John Mikula’s Story
Our Dad, John Mikula, led a
wonderful life, bolstered by an abiding faith in God. He wrote his memoirs several years ahead of
his passing and we think that his story is so inspirational that it is worth
sharing. He was an ordinary man caught
in some extraordinary circumstances, as a youngster in Poland, slave labourer
in Germany, War criminal guard in the American Army, and it makes for a
compelling story. His Memoirs are
available in the links below. If you
have the desire, a donation honouring my father to St. Aidan Anglican Church in
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan would be much appreciated. St. Aidan 124 1st Avenue N.E.,
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, S6H 0Y8.
Dad’s
Obituary:
John Mikula, age 93, passed away peacefully on December 22nd,
2019 at Providence Place in Moose Jaw. He was predeceased by his brother
Aleksander, and two sisters, Genia and Natalie. He is survived by his wife of
66 years, Maria (Minnie) and children Randy (Jennifer) Mikula, Sandra (Gerry)
Duggleby, and Shelley (Greg) Mikula. He will be dearly missed by all including
his nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
Dad was born in Haczyska Poland on November 14th, 1926. Life
on the farm with his mom, dad, 2 sisters, and brother was very happy. One of
his best memories of life in Poland was food, especially when his mom baked
bread in the brick bake oven which was eaten with fresh buttermilk. Dad often
told us how the food on the farm was so good he could still taste it, and how
he thought they were the most fortunate people in the world.
When he was 9 years old, Dad was given a prophecy by one of
the ladies in the village who said that his wife was somewhere out in the
world, still in a crib, and that he would go out into the world and be rich.
Dad always said that he was the richest man in the world, and that you don’t
have to have a lot of money to be rich - Faith in God and in yourself, and
having a good outlook and attitude in your life is all you need to be rich.
Rich is the peace, love, and joy that only God can give. Dad’s positive
attitude, love of life, love of food, and his faith in God touched everyone who
met him. Dad thought he led an interesting life and that penchant for
understatement was part of his sense of humour.
On July 7th, 1942, the Gestapo came to the house on the farm
looking for Dad’s older sister to take to Germany. Dad jumped at the chance for
adventure and offered to go in her place. They agreed - he was just 14 years
old and barefoot when he was loaded into railway box cars headed for Germany.
Little did he know what was ahead of him. The prophecy was about to begin to
come true, and Dad would need every ounce of Faith to carry him through.
Dad spent the rest of WWII in forced labour on a farm in
Germany, where he suffered from beatings and lack of food. He constantly
dreamed of one day having enough bread to eat, and always had faith that things
would get better.
Just before the war with Germany ended, Dad was liberated by
the Americans - Dad was a free man at last! He prayed, thanking God for saving
him through the war. On June 22nd, 1945 he joined the American army, where he
was posted for guard duty of the German SS prisoners of war in Dachau, Germany.
There were 45,000 SS prisoners in the hospital, which was heavily guarded with
barbed wire and manned with machine guns. Dad saw the Dachau death camps and
was responsible for guarding some of the monsters who ran them. After his
service in the Army, Dad had some choices about where to go, and Christmas 1948
was Dad’s last Christmas in the American army before emigrating to Canada in
May 1949. Dad spent his early days in Canada working on a farm in Dahlton
Saskatchewan, and logging in Ontario before settling in Moose Jaw where the
rest of the prophecy was about to be fulfilled. On October 11, 1952, Dad met
the love of his life, Minnie, at a dance at Temple Gardens. Dad loved to tell
us the story of how they met - he and his friend Anton noticed two girls
sitting by themselves. They looked so innocent, and Dad and Anton asked if they
could join them Dad liked Minnie at
first sight. She was bubbly and lots of fun!
Their love story continued and on July 11, 1953, Dad and Mom got
married. Their love story is an inspiration to everyone who knew them, and they
were blessed to celebrate 66 years of marriage this past July.
Dad worked as a Carman at the CPR until he was 59 years old.
He loved going to work every day, and made many lifelong friends there. He
always said that if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life
Dad would say that what made him the richest man in the
world, were his 3 children and the subsequent blessings of 9 grandchildren and
3 great grandchildren. He called us a blessing from God, and he always reminded
us to Love One Another. Dad was an accomplished
carpenter, and all our homes are filled with beautiful furniture for our houses
which is a reminder of a wonderful man. Perhaps his greatest moments as a
carpenter were the 2 houses he built from scratch, one at 330 Grandview Street
West, and the second right next door at 338 Grandview Street West, where Dad
and Mom lived until just a few years ago.
Dad’s next great love was hunting and fishing with his
friends known as his fishing buddies.
Many entertaining stories came from those trips, as well as plenty of
meat and fish that the whole family enjoyed. Dad’s passion for good food lasted
his lifetime. When his Mom passed away in Poland, he built a brick oven in our
backyard as a memorial to her. He often said he could still smell the aroma of
his Mom’s homemade bread every now and again. We were lucky to be treated to
Dad’s homemade bread, baked just like in Poland, as well as his homemade deer
sausage, smoked in his hand made smokehouse that he designed into the bake
oven.
Dad’s passion for gardening also meant we had fresh
vegetables every summer, and frozen and canned ones from the garden all year
round. Dad’s favourites were his swiss chard and of course cabbage and
potatoes. Every grandchild remembers summers in his garden, pulling out fresh,
sweet carrots to be eaten on the spot. No carrot will ever taste so good.
Dad had a positive attitude and love of life that meant every
moment should be celebrated. The smallest things would often be celebrated,
even a simple meal. Dad would say, “This calls for a shot of scotch!” Every
birth, baptism, new house, and almost every meal was celebrated with scotch. We
thank you Dad for always reminding us that all moments in life are to be
celebrated, and that forgiveness, faith, and love are part of each and every
day.
Dad will be greatly missed by his wife Minnie; his 3 children
Randy, Sandra, and Shelley and their spouses; his 9 grandchildren Sarah, Andy,
Kelly, Scott, Paul, Tim, Lucy, Nataysia and Ameia; and his 3 great
grandchildren Ailsa, Francis and Elliott. We will leave you with Dad’s words: My
father often quoted Jesus’ command to us children and I pass it on to you: Love One Another
Keep smiling, Love One Another, and Count Your
Blessings. We love you Dad,
Randy, Sandra and Shelley
Special thanks to the entire staff at Providence Place,
(especially St. Anthony’s wing) for their loving care and support.
Mom’s Obituary
Maria (Minnie) Mikula, age 88, passed away peacefully on
December 25nd, 2021 at Providence Place in Moose Jaw. She was predeceased by her
husband John of 66 years, her sisters Jennie and Elsie, and her brother
John. She is survived by her children Randy
(Jennifer) Mikula, Sandra (Gerry) Duggleby, and Shelley (Greg) Mikula. She will
be dearly missed by all including her nine grandchildren and five great
grandchildren.
Mom was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan on October 27,
1933. Growing up in a small house on
Maple Street with her brother and two sisters was crowded but happy. Mom was
taught from a young age that travel and education were very important, and she
often told stories of travelling by train with her mom to Winnipeg and
Vancouver. These core values were later imprinted on her own children. Mom
always said that education was the key to independence and success. We were never told to go to university-it was
simply expected-and she was deeply proud of each one of us.
After graduating from Peacock Technical High School mom
worked in the accounting department at the Swift Canadian Co. packing plant. Shortly after that, just before her 19th
birthday, she met the love of her life, John.
Mom met Dad at a dance at Temple Gardens. It was a fall
evening in 1952 and mom was with her best friend Marian when two young men
approached to see if they could join them.
Dad famously said that they looked so innocent sitting all alone in the
corner. According to Dad, mom was bubbly and lots of fun. He was smitten. Dad offered to carry Minnie home, and Mom was
a bit wary and said that she lived with Marian, which wasn’t true. Dad said that’s good, I will carry both of
you home. They laughed and wondered how
Dad would carry them home. This was an
eastern expression meaning to drive someone home, so Mom ended up at Marian’s
house and walked home from there. Of
course, Mom got over her caution, love prevailed and on July 11, 1953, Dad and
Mom got married. Their love story is an inspiration to everyone who knew them,
and they were blessed to celebrate 66 years of marriage together. Mom’s love
and dedication to Dad remained for their lifetimes.
Mom fiercely loved and protected her children, but she also
ingrained a love of travel and independence to each one of us. When we moved
away from home, mom quietly respected our decisions to go out and explore the
world and what it had to offer. When we came home to visit, we were greeted
with love, hugs, and of course all of mom’s delicious home cooking and
desserts! Walking into the house after being away was like being enveloped into
pure comfort and love, along with the smells of roasted meats, cabbage rolls,
perogies, and veggies from the garden.
After dinner was over and even before the dishes were done, homemade
deer sausage went into the oven to be served shortly along with cheese,
pickles, and bread. We all protested
that we were still full from dinner, but when the homemade sausage came out of
the oven, we all dug in!
Mom was a great baker and was especially famous for her
chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookies.
There was always an ice cream pail of cookies in the freezer and always
a freshly baked cake at every visit. No matter how many times we try to
recreate the chocolate chip cookie recipe, it never tastes the same as Mom’s.
One ingredient is always missing---her love.
Mom was happy when the family was well off enough for her to
leave her Swift’s job behind and devote all her energy to our upbringing. We
were always sent out into the world with the message that we were so
beautiful. Beautiful on the inside due
to the upbringing Mom gave us. Mom was
unwaveringly supportive of all that we did in school or in life and was always
sacrificing for us. She was our greatest
cheer leader, and she always thanked God whenever we called with some good news
about ourselves or about one of the grandchildren. All of us will remember mealtimes where we
begged mom to sit down and eat with us, but she was too busy making sure
everyone at the table had enough to eat and drink! Even after we were well into
adulthood and off on our own, taking Mom and Dad out to a restaurant was an
experience. Mom invariably ordered the
cheapest item on the menu and it sort of became a family inside joke.
Mom’s devotion to her family and husband was only matched by
her selflessness in helping others. Church
was very important to Mom and as children, we each had 6 years of perfect
attendance in the Saint Michael’s Sunday School, and Shelley was the first
altar girl in the Anglican Church.
These are not things that kids aspire to, but it was important to Mom
and she knew it would make us better people. She was a fixture at all of the
church suppers, was on the altar guild and took courses to help minister to
others in need. She always put God
first in everything she did, ending every phone call or greeting card by
thanking Jesus. Her faith was a very important part of her life and later on it
gave her the strength to overcome cancer.
Hearing bible verses and church services were very comforting to her in
her later battle with dementia. And even
in the later years, she recognized the positive side of life and buoyed
people’s spirits by reminding them they were beautiful. She was loved deeply by the caregivers at Providence
Place, who were always greeted by mom with an “I love you,” or “you are so
beautiful!”
Mom will be greatly missed by her 3 children Randy, Sandra,
and Shelley and their spouses; her 9 grandchildren Sarah, Andy, Kelly, Scott, Paul,
Tim, Lucy, Nataysia and Ameia; and her 5 great grandchildren Ailsa, Francis, Elliott,
Sigurd, and Sawyer.
Everyone should remember that “You are so Beautiful.” We are the blessed to have a mom like you. We
love you.
Randy, Sandra, and Shelley
Special thanks to the staff at Providence Place, (especially
St. Anthony’s wing) for their loving care and support.
Funeral service will be held at St Aidan’s Anglican Church on
January 7, 2022 at 10:30 am. Internment at Rosedale Cemetery immediately
following the service. You are all
invited to join the virtual service through the St. Aidan’s website.
In lieu of flowers, please make any donations to St. Aidan
Anglican Church in Moose Jaw. (St. Aidan Anglican Church, 124 1 Ave NE, Moose
Jaw, SK S6H 0Y8, https://www.staidan.ca/)
Mom’s Eulogy
Our Mom, Maria Olga Mikula was born in Moose Jaw October 27,
1933; and died on Christmas Day, December
25, 2021. It is hard to think about
what to say about Mom that might not apply to Mom’s everywhere. I remember thinking as a little boy that
Mom’s initials spelled MOM and I always thought that was very appropriate.
First I will tell a few stories that Mom related to me about
her childhood along with some usual Mom stories, but I want to end with how in
the last 5 years I came to know Mom more as a person….a person of incredible
strength of character.
Mom grew up in Moose Jaw in a small house on Maple Street
just south of the CPR station. Mom was
born at the peak of the Great depression but it was still going strong when she
was a young girl. She often told me
about her mother making sandwiches or serving soup to some of the hungry men
who were riding the rails looking for any type of work. I can’t help but think that those childhood
experiences formed her later almost obsession with feeding us and any guests
who might drop by. That obsession was
especially evident when we were grown up and living away and when we and our
families were also the guests. At
family dinners, Mom would usually only be sitting still for grace and a few
mouthfuls of food before she would be buzzing around making sure that everyone
else was eating. A friend summed it up nicely saying “She was a
special lady. I know if I go to heaven, there will be a full turkey dinner
waiting, complete with sausage and cabbage rolls!”
Mom’s older sister Elsie told me that mom was a great dancer,
so it should be no surprize that she met Dad at Temple Gardens, a popular dance
hall in Moose Jaw back in the day. Dad
told us he couldn’t resist her “bubbly disposition”. Dad fell for mom right away, but I think Mom
was a bit more careful. It wasn’t too
long however, before love prevailed and they were married within a year of
meeting.
Mom worked for several years at the Swifts Packing Plant in
Moose Jaw in the accounting department and I remember many times when I was
able to go with Dad to pick her up from work.
Dad had quite an early life of adventure, but I really think that Mom
was the brains behind the marriage and she only left her job when the family
was well on its feet and the house was paid for. There is a saying that might be appropriate
in our parents case. The quote is that
behind every good man is a great woman, and Mom was certainly a great woman. Dad told us about a time they were dating
and the bill came but Dad was short on cash.
Mom was intuitive enough to notice and she slipped some cash to him
under the table. I think that was just
an early example of Mom’s sensitivity to the needs of others.
Mom was a natural teacher.
She taught Sunday School for many years, planning elaborate,
well-thought-out lessons to teach her students the teachings of Christ. She also had a knack for mathematics and
writing skills, proof reading our work and ensuring we had perfect grammar in our
writing. She spent time teaching the grandchildren to tell time using an
analogue clock. After a visit with
grandma, each grandchild was magically proficient at telling time.
Church was important to Mom and she made sure that our Sunday
School attendance at St. Micheal’s was perfect. I remember Mom carefully washing and ironing
my altar boy cassock and alb and later steering Shelley to be the first altar
girl in the Anglican Church. Mom was
active in all aspects of Church life and she was particularly enthusiastic
about helping others. Always practical, Mom ensured she took all of
the appropriate training and that importance of education was not lost on us
since we all had successful university careers.
Mom was always super supportive of all our endeavors almost to the
extent of being ridiculous…..I hope she wasn’t too disappointed that we never
won the nobel prize or became Prime Minister.
Music was important to Mom and she played the Mandolin when
she was younger. She really encouraged
us all to take piano lessons, but she was intuitive enough to let me quit after
only about 4 lessons……realizing that they might be wasted on me. Sandra, on the other hand, was a natural,
prompting the purchase of a second hand piano for her to hone her skills, a
piano that Shelley also made good use of.
I will never forget one evening at the West Park Seniors home where
Sandra was playing some tunes for Mom and the other residents. Mom was beaming throughout the impromptu
concert, not just because she loved the music, but because she was so proud of
her Daughter. Shelley was also an
accomplished pianist and carried on the legacy. This musical legacy lives on with Shelley’s
kids, where her Daughters are skilled pianists and music fills their house with
joy.
Mom was a very devout Christian and could be judgemental at
times, but her heart was always in the right place. God help you if you were “shacking up with
someone”. But she was devout but not
dogmatic. When Mom was visiting Shelley
in Tokyo Japan, they visited a Shinto Temple and as is the custom, Shelley put
500Yen in the donation box. Mom refused
to give any money because she said it wasn’t our
religion and it just wouldn’t be right. Shelley and Mom left the temple and
went about for the day and enjoyed the many sights of Tokyo. Mom loved to
travel and she really enjoyed that trip. A few days after Mom and Dad arrived back in
Moose Jaw, Shelley got a phone call- mom said to Shelley- do you think you
could go back to that temple and put in 500 yen for me? I’ve been thinking
about it and I feel bad that I didn’t. It’s all the same God. Shelley said
of course she would. It was very touching.
Every occasion was cause for celebration at Mom’s house and that
invariably included a beautiful homemade meal.
Whether it was an anniversary, birthday, Christmas, or Easter, or just friends
and family gathered together……..it was essential to have the homemade deer
sausage, baking, and libations to celebrate.
Christmas Eve was especially wonderful with the 12 meatless dishes to be
enjoyed before the midnight Church sevice. Mom would spend hours preparing the
wheat, beans, sauerkraut soup (Kapusta) as well as perogies and cabbage
rolls. We would always have small
sheaves of straw beneath the table cloth as part of the Christmas tradition to
represent the manger where Jesus was born. I remember that we didn’t always come up
with 12 dishes so Mom would have us count the butter and salt and pepper. Devout, but not dogmatic.
The Church was the basis for her great strength and positive
outlook and I know it was a comfort to her right to the very end. Mom recovered from breast cancer and I will
always remember the faith she had that it would all work out when we were
investigating options for her at the Cross cancer institute in Edmonton. Of course she had a very good medical team
in Saskatchewan, but she was never one to leave any stone unturned. Part of her successful recovery was her faith
in God and another was that she probably felt that the family wasn’t nearly
ready to get along without her.
Towards the end of her life, Mom suffered from dementia and
that is such a horrible disease in its relentless progression. Towards the end at providence Place it
meant that sometimes she struggled to find the words to express herself. But while it was progressing and before
Providence Place she had many clever ways to adapt and even thrive at home as
the disease progressed. Routines for shopping
and preparing meals were ingrained or even written down to ensure Dad had three
squares a day. After it became just too
much, Mom and Dad moved into assisted living and later into Providence
Place. Only after Dad died did Mom stop
her regular phone calls to Edmonton which you have to understand were not
trivial when at times you mix up the phone and the TV remote.
The care Mom received at Providence Place was so fabulous and
such a comfort to Sandra, Shelley and I since we were too far away to visit as
often as we would have liked. They were
truly like a second family and we owe them a great debt of gratitude. They were able to get Mom and Dad assigned
to the same wing and for a time, they were even able to share a room. Mom was very protective of Dad, constantly
looking out for him, adjusting his hair and glasses, and making sure he was
eating. I also think that she would
sometimes wake him up to make sure that he was getting enough sleep. She may actually have overdone it a bit
because eventually they had to go back to separate rooms because in fact Dad
wasn’t getting enough sleep.
Mom was afraid of her progressive loss of ability to care for
herself and it was heartwrenching to have the phone calls where she lamented
her increased memory loss. She was
creative enough to work around many shortcomings, but in the end she had to
succumb. How horrible it must have been
to see yourself slowly losing mental capabilities, knowing it was happening,
not remembering things that you knew just moments before, and being aware that
it isn’t getting any better. I know her
faith in God helped her deal with the worst of it, but what an astounding
strength of character to fight through it all. Even when confined to a wheelchair, Mom
could still tell time and make change and in fact achieved a passing score in
the cognitive test that a certain American president was so proud of
acing. Of course eventually the
dementia took complete control, along with crippling arthritis. Even when Mom didn’t recognize us when we
visited, I always believed Mom was in there somewhere and even if she couldn’t
tell us she recognized us, she still had that tremendous faith and fighting
spirit. In the last year or so, I
really believe that her bubbly disposition returned as a result simply of her
strength of will and as an act of defiance against the terrible hand she had
been dealt. It was a joy to visit Mom
in the last two years or so and sit in the hallway or dining area where she
could greet the staff with a friendly “you are so beautiful” or “I love you” or
if you were particularly blessed…..both.
To end this for Mom I think I have a bit of inspiration from
Dad who loved Mom more than anything and who I know was happy to have Mom by
his side for Christmas.
Mom overcame some great hardships in life and her unwavering
faith in God helped see her through.
Mom was always smiling, showing the happiness within her and was always
cheering someone up with her happy “You are so Beautiful” or “I Love You”.
She is not
just a great Mom but a truly remarkable woman.
Everyone should remember that “You are so Beautiful.”
We are blessed to have a Mom like you. We love you.
AMEN
Dad’s Life Story is Captured in His Memoirs,
Reproduced here in Several Sections:
Settling Down in Moose Jaw
Part 1 Part 2
Part 3
Dad’s Eulogy:
How do you eulogize someone who is not just your father, but
also your hero? Well I do not think you
can…….at least I can’t ….. I am instead going to try to relate a few stories
about Dad that I remember fondly.
Stories and advice that he gave me and my sisters over the years. In Dad’s 93 years……66 years married to
Mom…….he packed in several lifetimes of adventures.
Dad often told me a story about when he was growing up in
Poland and a neighborhood friend broke Dad’s new skis but didn’t own up to it. Well……maybe he didn’t tell the story that
often, but it stuck with me……so I am going to tell it to you. The neighbor boy borrowed Dad’s new skis and
hid the fact that he broke them…When Dad discovered they were broken he
confronted the boy but he wouldn’t admit or make good on the ski he broke. Later on when they happened to be tending
the village cows together, Dad said that to make it even, he would push the
boys face into a particular fresh cow pie.
The wrestling around took some time, all the time passing plenty of
nearby candidate cow pies. But Dad said
it would be a particular one, and he stuck to it until he finally exacted his
justice. I was just a kid when I first
heard that story and Dad’s lesson to me was to always do what you say you will
do, even if it is not easy. Keep your
word!
When Dad died I told my friends it was the end of an era, and
I think that is true on a lot of levels…in
a world where it is less common for a man’s word to be his bond, and
where situational ethics are the norm, Dad stood out as a pillar of
righteousness. He lived by the ideas
that his word was his bond and that there was an absolute right way in how you
went about your life.
Dad’s righteousness was built on a solid foundation of faith
in God. A faith that he learned from
his father whom he loved dearly…….A faith that would be tested many times while
he was a slave labourer in Nazi Germany.
July 7, 1942…..The war with Germany had been raging for
several years…….Imagine a 15 year old boy at home in a small Polish village
while his family is working in the fields.
The Gestapo is at the door looking for his older sister to be taken as
forced labour to Germany. Dad speaks up
and says “take me instead”…..and of course with stereotypical Nazi efficiency
they do just that. I think in Spanish
speaking countries one would say Dad had huge cajones.
Arriving in Germany in a cattle car and with no shoes, he was
assigned to a farm. The German mother
and daughter on the farm were unhappy with him since they were expecting an
older girl. As a result of this and
their inherent mean dispositions, he suffered regular beatings from the Gestapo
minders and had to live outside in the barn with very little food. His faith in God helped him survive that
abuse and more surprisingly, when he was liberated, it allowed him to forgive
the family who mistreated him. I would
like to think that I share Dad’s faith in God, thanks to the example he set
over my lifetime. But the forgiveness
and his strength of character is something I know I fall real short of.
When Dad was liberated by the Americans, he signed on with a
special Polish division in the American army.
He shared wonderful stories about finally having enough food to eat and
how he took to the rigors of training to be a soldier. He was enjoying life once again and always
remembered to thank the Lord for his good fortune. With the army food, there was finally plenty
to eat and he told me that one of his favourite treats was to make a bread sandwich
where he would put some American white bread in between two slices of rye. He loved his bread!
When the war crimes trials were underway, Dad was a guard in
the Dachau concentration camp which at the time was converted to a POW camp
where along with regular POWs, some of the worst Nazi war criminals were
awaiting trial at Nuremburg. Smuggling
and contraband was a problem in the prison.
Dad was a good judge of character and could tell quickly who was lying
and responsible for the smuggling. He
received several commendations for recovering contraband but the most
significant recognition he received was a commendation medal for when he was
assigned to build a football field using prison labour. The prisoners were hand picked by Dad, but
they were not a very motivated group.
One of the German POW’s, who’s mother lived nearby, begged for a few
hours away from the work detail to visit with his mom. Dad had a soft heart and struck a deal with
rest of the prisoners that they had to make up for the missing man and that
they would be shot if their friend did not come back. Luckily Dad did not have to make any
decisions about his threat because the POW did return as promised. The field was completed in record time and
to quote Dad “I was called in front of our company and thanked by our captain
for a job well done and he told all the men to take an example from me as to
what a model soldier should be.
Although I bent the rules it worked out just great for everybody
concerned. The Americans got their
football field two weeks early, the prisoner visited his mother, and I received
a commendation and a two week pass.”
“Bent the Rules” ……Man…… There
are those cajones again.
After his hitch in the Army, Dad emigrated to Canada in 1949
and began a whole new set of adventures……cutting pulp in Northern Ontario,
picking tobacco, and working on a farm in Northern Saskatchewan. But it was a trip to Moose Jaw in 1951 with
his best friend Tony Maj that changed history.
Tony and Dad each met their future wives at a dance in Temple
Gardens. Dad talked about Mom as being
bubbly and full of fun….he was in love.
Dad had a share in some land near Naicam Saskatchewan near
where he worked back in the day he and thought he might like to farm, but he
also had guarantees to return to his jobs in Ontario, along with an opportunity
for a really secure job with the CPR in Moose Jaw. But of course he was completely focussed on
courting Mom, so all adventures were put on hold.
After Mom and Dad were married in 1953, and Dad was working
for the railroad, they took a trip up to Naicam to see the farmland that Dad
was leasing to a friend at the
time. On the way, while passing a herd of
cows, mom asked about an unusually large one in amongst the others. Dad said that it was a bull, not a
cow. Mom asked what the difference was,
and Dad said don’t worry……you are not going to be a farmer’s wife…….and that
started the commitment to the CPR and Moose Jaw and of course Mom. Dad had a great career with the railroad and
is one of only a few people who drew a pension for longer than he worked!
Dad was an outstanding carpenter and built both of the family
homes on Grandview Street. Dad was so
good that during a long lay off from the railroad he had a carpenters job at
the training school…..in spite of not having a ticket, they really wanted him
to stay on but eventually dad was called back to the CPR. It was while he was at the training school
he really embraced one of his favourite Bible verses….from proverbs……correct a
fool and he will hate you…..correct a wise man and he will thank you. Dad had a wider interpretation of this
verse that included the idea that everyone is worth listening to. Dad told me this came out of a time when
they were installing metal doors on the bathroom stalls and couldn’t figure out
how they were supposed to be set up……..Dad said it was one of the training
school inmates who offered a suggestion that turned out to be the best way to
proceed……Dad was the only one who took the time to listen.
All of the kids homes are filled with sturdy oak furniture
hand made by Dad. Oak was his
favourite material and it was expensive……but once he discovered that the
blocking for farm equipment transported by rail was oak, he had no shortage of
raw material and of course was way ahead of his time in terms of
recycling. Speaking of being ahead of
his time, his second house had 2 x 6 walls and was R2000 compliant way before
that was even a thing. He used to say
you could heat it with a candle and that was true until Mom and Dad started to
get on in years and began keeping the temperature at a cozy 90F.
Growing up, we had a wonderful childhood. I remember our family camping trips and most
vividly every spring a trip to Buffalo Pound Lake to look for crocuses. We would hike around the hills and later
have a fire and cook a hearty helping of beans.
Dad loved the outdoors and was an avid hunter and
fisherman. His fishing buddies were his
best friends and their exploits were legendary. I only had an opportunity to go on a couple
of those outings but I have to say that whatever crazy stories you have heard
about those trips, they are all true. On
one trip we were all eating around a picnic table and there was one lonely
potato left on the plate that Dad was putting in front of everyone so that it
would get eaten. After the second pass
around the table, I grabbed the spud and tossed it into the bushes. That must have been something that Dad
might have done because John Fisher immediately said “well the apple doesn’t
fall too far from the tree”. It may
sound silly, but at that moment, I was very proud to have been compared to my
dad even in that small way.
Family was extremely important to Dad and he was very proud
of all of us, me, Sandra and Shelley, and all the grandchildren and great
grandchildren. Every family get
together was a special time to celebrate with a prayer and a toast of
scotch. Dad had a love for life that
meant even the smallest occasion was reason for joy. The church always played a big role in Mom
and Dad’s life and I will always remember that Dad would not do any work at
home on a Sunday…..that was a day for church and of rest. Dad had a lot of things like that that he
lived by, and I know the family will remember things like “don’t ever pay
interest” and “Keep Smiling”, and I think my favourite was “I feel so good, I
could swing a bull around my head by the tail”. Whenever we had a particularly good meal, he
would say “I wonder what the rich people are doing” ……meaning that they
couldn’t possibly have it this good.
That was Mom and Dad’s outlook on life ……we were rich!
You cannot talk about Dad without talking about Mom. They say that behind every good man there is
a great woman, and that was certainly true for Mom and Dad. They were a team for the past 66 years, and
what a team. They shared everything and
most importantly an incredibly positive outlook on life. As a family we were always
rich…..spiritually rich. That brings me
to Dad’s other favourite bible verse from John 13:34…”Love One Another” He always said life could be so wonderful
if only everybody got along.
Anyway…I could tell stories all day, but I need to
summarize. I couldn’t find the words
myself so I am going to leave you with the following from his Memoirs.
“As Dad was relating his life story and trying to capture it
into words, I see it has been a remarkable life, filled with hardships and
circumstances that would have tested the strongest among us. Dad met all of his challenges head on and
emerged with flying colours.
As I reminisce over his earlier life when he was a youth and
his life experiences I can see how everything that happened in his life moulded
him into being the person he became.
Beginning with his father whom he loved so much and cared for and who was John’s model all through his
life, who nurtured his faith in God and whose eyes were on Jesus all the
time. This faith was instilled in John
at an early age and it was his faith that saw him through hardships, loneliness
and despair. All of these things
moulded his exemplary character, his highest integrity and his highest moral
standards.
Not holding anything against anyone but only having
unconditional love flow through him in all circumstances. Dad never wavered from his faith in God. This is his foundation, this Rock Jesus where
he gets his strength and salvation, and where the storms of life couldn’t waver
him. He was running the race with his
eyes on Jesus.
Dad was always smiling, showing the happiness within him and
was always cheering someone up with his great philosophy on life.
He is truly a remarkable man, and he is my Dad.
Those words were written by my Mom and I borrowed them
because I couldn’t have said it better myself.
AMEN