make her bread but have to put it on hold when the call came for her to teach in Coalmont or Tulameen.

True to her nature of trying to do every thing, Marg has also taken on the task and duties of maintaining and restoring the Tulameen Cemetery. She said she did this because one day she went up there alone and "saw it was such a mess". She approached the Regional District and got a yearly allotment of $250 for restoration monies for the Tulameen Cemetery. When needed she puts together a work party that spends a day cleaning, fixing, repairing and beautifying the grave site.

As if she does not give and do enough Marg is also a volunteer member of the local fire department. She was the first female fire fighter to volunteer in the area.

Marg is also a member of the APC Committee for the Regional Advisory Board for our area which meets regarding land development in the area.

But raising a family and doing volunteer work for the community was not all Marg was doing. Marg and her husband have a very successful skidoo business on the edge of Tulameen. They were nominated and won the Canadian Skidoo Business of the Year designation in 1997. The Reicherts have also won the BC Skidoo Dealer Leadership Award 8 times. A recent visitor to Vermillion Lodge who is a Yamaha Executive said the industry has great respect for the Reicherts.

This business began partime in their home. Marg was raising their family and Ed was still working at the mine as a welder. She still remembers the day that she and Ed decided that the business was going to be full time. With the last pay cheque Ed was to receive from Similco Mines, Marg bought cases of tinned good and lots of extra groceries to supplement her canning and garden, "so they would not starve while the business was growing". She did not have to worry the business was an immediate success.

Besides being a full time business woman and volunteer in the community, Marg spends time with her family and in particular her grandchildren. Our interview was nicely interrupted because her granddaughter Frankie came in to say hello to her Grandmother. Frankie's cheeks were still red and her eyes very bright. Do you know why? When the lake is frozen she bundles up at home and rides her skidoo free style to her grandparents shop to catch the school bus. And then at the end of the school day Frankie gets off the school bus, dons her warm clothing at the Reichert's Skidoo Shop and drives home across the lake.

I was very envious to hear of the wonderful tradition of the Reichert's getting together with family and friends to pick Huckleberries and search for mushrooms.

Marg told me she looks back to her childhood and realizes how much she did and even though there were 6 brothers and sisters she used to think, "how come it is always me doing the most work?" Well Marg things have not changed, look at what you are doing today as a business woman, wife, mother and grandmother as well as keeping your commitment you made a long time ago to volunteer time for and give back to the community of Tulameen.

Elizabeth Flett