LAC LA BICHE - It isn’t every day that people celebrate five generations on both sides of their family, so this summer’s family gathering for Lac La Biche's Armand and Laurel Plamondon was an event that was literally generations in the making.
Laurel, whose family name is Keck, is originally from the Elk Point area, while Armand, who is the descendent of settlers who came to the Plamondon area in the early 1900s. He grew up in Fort McMurray. The couple met in Fort McMurray and are now retired and living in the Lac La Biche area.
Over the years, their growing family has formed links to several communities across northern Alberta
The inspiration to host a gathering to mark five generations of both the Plamondon and Keck families, Armand said, came two years ago when the couple’s granddaughter who lives in Fort McMurray, gave birth to a baby girl.
“When our granddaughter had a baby girl called Evangeline, the gears started flying around in my head saying wow, that baby makes my side of the family five generations and makes my wife’s family five generations because both of us have living mothers,” Plamondon told Lakeland This Week.
Those great-great grandmothers – Theresa Plamondon, who is 87 and Henrietta (Keck) Ready who is 84 both live in Edmonton, and both were at the recent five-generation family gathering that was held in Fort McMurray. Armand said Fort McMurray was where the five-generations got their start, so it made sense to host the gathering there.
Armand said people in attendance at the gathering included family, friends, and Regional Municipality of Fort McMurray Mayor Sandy Bowman. The mayor also presented certificates of recognition to Armand and Laurel’s mothers.
Armand says the ability to celebrate five generations – on two family fronts – is something few people get the privilege to do. He estimates that only one in 10,000 families have had a similar opportunity, and he realizes that his family is fortunate to be in that small percentage. Reaching this milestone, he continued, was not only an opportunity to have a fun family gathering, but it was also a way to be truly thankful for the time families get to spend together.
