Clement John Peltier and Vivian Harriet Hansen (Part 2 of 2)
After their marriage, Clem and Vivian made their home on the Peltier family farm.
The 1940 U.S. census enumerates 3 generations of family living at the Koehler Road property.24 The information, which was provided by Celestine, lists Celestine, Frances, Avis, Clem, Vivian and Ronald D. (Clem and Vivian’s firstborn); they all live in the main house with Celestine shown as head of household. Avis and Vivian are doing housekeeping on the farm. Frances’ occupation is “cripple.” The original home is occupied by 70 year old Joseph Olivier Derosier, Celestine’s brother and 78 year old Leon Onesime Peliter, Celestine’s brother-in-law. Clem’s occupation is WPA tool checker at the Tool Shack and he has another form of income, shown by the yes at the end of his record, which I assume is farming produce for the Farmer’s Market in St. Paul.
Avis, Clem and Vivian are shown as having an 8th grade education, Celestine and her brother Joseph a 4th grade education and brother-in-law Leon a 5th grade education. Frances never attended school.
Clem and Vivian’s son, Ronald Clement Peter (Ron) Peltier, my first cousin once removed, was born on April 29, 1940.25 Clem was 27 years old and Vivian was 25 years old.
On May 12, 1940, Ron was baptized at St. John’s Church in Little Canada by Father Leon L. Klein. The record shows that his godparents are Clem’s brother Cleveland and his wife Mabel.26
Ron’s marriage record is also recorded here, even though he was married at St. Mary’s Church in White Bear Lake.
On August 16, 1941, about 15 months after Ron’s birth, Vivian and Clem welcomed a girl, JoAnn Carol, also my first cousin once removed.27 JoAnn was born at Anker Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota.
JoAnn was baptized on August 31, 1941, by Monsignor Arthur H. Durand, at St. John’s Church in Little Canada.28 Her godparents are listed as Adlore and Ellen Vadnais, my grandparents.
Both Ron and JoAnn were born during uncertain and tumultuous times. On September 1, 1939, 8 months before Ron’s birth, WWII started when the Germans invaded Poland and the day Ron was born, King Hakkon of Norway were evacuated along with his government and the Norwegian gold reserves. On August 27, 1941, just four days before JoAnn’s birth, the draft registration was extended from one year to thirty months and less than 4 months after JoAnn’s birth the United States entered the war.29
Clem registered for the WWII draft on October 16, 1940.30 He not only had a 5 month old son and his wife to support, but more than likely he was the main provider for most of the others on the farm including his mother, his sisters and uncles. He would not be drafted to serve, probably because of his being the sole supporter for the family.
Yes, that is a pipe in Ron’s mouth. You’ll see it again in the next picture. I had never given it any thought, but maybe some kids have blankies and others have pipes.
The original Peltier homestead is showing in the background.
According to Clem’s daughter JoAnn, while she and Ron were growing up Clem worked a portion of the farm. Then on the weekends he would transport his harvest of seasonal vegetables to the farmer’s market in St. Paul where he, along with many others, would sell their produce.
With the mobility automobiles provided, Suburbia grew, which led to shopping centers that provided the convenience of supermarkets. As a result, traffic at the farmer’s market diminished and by 1954 the site became a parking lot with a limited number of hours dedicated to the farmer’s market.31
By the 1950s, Clem was working for a transfer company called Frank L. Peterson and Son.32 The job varied from delivering coal to moving households. For a period of time, both he and his brother Roy worked at the company. Clem supplemented his income by continuing to sell produce on the side.
Koehler Road can be seen off to the right and a small portion of the original homestead can be seen on the left.
In 1950 Clem, Vivian, Ron and JoAnn moved into their newly built home at 453 Koehler Road. The house was built on a portion of the Peltier family land directly east of the original Peltier homestead.
Ron is standing with his aunt and uncle, Mabel and Cleve Peltier, who are also his godparents.
On September 26, 1954, Vivian gave birth to Christine Marie.33 Vivian was 37 years old and Clem was 41 years old. Christine was welcomed by her 14 year old brother Ron and 13 year old sister JoAnn. Sadly, Christine was born with a hole in her heart, a medical problem that doctors did not yet know how to repair. She would always be fragile, something her family guarded.
Christine was baptized on November 14, 1954 by Monsignor Arthur H. Durand at St. John’s Church in Little Canada. Her godparents were her first cousin Vera and her husband Kennard Lundeen.34
The barn in the background burned down in 1963.
In the mid 1950s, Clem went to work for his brother-in-law, Adlore Vadnais, at White Bear Oil Company in White Bear Lake and for a period of time Clem’s son Ron also worked at the company.35, 36 White Bear Oil would be Clems last employer.
What caught my attention in this picture is how much Clem and Christine shared the same profile: the shape of their faces, their noses and how both of them had the same wonderful smile. I was told that Clem was always happy.
On February 14, 1961, Christine was given a chance at living a fuller life when Dr. C. Walter Lillehie, an American surgeon who pioneered open-heart surgery, performed surgery on Christine placing a patch on her heart.37
Sometime in 1962-1963 Clem was diagnosed with cancer in his right lung.38
Christine’s family had lovingly taken care of her until her passing away on December 23, 1963 at 9 years 2 months and 28 days old.39
On Thursday, December 26, 1963, Monsignor Arthur H. Durand presided over a Mass of The Angels for Christine at St. John’s Church in Little Canada and she was laid to rest in St. John’s Cemetery.
The month of her death was December, not November as shown on the burial record.
Clem lived close to another 2 years after Christine. The doctors had removed a lung, but the cancer had spread. Clem passed away at Mounds Park Hospital in St. Paul on Friday, October 15, 1965. The primary cause of his death was pneumonia due to the lung cancer having spread.40 Clem was 52 years 10 months and 24 days old. At the time of Clem’s death, Vivian had just turned 49 years old, Ron was 25 years old and married, and JoAnn was 24 years old and married.
Clem was laid to rest near Christine in St. John’s Cemetery.42
Vivian would go on to live a very full life, living almost 52 more years.
Alice was married to Roy who died in 1957. Jack and Delores are first cousins. Alice and Vivian are their aunts.
Vivian, at 88 years old, had stopped by to show her new car to her nephew.
In October 2010 Vivian was living at Washington Square Apartments in White Bear Lake when she fell and broke her femur. The fall led to her moving to the Good Samaritan Society on Roselawn Avenue in Maplewood. She was 94 years old.
With Vivian are her daughter JoAnn and JoAnn’s husband Floyd.
Shown are Vivian with her children: JoAnn (75 years old) and Ron (76 years old).
Vivian passed away peacefully at the Good Samaritan Society on September 19, 2017. In another 13 days she would have turn 101 years old.
On Friday September 29, 2017, a Mass of Christian Burial was held for Vivian at St. John’s Church in Little Canada after which she was laid to rest next to Clem. 45
Thanks for visiting, come back soon,
Cynthia
© 2026 Copyright by Cynthia Vadnais, All Rights Reserved
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