| I have met several people who have been a gift | | | | picture framing department. Roux, upon receiving |
| in my life, allowing me to know that there is life | | | | his degree in Business Administration, joined the |
| after midlife and that I can continue to reinvent | | | | family business full time to fine-tune the |
| myself at any age. Let me tell you about one | | | | bookkeeping system, upgrade the organization |
| such person. | | | | and expand to their second gallery downtown. |
| Her name was Wallie Laflamme from Calgary, | | | | Wallie has said many times that this was the |
| Canada and she was a master at the game of | | | | happiest time of her life, working side by side with |
| reinvention. | | | | her husband and son. They made an awesome |
| Wallie faced every challenge with courage and | | | | sales team and were a delight to watch in action |
| optimism. Since allowance money was not | | | | at one man shows. |
| available in Wallie's family, as a young teenager | | | | The gallery attracted top Canadian artists and she |
| she joined her sister and two brothers to form a | | | | became very involved in the Calgary art scene |
| band. They earned their own spending money | | | | which was booming along with the oil industry. She |
| playing at school dances and community halls. This | | | | gave lectures on the "Art of Framing", instituted |
| was a big help to her family surviving the | | | | the use of color and triple mats and at night you |
| challenging 30's. When the band broke up, Wallie | | | | would find her hanging paintings in someone's |
| discovered that she loved working on women's | | | | home. |
| hair and so her first career was born. | | | | Wallie smashed through every glass ceiling by |
| It was then that she moved to Calgary and | | | | holding prestigious positions: President of the |
| found a job looking after two children for her | | | | Brentwood Mall Merchant Association, President of |
| room and board while taking a professional | | | | the International Zonta Professional Business |
| hairstyling course. After graduation it wasn't long | | | | Women's Club, and adjudicator for the Western |
| before her entrepreneurial spirit took hold and she | | | | Art Auction at the Calgary Stampede, just to |
| had her own beauty salon, the Coiffure Bar. At a | | | | name a few. |
| time when women were not in the mainstream | | | | After a stroke, two heart attacks and a triple |
| of business, Wallie, from that very young age, | | | | by-pass surgery she finally retired at age 65. She |
| thumbed her nose at the prejudices of the day | | | | did continue with her volunteer work but never |
| and started to make her dreams come true. New | | | | did sit back in a rocking chair. She walked three to |
| techniques abounded and Wallie was on the | | | | five miles every day, did aerobic exercise and |
| cutting edge teaching new hair colors and | | | | enjoyed having friends over for relaxing dinners. |
| permanent waves, without the use of electricity. | | | | She loved watching Dr Robert Schuler's "Hour of |
| (Now that's a scary thought!) | | | | Power" on TV early Sunday morning and then |
| On weekends you would find her demonstrating | | | | going to attend services at her favorite Unity |
| these new techniques at various hotels in Calgary, | | | | Church. Foch joined her in these activities as they |
| Medicine Hat, Lethbridge and Red Deer. Roux, the | | | | turned their retirement into a long past due |
| company, brought out the first shampoo rinse | | | | honeymoon. She then experienced her only failure |
| with color and she loved the product so much in | | | | in life - she failed retirement! |
| fact, that she named her son after Mr. Roux. | | | | After attending a meeting where Dr Wentz, |
| (Thank goodness it wasn't Clairol or Revlon). | | | | (founder of the Usana Health Science |
| Wallie made a move to Edmonton and opened a | | | | Corporation), described his vision of a healthy |
| salon where she also taught cold waving and then | | | | future for everyone, by using his cellular nutrition |
| a revolutionary technique for bleaching hair to | | | | formula, she knew that her third career was |
| silver. This is where a John Powers of New York | | | | about to take off. |
| model asked Wallie to do the hairstyle and | | | | Convinced that her remarkable health |
| makeup for all her models. This expanded to doing | | | | improvement was the direct result of these |
| the Juilliard modeling school too and Wallie wound | | | | nutritional supplements, she became a walking |
| up doing some modeling herself. | | | | poster child for good health. Beginning this new |
| She met a dashing young man who was the very | | | | career at the age of 73, her example inspired |
| image of movie star Don Amache, instantly fell in | | | | many people to join her in a quest to "Live life to |
| love and in short order they got married on | | | | the fullest every day". This quickly multiplied into |
| February 8th, 1950. After the pregnancy from | | | | her becoming a Usana Gold Director which was |
| hell, she gave birth to their only son and hoped | | | | the culmination of a seven decade successful |
| for smooth sailing. | | | | business career. |
| Again following her independent spirit they opened | | | | Wallie did live a full life in every respect: always |
| a new business in Peace River but unfortunately | | | | striving to enrich herself spiritually and intellectually, |
| this was a bad investment that left them | | | | loving her work, and adoring Foch, Roux and |
| penniless and out of work. | | | | Kippy. |
| As she proved countless times throughout her life | | | | Wallie's kindness, genuineness and depth of |
| nothing could keep her down for long, so with the | | | | character continue to shine through to reach |
| help of wonderful friends she soon opened | | | | people everywhere who remember her for her |
| another beauty salon which began her challenge to | | | | sharing nature, no matter what the situation. |
| balance career and motherhood. She eventually | | | | Neither gender nor age was a factor that |
| owned several beauty salons before becoming | | | | hindered her desire to be better, accomplish |
| chronically ill. She was diagnosed with severe | | | | more, do the impossible or get to everything on |
| allergies caused by the chemical fumes and | | | | her life's To-Do list. |
| solutions she had been using. | | | | Wallie made a rare and noble contribution to |
| After 25 years in a much loved career and at the | | | | everyone's evolving spirit. She set an amazing |
| start of midlife, at the age of 45, she reinvented | | | | example of a reinvented life at any age and for |
| herself to launch her second career by opening | | | | those of us who knew and loved her--she graced |
| LaFlamme Fine Art Galleries in the Brentwood Mall. | | | | our lives. |
| Wallie looked upon this adventure as an | | | | Wally passed away peacefully with her loving |
| opportunity to use the many artistic talents she | | | | family by her side Friday, October 24, 2008 at |
| had acquired along the way. To round out the | | | | the age of 85. |
| gallery, Foch joined Wallie and opened a custom | | | | |