What did your folks do?

[the_only_turek_fan]

My dad worked at the Chevron NE offsites record center and my mom was a nursing assistant at a old folks home.

It was amazing to think what the pre-digital world was like. Storage bay after storage bay of drawings and these weird seismic tape things.

[FlamesAddiction]

My mother was a nurse until she became disabled, then she worked numerous part time retail jobs, as many as 4 at one time.

My father drove a skidder until he was involved in a work place accident. After that, he was on disability.

Both passed away.

[topfiverecords]

My dad was a buyer for a chain of drug stores until it got bought by Shoppers in the late 90s. All of the head office got severance after they transitioned the stores and the Toronto head office took over fully. He then went on to manage a grocery wholesaler until that company got bought by a Winnipeg group and was restructured. He’s now store manager for a Loblaws independent grocery, and just having something to do to delay retirement. I think he also did a year in there somewhere working at his friends business that was a heavy construction equipment dealer. He’s the type of guy who always needs to be doing something and days off he goes nuts if the house is clean already and the yard work is done.

My mom opened a preschool in the early 80s and ran it for 35 years until selling it. She now works for a small medical clinic part time.

[Barnet Flame]

My Dad was a welder. He worked on many of the Calgary skyscrapers and always said there was a little part of himself at Devonian Gardens.

My Mom worked at Birk's at Sunridge Mall. She absolutely loved that job and grew in confidence throughout her time working there.

[You Need a Thneed]

Dad was the manager of a construction commercial general contractor, then later started a construction company with a couple others, which evolved into him being the sole guy.

My mom was a stay at home mom the whole time. She did some volunteering, and liked to work at the elections.

She also did most of the payroll, GST filing, etc for my dads company.

[kermitology]

My dad was a CA working for a resource extraction company for a while, then general CA work for a bit and eventually was CFO for a property developer. He retired and became a completely different person (literally changed his name) and started doing photography.

My mom was a high school English teacher who got a PhD but just loved the classroom. She taught at Churchill, Fowler and Wisewood when I was growing up. I wouldn’t be surprised if some people here were taught by her.

[bc-chris]

my dad owned a paint and wallpaper store in brampton, ontario.
my mom was a nurse.
once us kids came along my mom was a stay at home mom until the recession hit in the early 80s. she then went to work in store with my dad.
in 1986 my dad sold his business and we moved to bc.
my mom got back into nursing and my dad worked as a sales rep in the sporting industry for years. eventually he had enough of traveling around bc/alberta/sask and left the sales rep gig to manage a thrift store in town. he took it from a fairly small thrift store to one of the larger ones in kelowna.

[bizaro86]

My dad is an accountant. Aside from the times when we got to tag along on the helicopter rides, not too interesting for kids. My mom was a nurse until she became disabled after a long bout with cancer.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

My dad is an accountant. Aside from the times when we got to tag along on the helicopter rides, not too interesting for kids. My mom was a nurse until she became disabled after a long bout with cancer.

My dad was a Bus Driver for Greyhound.

"Hey kids! Want to ride with me to Swift Current with some drunks and lunatics? Only a marginal chance of getting your head chopped off!"

Sweet!

[Caged Great]

My father was a bit of a jack of all trades kind. Started out as a meat cutter in grocery stores when the money was good at that job. Then when wages stagnated, he started up a carpet cleaning business, which evolved into constructionish jobs.

My mother was a graphic artist and interior designer (which is my job as I inherited her abilities).

Then things went bizarre when I was a child. My mother stopped doing those things because of a weird situation. She had to become on the fly an accountant, lawyer, strategician, and about 30 other things. She had to fight a legal battle on behalf of my grandmother, which ended up changing law in Canada, the EU, USA, and was even made into an episode of Law and Order. She singlehandedly won the fight in very much an Erin Brockovich style way.

Because of her, I learned how to argue things in a dispassionate legalistic way with rationality being forefront of my arguments. She by far is the most intelligent person I've ever met.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Locke

My dad was a Bus Driver for Greyhound.

"Hey kids! Want to ride with me to Swift Current with some drunks and lunatics? Only a marginal chance of getting your head chopped off!"

Sweet!

Did I need green text there? I'm pretty sure accountants mostly ride helicopters in commercials.

[Dion]

My father was an industrial accountant and worked for a construction companies and engineering firms. Near the end of his career he did contract work. His last job was doing all the financial for the Husky Upgrader.

My mom was a book keeper and started with International Harvester and then later with some small businesses and finally with an accounting firm Touche Ross which later became Deloitte.

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

My father was a bit of a jack of all trades kind. Started out as a meat cutter in grocery stores when the money was good at that job. Then when wages stagnated, he started up a carpet cleaning business, which evolved into constructionish jobs.

My mother was a graphic artist and interior designer (which is my job as I inherited her abilities).

Then things went bizarre when I was a child. My mother stopped doing those things because of a weird situation. She had to become on the fly an accountant, lawyer, strategician, and about 30 other things. She had to fight a legal battle on behalf of my grandmother, which ended up changing law in Canada, the EU, USA, and was even made into an episode of Law and Order. She singlehandedly won the fight in very much an Erin Brockovich style way.

Because of her, I learned how to argue things in a dispassionate legalistic way with rationality being forefront of my arguments. She by far is the most intelligent person I've ever met.

This sounds fascinating. Can you share more? any links to further reading?

[para transit fellow]

they are retired

( the question is what do they do... there was nothing asking about what they did...

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by para transit fellow

they are retired

( the question is what do they do... there was nothing asking about what they did...

Maybe read it again.

[DFO]

Dad: Power Lineman, Farmer
Mom: Bank Teller then Small Biz Owner

Would still like to have half of the work ethic they did.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by para transit fellow

they are retired

( the question is what do they do... there was nothing asking about what they did...

What did your folks do?

[Galakanokis]

Mom was a nurse her entire working life. Just retired 2 or 3 years ago. If you ever went to the Bonivista clinic you probably dealt with her.

Dad was basically an oil and gas man. Shell back in the day and then government after all the layoffs of the 80's. He did some cool things like under water wielding and salvage. He also did a lot of migration studies up north like tagging and tracking polar bears. Had skulls and claws around the house as a kid.

[AltaGuy]

Dad was a union rep/president, first at the Inglewood brewery until Molson closed it, then with the CBE. Was passionate about all things labour - on the labour board, president of the labour council etc etc.

Mom was a freelance writer and editor, mostly for agricultural publications.

[Makarov]

A lot of fascinating stories/family histories in this thread. Live it.

My father was an energy industry lawyer. He did a lot of international work, including long platoons in Yemen, Qatar, Egypt, Lybia and Ecuador.

My mother was an RN who mostly stayed home after my siblings and I were born. When we were older, she worked at a school for severely disabled children.