Chapter 11
Paying the Price Over a Lifetime: PART 1
The Charlie & Muriel Pierson Story
 |
Charlie & Muriel Pierson on their wedding day.
Alberta, Canada
April 10, 1948
|
It is one thing to effectively exercise SAL for a few hours, or a day-or-two, or a couple of weeks, or even a few months or years. Practicing it consistently over the course of an entire lifetime, however, is another matter.
The next two (2) chapters highlight the life stories of two (2) remarkable couples—four [4] individuals—who accomplished the difficult feat of truly enduring to the end of a long life while consistently practicing SAL and inviting Serendipity to bless their efforts all along the way.
The late Charlie and Muriel Pierson, who will be featured in this chapter, and the late Fred and Marlene Hawryluk, who will be featured in the next chapter, are examples of what Harvard scholar, Joseph L. Badaracco, Jr., describes as: Quiet Leaders.
"These men and women aren't high-profile champions of causes, and [they] don't want to be. They don't spearhead ethical crusades. They move patiently, carefully, and incrementally. They do what is right—for their organizations, for the people around them, and for themselves—inconspicuously, and without casualties.
"I have come to call these people quiet leaders because their modesty and restraint are in large measure responsible for their impressive achievements. And since many problems can only be resolved by a long series of small efforts, quiet leadership, despite its seemingly slow pace, often turns out to be the quickest way to make an organization—and the world—a better place." (1)
The following two (2) SAL case studies illustrate what diligent planning, disciplined practice, self-reliance, focused effort, self-sacrifice, and patience over a lifetime created for a couple of Quiet Leaders from Western Canada. It highlights the lives of four (4) exemplary self-action leaders who were, in the eyes of most, very ordinary people, yet, who accomplished remarkable things anyway.
The Piersons and the Hawryluks were born in the late 1920s at the very beginning of the Silent Generation, which followed the G.I. Generation (2)—sometimes referred to as the Greatest Generation—that served on the front lines of World War II and included persons born in between 1925 and 1942. (2) (3). From the point of their births in the late 1920s and early 1930s onward to their deaths nearly a century later in the late 2010s and early-mid 2020s, they lived quiet and obscure lives with little fanfare—but much to show for their efforts, including children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and second great-grandchildren numbering in the triple digits. Thus, their legacy lives on in this world through their rapidly multiplying posterity.
 |
Charlie, age 14
Southern Alberta, Canada
Circa 1941 |
Earl Charlie Pierson was born in Taber, Alberta, Canada, on March 12, 1927. He was the youngest of 11 children When he was only 18
months old, his father died. Later, at age 14, Charlie lost his mother as well.
Shortly before his mother's death, while in the 8th grade, Charlie quit his formal schooling for good. Following his mother's death, none of his older siblings were willing to take him in, leaving him all alone in his grief without a roof over his head.
Desperate for work, the 14-year-old orphan saw a work ad in the window of a lumber company. Pierson inquired about the job, but the manager replied: "Sorry, kid. We need a man, not a boy."
Charlie explained what happened next.
"I told the manager I needed the job really bad as I had lost my mother and had nowhere to go. If he would just try me out, I would work all day for nothing. If he found I couldn't stand up to the job, then he could let me go. But, if I could do the work, then he would hire me. He consented and told me to be in to work at 8:00 the next morning. When I got to work the next morning, I found I was to work with the truck driver hauling cement on a flatbed truck which held 200 bags of cement from the railway cars at Okotoks [Alberta] to the sheds at Black Diamond Lumber Yard.
"Now, when we were loading the truck from the freight car, the truck driver gave me a real trial. He would carry one bag of cement (100 pounds) out to the truck from the freight car. Then, he would go back in, pick up two (2) bags (200 pounds) and carry them out. For me to prove I could do the job, I had to carry bag-for-bag with him. We did this all day from eight o'clock (8:00) in the morning until five o'clock (5:00) that night. Boy, was I tired! I went in to the manager and asked him if I had the job, and he said that he had to talk to the truck driver first and to wait around. The truck driver went in and talked to him. He then called me back in and told me I had the job because the driver told him he'd never worked with anyone better than I was." (4)
Charlie's experiences with hard labor came with other difficulties than the hard work itself. For example, he sometimes had to work outside in temperatures as low as 50 degrees below zero (-50) Fahrenheit. Moreover, Charlie slept in a room with no heat, with only a single buffalo robe to stay warm.
While he was always a hard and dependable worker, Charlie, like all human beings, was
not perfect. Some of the bad habits he picked up during this challenging period of his life included: drinking, smoking, and gambling.
Although Pierson was technically part of the
Silent Generation, not the
GI Generation (5) he managed to join the Canadian Army in 1944 at age 17 at the tail end of World War II. The war ended the following year. He was never sent abroad and was therefore able to avoid combat. He was discharged in 1946.
Charlie is honest about his character flaws in the Army.
"During my time in the service, I was not the type of person that I am proud to write about. ... I had been drinking pretty heavily when I enlisted in the army, [and] so it continued on, night after night."
 |
Charlie and Muriel on their Wedding Day.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
April 10, 1948
Muriel's little brother, Fred Hawryluk, on the left
See next chapter for more about Fred. |
Despite these vices, it was around this same time when he began to engage in some serious
self-examination (6) that led him to make some important changes in his life. A primary catalyst of these changes was Muriel Hawryluk—the "milk girl" as he called her, because she would deliver their milk—whom he met in 1946.
Muriel was born on January 14, 1929 and raised in Forest Lawn (Calgary), where her and Charlie would someday build a home and live for the rest of their lives.
Her father worked for the Canadian National Railway. Muriel reports having enjoyed a happy childhood, despite growing up in the midst of the Great Depression. While money often was tight in their home, things had been even more challenging for her parents, who had immigrated to Canada from the Ukraine in the early 1910s.
Muriel caught Charlie's eye immediately after they met and their growing friendship inspired him to make some significant adjustments to his behavior and habits—changes that would set Charlie on a different course for the rest of his life.
Tying the knot with Muriel was not as easy as Charlie had hoped it would be. In his words: "Everybody was against us" getting married, but "we didn't care what other people said. We loved each other and that was what mattered."
.jpg) |
Charlie & Muriel still very much in love in middle age.
Circa 1960s |
The two were wed on April 10, 1948, less than six months after the marriage of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh on November 20, 1947. This fact was special to Muriel because people had often told her that she resembled Elizabeth in appearance.
Muriel describes the joy she felt being married to Charlie.
"How I enjoyed being Charlie's wife! I can't forget the joy I experienced to be with Charlie 24 hours of the day. It was so important to me to marry the one I loved, but it was even more important to love the one I married. This made up for any inconvenience that came our way. We had no fridge, no cupboards, no utilities, and only a wood stove to cook on. We carried our water from [a neighbor's] well. We enjoyed it all."
After their wedding, Charlie and Muriel got serious about their values and goals in life. Charlie decided to rekindle his religious faith and Muriel decided to join his church. While Charlie had not been an alcoholic or gambling addict, he made the decision to put all tobacco, alcohol, and gambling behind him for good after marrying Muriel—a decision he never went back on.
For the rest of their lives, he and Muriel remained faithful to their faith and church, to each other, and to their family, community, and employer.
 |
Charlie & Muriel with
their young family.
Circa 1950s |
Along the way, they became models of self-sufficiency, selflessness, and good citizenship. They were
not perfect—no self-action leader is—but they consistently did their imperfect best, and strived to make amends when and where they fell short.
Life was not easy after they got married. As Charlie put it: "We had to work hard for what we got." But, he added: "I am glad of it."
Their accommodations were, at best, modest. He describes their first home in Alberta as a "two room house that wasn't much to take a young beautiful girl to, but that's all we had." He further recounts the problem they faced with crickets when he wrote in his personal history:
"That year there were crickets by the billions. They would come through the cracks in the floor; they'd drop off the ceiling onto our bed at night; they were everywhere!"
 |
Muriel with "Constable" Earl Charlie Pierson
of the Calgary Police Force.
Circa 1950s |
From these humble beginnings, they moved to Calgary where they rented a couple of rooms from another family and shared a communal bathroom. Later, they lived with Muriel's mother for a short period of time. Not wishing to make it a long-term arrangement, Charlie sold their car so he could Muriel a house. With $1,075 from the sale of their car, they began work on their new home.
Charlie did most of the work himself, including digging out the basement. They continued to pursue their dream of having a place to call their own despite hardships along the way. One such difficulty arose when Charlie broke his nose in a construction accident and frigid Alberta blizzards kept filling up their partially-finished house with snow.
Although they struggled to keep warm that first winter, they continued to grow in their love and devotion to each other. As a result, they were happy and content despite their difficult circumstances. Finally, after a herculean effort and the near fatal birthing of one of their daughters, they finished the construction of their first home.
 |
The "Home of the Week" that
Charlie built for Muriel and their kids.
Circa 1960s (top) and 1970s (bottom) |
Over the next 10 years, Charlie became a career policeman with the city of Calgary, and Muriel bore four (4) more children, making five (5) Pierson kids in all. During this period of their lives, Charlie and Muriel became increasingly dedicated to their faith and Charlie remained firm in his commitment to forever rid his life of alcohol, tobacco, and gambling.
One of the greatest indicators of Charlie and Muriel's exercise of SAL was their desire to be self-reliant. This desire fueled Charlie's ambition to build his family—which now numbered seven (7) souls—a larger, nicer home as means became available.
In his own words, Charlie tells the story of how this dream became a reality.
"Early in 1958, I saw a picture in the paper of the Home of the Week. I loved the [picture of the house], brought it home, and said to Muriel, 'Here is your new home. What do you think of it?' She just laughed at me. I said, 'I am really serious. This will be your new home.'
"I contacted her dad and bought a 50-foot lot south of our property for $600. On buying the lot, I proceeded to tear down the fence and dig up the rhubarb, and Muriel said, 'What do you think you're doing?' I stated, "This is where you new home is going to be, the one I showed you.' I think she's now taking me seriously. I got the building permit, hired the basement dug, and had the basement walls poured, and the sub-floor on. From there I built the rest of the house by myself with limited help from different people."
When Charlie and Muriel built their first home, there were only about seven (7) houses visible in the surrounding area. Over time, a large community sprung up (Forest Lawn) that was eventually annexed by the city of Calgary.
Charlie & Muriel's FIVE (5) Children
Circa 1960s (left) and 1998 (right)
 |
Looking westward at the Pierson home from the
house were JJ lived as a full-time missionary.
Forest Lawn (Calgary) Alberta
Summer 2000 |
Forty-one (41) years after Charlie began building this house, JJ, who was serving as a full-time missionary at the time, moved into the house across the street with his missionary companion. The home was owned by Muriel's older sister. JJ was stationed in Calgary from late June to early October 2000, during which time he became good friends with the Piersons through the church service and missionary work they performed together.
Sixty (60) years after breaking ground on their dream home, Charlie and Muriel were still living there—more in love with each other than ever. They accomplished a great many things over the course of those six (6) decades, including raising five (5) children. Charlie also spent 30 years working for the Calgary Police Department before retiring in 1982.
 |
Rebuilding a car from nearly scratch.
Circa 1980s
|
In what little spare time he had, Charlie took up the hobby of rebuilding old cars. His achievements as an auto hobbyist culminated with his building two different recreational vehicles (RVs) that the Pierson family would use for summer vacations. He had no formal training in auto mechanics, but pursued self-education and amateur experience in the field. He would doggedly persist through whatever problems or obstacles that arose in these DIY undertakings.
Sometimes, while working on an automotive project, he would pray for help before going to bed. According to Charlie, inspiration would often come after praying—sometimes in the middle of the night. Upon receiving these midnight answers to prayer, Charlie would get up and work until daybreak pursuing whatever ideas had entered into his mind after praying for guidance.
Charlie and Muriel's self-reliance was driven in part by their frugality. As newlyweds, Charlie said to Muriel: "two could live as cheap as one"—a mantra he believed in and abided by for the rest of his life. If something needed mending or repairing, they usually managed to fix it themselves, thus saving the cost of hiring a repairman.
.jpg) |
All finished!
Circa 1980s |
Always eschewing self-aggrandizement or self-promotion, the Piersons consistently strived to live for each other and dedicate themselves to the health and well-being of their marriage, family, church, and community. This included donating a considerable portion of their personal time, effort, and money to their local church.
In their later years, they served an 18-month, full-time mission for their Church in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. They also spent significant amounts of time building furniture and other gifts for their grandchildren.
Upon Charlie's passing in February 2019, the Pierson's had five (5) children, 24 grandchildren, and nearly 60 great-grandchildren. The following picture was taken of their posterity at their 50th wedding anniversary in 1998.
Charlie & Muriel with their Children and Grandchildren in 1998.
Despite his many wise, SAL-oriented decisions, Charlie and Muriel's journeys through life were
not easy. Like all self-action leaders and human beings, they faced their share of difficulties.
 |
Charlie & Muriel still in love in old age.
Circa 2000s |
Crosses Charlie has had to bear include: blood clots, glaucoma, hypoglycemia, prostate issues, and repeated, painful bouts with kidney stones.
Muriel's challenges have included her own family's vehement disagreement with her decision to marry Charlie and join his church, the painful divorce of one of her sons, and the subsequent estrangement of several of her grandchildren.
Nevertheless, through it all, they have managed to live long, full, and mostly happy lives.
Charlie and Muriel Pierson are tremendous models of what one biographer and former stateswoman calls: "Extraordinary, Ordinary People." (7) Over the course of long and eventful lives, they have remained fiercely devoted and loyal to each other and their family and faith. Rarely, if ever, have I observed a couple—especially of such an advanced age—who were more caring and devoted to each other.
 |
JJ and Lina with Charlie & Muriel
Brigham City, Utah
Circa early 2010s |
One scene of particular authenticity, beauty, love, and sincerity will forever be engraved upon the tablets of my memory. This scene played out before my eyes in their warm and snug home on a cold, winter Calgary day over 60 years
after they had "Tied the Knot." The two were sitting intentionally close to one another on the couch in their living room. As they nestled there together, Charlie reached out and tenderly rested his left hand on Muriel's right leg. Muriel, in return, reached out and rested her left hand gently on Charlie left arm.
Though more than a half century (63 years) had passed since they wed, it was evident they were more deeply in love than they had ever been.
There was nothing affected or forced in this spontaneous display of conjugal affection
It was the real thing...
 |
Charlie's Funeral Program
February 2019 |
And it was beautiful and inspiring to behold!
For me, a relatively young lad who had been married for less than three (3) years at the time, it painted a lovely picture worth aspiring towards in my own, nascent connubial connection with Lina.
I continued to keep in touch with Charlie, Muriel, and one of their daughters, who lovingly apprised me of Charlie's passing in early February 2019. Without a second thought, I bought a plane ticket from Houston to Calgary to attend his funeral. Muriel had slowed down considerably over the years, but was still the happy, pure soul I had known since the year 2000.
She passed away peacefully surrounded by family three years later in January 2022.
Both died firm in the faith that they would see each other again in another realm, and that their marital union would continue on for eternity.
In Your Journal
- What practical life skills and character lessons might a teenage student—or a young adult just starting out in life—learn from studying the life examples of Charlie and Muriel Pierson?
- What mistakes might YOU potentially avoid from carefully observing the lives of elderly family members and friends who have either wisely (or unwisely) gone before you in this world?
- The so-called "Good old Days" of the past had their share of issues and problems that we can learn from and improve upon in the present generation. However, do you think there were also some positive practices and habits of bygone eras that YOU and I could benefit from embracing more fully in our present, modern world? If so, what are they, and how can YOU more fully incorporate these positive attitudes, beliefs, actions, and habits into your own life?
—Dr. JJ
Wednesday, November 11, 2025 (#1)
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA
Author's Note: This is the 489th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 278th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.
.........................
Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.
If you liked this blog post, please share it with your family, friends, colleagues, and students—and encourage them to bookmark this blog to access a new FREE article every Wednesday.
Chapter 10 Notes
1. Badaracco, J.L., Jr. (2002) Leading Quietly: An Unorthodox Guide to Doing the
Right Thing. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Pages 1-2.
2. Strauss, W. & Howe, N. (1991). Generations: The History of America’s Future,
1584 to 2069. New York: Quill, Page 279.
3. Brokaw, T. (1998). The Greatest Generation. New York, NY: Delta.
4. Quotes in this chapter narrated by Charlie and Muriel Pierson themselves are from the "Life Stories of Earl Charlie Pierson and Myroslawa Muriel Hawryluk Pierson" (unpublished personal history).
5. Strauss, W. & Howe, N. (1991). Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069. New York: Quill, Page 279.
6. Neck, C.P., & Manz, C.C. (2010). Mastering Self-Leadership: Empowering
Yourself for Personal Excellence (Fifth Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Page 19.
7. The title of former United States’ Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice’s memoir about her growing up years with her parents. Rice, C. (2010) Extraordinary,
Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family. New York, NY: Crown.
.jpg)
.jpg)
