Stephen (Steve) Lyster:
CLASS OF 1973
Laurentian Regional High SchoolClass of 1973
Lachute, QC
Hawkesbury High SchoolClass of 1974
Hawkesbury, ON
Lachute High SchoolClass of 1973
Lachute, QC
Stephen (Steve)'s Story
Life
I moved out west in 1977, initially to Calgary. Got hired on with New Holland Farm Equipment as a territory service rep, and travelled all over Alberta and British Columbia, as well as into the States. Spent a lot of training time in Kansas City! Worked mainly on the road in northern Alberta and north/north-central BC. Spent 2 years in the Calgary office (80/81), then went back on the road again. Got married to an Alberta girl in 1982, and have lived in beautiful, downtown Barrhead,Alberta ever since. Started up my own New Holland dealership in 1986, and have been operating it since. We have 3 daughters, the first will graduate High School this year (2002). Northern Alberta has been extremely good to me...there definitely is an "Alberta Advantage"!
Christmas 2003....Well, major changes in lifestyle this past year. Sold the farm equipment dealerships and took the summer off. We did a bunch of travelling, went to Europe for 2 weeks (wife and kids were there for 3 weeks before that). Visited a whole bunch of wife's relatives in Germany. Had a great time!! Came back to Barrhead and started selling GM product. Am going to Australia with 2 of our kids in February for a month.Looking forward to some golfing while I'm there.
October 2004....Update time (for those of you who care!)It's been a busy 6 months. Settled into the automotive business, and am enjoying it. There is a lot to be said for living in a small prairie town. Went to Australia in February and had a great time. Stayed with some wonderful folks, and toured around quite a bit. Spent most of our time in the southeast, east (Sydney), and up in Cairns in the tropics. Also spent a week on the north island of New Zealand. A fairly laid back summer, and now back into winter already.Guess it's time to hibernate!
March 2007...Hey, Spring is starting to show in north-central Alberta! Long winter, lots of snow, GREAT skiing!! Life is quite busy. 2 daughters now in university in Edmonton, the eldest will convocate this June. Youngest daughter has one more year of high school, then she will be making some plans. Haven't been doing a lot of world travelling the last couple of years. Spent some time this past summer exploring thru central BC, catching up with some old friends. Rita and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary this May. How time flies when you're having fun!! Should be a great party!
March 2008..Spring is just around the corner, here in the Great White North! We were in Japan for New Years...interesti...Expand for more
ng experience. Our eldest daughter is teaching English on the north edge of Hokkaido Island.
March 2023. . Well, lots has happened since my last entry 15 years ago.. Stayed in the automotive business til end of June 2016, then left to pursue some other “bucket list” items. Got my “class 1” driver’s license and trucked locally for 5 years. Loved it! We bought a motor home in late 2019 to pursue some other travels, and did a major trip in 2022 - Route 66 from downtown Chicago thru to the Santa Monica pier on the Pacific Ocean. US’s mother road, just under 2500 miles. We were on the road for 6 weeks total, 11,400 kms total trip.
We have been blessed with 3 grandkids: Sunny in 2016, Max in 2019 (both from Chelsea & Kevin), and then on December 15/2022, Jesse was born and adopted by Caitlin & Dustin.
Rita and I celebrated 40 years together married in 2022 as well.
Workplace
September '74- December '74...Worked with my brother John in Montreal at a small exotic car service garage.
January '75-December '75...Worked at home on the farm as the dairy herdsman.
January '76-March '77...Worked at Mirabel airport for a customs brokerage firm.
May'77-June'77...Worked on a farm west of Calgary
June'77-March '86...Worked as a territory service rep for Sperry New Holland Farm Equipment, travelling northern Alberta and BC. Also spent some time in the Calgary office.
April '86-April '03...Co-owner and general manager of initially one, then 2, New Holland dealerships located in Barrhead Alberta, and Mayerthorpe Alberta. Sold off the business in April '03.
September '03-December 2009...Sales and leasing consultant for GM dealership in Barrhead Alberta.
January 2010 - March 2011....Sales Manager for Grizzly Trail Motors, the local GM dealership in Barrhead, Alberta
April 2011 - June 2016.....Stepped back down to the sales floor at Grizzly Trail. At my age, who needs the management hassles??
July 2016 - Retired from the car business. Pursuing a couple of different opportunities.
October 2016 - Pursued one of the items on my bucket list, which was to achieve my Class 1 Professional Driver's Licence.
February 2017 - Have started hauling aggregate for a local firm, River Valley Crushing / Barrhead Transit Mix. Wasn't exactly what I was thinking I'd be doing with my Class 1, but am enjoying it greatly. Great crew to work with and they are treating me very well. Home every night.
March 31, 2022. RETIRED!! Figured that I’ve done enough. Besides,had a quest for 2022 - “Route 66 When I’m 66”.
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Reunions
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