May 10, 2019
By Obituaries on May 10, 2019.
1932 ~ JOHN WILLIAMS ~ 2019 John Harvey “Jack” Williams passed away on Thursday, May 2nd, 2019 at the age of 86 years. A Celebration of Jack’s Life was held yesterday at the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede Grounds, Higdon Hall. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to show their respect, may donate to the Blair Stroh Cowboys for Kids, in Jack’s name. Condolences may be sent through http://www.saamis.com or to condolences@saamis.com subject heading Jack Williams. Funeral arrangements are entrusted toSAAMIS MEMORIAL FUNERAL CHAPEL CREMATORIUM & RECEPTION CENTRE, "The Chapel in the Park" #1 Dunmore Road SE, Medicine Hat, AB T1A 1Z5 (403)528-2599 http://www.saamis.com inquiry@saamis.com Locally owned and directed CGR Holdings Ltd.
ANN KATHERINE KAPPELMAN (NEE BEVAN) September 12, 1954 ~ May 3, 2019 Ann Kappelman passed away in Medicine Hat on Friday, May 3, 2019, at the age of 64 years. Ann was born in Kerrobert, SK. and was raised in North Battleford, Burstall, and Abbey, SK. Thereafter, Ann moved to Medicine Hat. She made her home there for a number of years before her next move to Hawaii. In her 35 years there, Ann enjoyed every moment of sunshine she could! It was during this time that she worked for Hans at a job that provided her with the opportunity to travel the world. While working for Hans, they developed a strong father/daughter bond which continued when she moved back to Medicine Hat. In February of 2018, Ann moved back to Medicine Hat where she continued to reside until her passing. She had always lived her life to the fullest, had a fantastic sense of humour, and was always positive every time you saw her. Ann loved horses as well as bright, beautiful colours. Her love for colours was evident through the colours she used to paint her home… bright yellow, green and blue! Every moment in Ann’s life was filled with joy and enthusiasm and if it wasn’t there, she created it! Although small in stature, she commanded the attention of those in any room she entered with her big personality. Ann was a firm believer that it was vital to have 7 hugs a day and she always did her best to make sure those around her received theirs . She will live on in the hearts of her family; Toby (Ev), Ruth (Allen), Janice (Mike), Colin (Bonnie), Jay, Jascinta, Cameron George (Jemma), Kaitlyn, Conrad, and Jess. Ann was predeceased by her parents, Lloyd and Joan (Reg). Everyone Ann called ‘friend’ was truly thought of as a part of her family. She had so many friends whom she loved and who loved her, but the family would like to especially acknowledge Adelle. Private interment will be held at a future date. (Condolences may be expressed by visiting our website at http://www.cooksouthland.com) Donations may be made to your local SPCA or any animal charity of one’s choosing. Honoured to serve the family is
Cook Southland Funeral Chapel, 901 – 13th Street S.W. Medicine Hat, Alberta T1A 4V4 Phone 403-527-6455
DICK FLUG 1946 ~ 2019
Mr. Richard ‘Dick’ James Flug, beloved husband of Donna, passed away at St. Joseph’s Home – Carmel Hospice in Medicine Hat on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, at the age of 72 years. Along with Donna, left to cherish Dick’s memory are his children; son, Joe (Melanie) Flug and their children, Maddy, Emma and Dani; daughter, Clara (Ryan) Chernezky and their children, Taryn, Mason and Keely. Dick had a very fulfilling career working for Canada Post for 29 years. He loved listening to music and collecting records. Dick was a loving husband, father and the best Papa ever! He loved spending time with his family and will be deeply missed! A Celebration of Dick’s life will be held at a later date. Memorial donations may be made directly to St. Joseph’s Home – Carmel Hospice, 156 – 3 Street N.E., Medicine Hat, Alberta T1A 5M1. (Condolences may be expressed by visiting our website at http://www.cooksouthland.com) Honoured to serve the family is
Cook Southland Funeral Chapel, 901 – 13th Street S.W. Medicine Hat, Alberta T1A 4V4 Phone 403-527-6455
LEONARD VAN MAARION February 4, 1922 ~ May 4, 2019 Leonard was tired and ready to go, anxious to reunite with his life partner, Caroline, who predeceased him in January of 2018. Len was born February 3, 1922 and spent all of his 97 years living at the ranch, south of Seven Persons. He attended High Bank School, completing grade 8, at which time he started his career, working full time on the ranch. Lennie is survived by three sons: Richard (Meridith), their children, Jesse (Ashley), great-grandchildren, Montana, Meadow, and Jasper; Megan (Jared) Wever, great-grandchildren, Sophia, Mila and Barent; Emily (Tim) Erickson, great-grandchildren, Steele and Ember; Ronald (Wendy), their children, Nicole (Kevin) Dalgleish; Casey and great-grandchildren, Hayden, Sylvan, Treyton, and Satayjah; Murray (Karen) and their children, Kelsi (Raymond) Wagenaar, Travis, and Tristan as well as Tammy, Dalyce and Dustin. Len is also survived by his brother, Jack (Ella) and their sons, Craig, Todd (Natalie) as well as numerous great-nieces and nephews.
Len was predeceased by his wife of 66 years, Caroline; son, Brent; brother, Richard; twin sisters and their spouses, Eve (Jack) Gloslie, Evelyn (Art) Entzminger as well as his niece, Vicki Lyn Leuck. Sundays were special days for Len. Everyone knew there would be a beautiful meal and they would be welcome. He and Caroline welcomed family and friends to their farm kitchen for a home cooked meal. Len was close to Caroline’s siblings – the Greenstein’s, their spouses and their families and they were always welcome at the farm. Airplanes, stationary engines, fixing and repairing farm equipment, drilling wells – Dragon’s Den would have been a go to for Len. Len proudly displayed his antique engines at the Mediicne Hat Exhibition & Stampede for many years right up until the age of 96. Len was generous with his time and would help out neighbors when they needed a hand. Thanks to the neighbors who helped out these past years as Len and Caroline tried to maintain the ranch. Thank you also to the staff at AgeCare Valleyview, Masterpiece Southland Meadows, and Dr. Van der Merwe. Staff were so kind to dad and always treated him with respect. Thanks to Cook Southland Funeral Chapel for their assistance and special thanks to Pastor Koopmans for valuable time spent with Len. A Celebration of Leonard’s life will be held at the Christian Reformed Church, 300 Primrose Drive SE, Medicine Hat on Thursday, May 16, 2019, at 2:00 p.m. with Pastor George Koopmans officiating. (Condolences may be expressed by http://www.cooksouthland.com) Honoured to serve the family is Cook Southland Funeral Chapel, 901 – 13th Street S.W. Medicine Hat, Alberta T1A 4V4 Phone 403-527-6455
MARGARET BOWLES I have witnessed many beautiful sunrises in my life, but the morning of May 2, the horizon was such an blinding sea of bright pink that it literally stopped me in my tracks.
Exhausted from what was thrown on my plate the day before and already putting together my to-dos of the day, I was speechless at what I saw when I came up the stairs at 5:30 a.m. After standing on the front step for a few minutes to take in the amazing view, I set about my business. At 6 the phone rang. It was Belinda calling to tell me that my sister Margaret had gained her angel wings shortly after 5. My heart immediately flooded with an indescribable peace and happiness unlike anything I have felt before. Amid a blaze of pink, I knew I had witnessed my sister’s soul fill with relief and joy at finally being free of the trials she endured here on earth. It had been the most perfect send off. She passed the same way she lived. A beautiful unassuming soul, who never commanded the limelight, but somehow earned it just by being herself. When people die we search for the words to tell the world what an amazing person they were. Yet, as I was trying to prepare this eulogy I didn’t feel a pressing need to do so as I feel comforted by the knowledge that her actions spoke greater than any of my words could. If everyone in this room stood up and said something about Margaret, you would undoubtedly hear that she was smart, she was kind and she was hard-working. She was creative, she was talented and she was dependable. She could plunk out 120 words a minute on the typewriter, without a mistake. She was always well-dressed but she was never fancy. She never spent money on expensive things – unless of course it was the perfect piece that tied everything together. Even then she would debate if there wasn’t some way she could just make it herself. Growing up I often heard about how good Margaret was at doing things. Although Margaret always scoffed at my stories of her perfection, we both knew the drive for perfection was in our blood. After all, from birth our mother instilled in us that there is no point doing a job unless you do it right. Our mom worked hard to give us a place that we were proud to call home. I remember her hiding pennies under the doilies to make sure we dusted properly. She was obsessed with making sure everything matched and looked just so and if it did not we always had to figure out some way to make sure it did. As much as we sometimes hated mom’s perfection, both of us have spent our lives trying to strive for the same level of perfection: We know the value of hard work and having the persistence to never give up. If you don’t know how to do something, you read up on it and teach yourself until you do; We know the joy of thinking outside the box, giving old things new life or finding a cheaper way to accomplish something. And we definitely understood why everything needed to match! For better or worse I believe these family traits are what united us as sisters. As life goes full circle many of these traits have been passed down to our children and our grandchildren. A eulogy for my sister would be incomplete without mention of her husband Keith. The dictionary defines soulmate as a person ideally suited to another as a close friend or romantic partner. My brother-in-law Keith was both of those things to my sister. With those two there was no such thing as better half, because they were always one and were incomplete without the other. I was so proud to be part of their family. They had their own little empire north of Maple Creek in the Royal Edward District. They had an impressive herd of cattle – Angus and Limousin cross that they built together from the bottom up. Their herd earned them great respect in the cattle world. They were good neighbours and friends, always willing to lend a hand to anybody who needed it. They were experts at living within their means and Margaret always had her eye on the bottom line. Keith respected and appreciated her so much for that, and even though they talked about low cattle prices and tough times, it was obvious that thanks to Keith’s hard work and Margaret’s keen financial planning they never really knew what rock-bottom was. Margaret put hundreds of miles on her little Ford Fiesta driving to work at Orr’s Law Office. When she wasn’t working she was out in the corral with Keith, moving cows or tending to her garden or her flowers. The ground was sandy there, but Margaret had a knack for making things grow – especially her columbines and other self-seeding perennials, which brought her great joy, likely because it meant she didn’t have to spend money buying bedding plants at the store. She was always sewing, knitting, crocheting or doing cross-stitch and she was always doing books for somebody. In income tax season she would work many extra hours, but still be ready for branding by the first Sunday in May. Although Keith put most of the meals on the table, Margaret always did her share by peeling the potatoes in the morning before she left for work. On the weekends in the summer she could be found stewing rhubarb or canning peaches – rhubarb slush was her speciality. Keith and Margaret were an amazing couple and they were so proud of their daughters Belinda and Michelle. When their two son-in-laws, Sheldon and Shane and my husband Ivan entered the picture, Keith and Margaret embraced them like the sons they never had. When the grandkids came along it was hard to miss the pride they felt. There was always fresh cookies and ice cream when they came to visit, and grandpa and grandma always took time to show them things. Their eldest grandchild Jordyn says it was decorating cakes with Margaret that inspired her to be a professional baker and the boys loved listening to their grandpa talk about the cattle. It was Margaret who taught Emery how to ride a bike. All of Keith and Margaret’s grandchildren are turning out to be incredible kids and adults. Some would say it is because they had such wonderful grandparents. Not once did any of us hear them fight. After Keith passed Margaret retired, moved to town and remarried. Her and Merv were active members in their church and she got much enjoyment from the services and the fellowship she shared with their church family. The last years of her life were difficult, but Margaret dug in and endured them with her same unassuming persistence, which has inspired her granddaughter Codee to become an RN. She rarely complained and she always had a smile for everyone who visited. In many ways her last years, were among the most peaceful in her life. Death can be a horrible thing, or it can be a wonderful thing. Today we find great JOY in knowing that Keith and Margaret are together again. We feel HOPE in knowing that Margaret has been given the chance to live again, to create, to laugh, to quietly make a difference, just the way she did on earth. The long goodbye is over and the final page has been turned but it won’t be the final chapters that we remember, but rather all the wonderful chapters before. What a beautiful book my sister has written. How fitting that my parents named her Margaret – Joy – Hope.
As read by her sister Anne.
SUSANNA J. HOFER Susanna J. Hofer of Spring Creek Colony, beloved wife of the late Joseph S. Hofer, passed away suddenly on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, at the age of 82 years.
Born to Joseph and Susanna Stahl, in Rockyford, AB, on April 28, 1937, Susanna married Joseph Hofer in 1960 and moved to Spring Creek Colony, Walsh, AB where she resided until her passing.
Susanna was a loving and caring grandmother with a firm and grounded Christian faith. She was a steadfast believer in community and could always be counted on to lend a helping hand or offer advice. We will remember her as a dedicated servant and a quiet leader. She led by example, and we are grateful for the years we were given to be loved by her and to learn from her.
Left to cherish her memory are her sons, Joseph (Esther) Hofer, Solomon (Margaret) Hofer, and Andy Hofer of Walsh; daughters, Matilda Walter of Turin, AB, and Marie Hofer of Walsh; twenty grandchildren, Rhoda, Tim (Roseann), Leona, Rachel, Titus (Melissa), Jordan, Amanda, Meghan (Danny), Frieda (David), Justin (Megan), Naomi, Annemarie (Phillip), Caleb, Junia, Carol, Michelle, Heidi, Jayden, Tamra and Tanya; as well as eight great-grandchildren.
Susanna is also survived by her brothers, Minister Joseph (Barbara) Stahl, and Minister Solomon M. Stahl of Spring Water, SK; sisters, Maria (Minister John) Stahl of Gadsby, AB, Magdalena J. Wurz and Sarah C. Wurz of Wilson, AB, and Kathrina (George) Stahl of Veteran, AB; sisters-in-law, Susanna Stahl and Kathrina Stahl of Spring Water, SK and Susie M. Hofer and Susie P. Hofer of Walsh.
She was predeceased by her husband of 54 years, Joseph S. Hofer; son Henry; son-in-law Ben Walter; brothers John and George Stahl; and several brothers-and-sisters-in-law.
The funeral service will be held in the Spring Creek Hutterian Church (Spring Creek Colony, Walsh) on Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow in the Spring Creek Cemetery. To e-mail an expression of sympathy, please direct it to: pattfh@telusplanet.net subject heading: Susanna J. Hofer, or you may visit http://www.pattisonfuneralhome.com and leave a message of condolence.
Funeral Arrangements are by the PATTISON FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATORIUM 540 South Railway St. SE, Medicine Hat T1A 4C2
TAYEKO HASHIZUME April 18, 1919 ~ February 5, 2019 Tayeko Hashizume passed away peacefully in Medicine Hat on Tuesday, February 5, 2019, at the age of 99 years. She was born the 3rd of 8 children to Kuniyoshi and Misue Mori in Abbotsford, BC., on April 18, 1919. Tay will be lovingly remembered by her five children: Ruth Erickson of Atascadero, CA, Grace (Fred) Takagi of Vernon, BC, Robert (Gitta) of Medicine Hat, Howard (Alice) of Medicine Hat and Reginald (Laurie) of Victoria, BC; eleven grandchildren: Jeffrey (Heather) Takagi, Cary Hashizume (Keith Lehman), Kevin Takagi, Bryce Hashizume, Marnie (Ryan) Doig, Robin Erickson, Tomiko Johnson (Duhane Lam), Jennifer Hashizume Lee (Chris Gregory), Kimiko Erickson, Michael Hashizume, Matthew Hashizume (Olga Pidhirska) as well as seven great-grandchildren: Madison Lee, Lola Doig, Adalia Doig, Van Doig, Abigail Takagi, Bracken Takagi and Kieran Lam. She is also survived by three sisters. Tay was predeceased by her daughter, Ann Johnson, son-in-law, Eric Erickson, a daughter in infancy as well as three brothers and one sister. During her lifetime, Tay lived in Abbotsford, Mission City, Lethbridge, Diamond City, rural Taber and 70 years in Medicine Hat. She was married with two daughters when WWII broke out and Canadian-born Japanese Canadians were forcibly evacuated from the Fraser Valley. To stay together as a family they chose to relocate to Southern Alberta and help farm sugar beets, enduring harsh conditions. In 1949, the family moved to Medicine Hat when the wartime restrictions (regarding property purchase and travel for Japanese Canadians) were lifted. Tay helped pioneer irrigated farming in Southern Alberta, growing potatoes, onions and corn as well as growing test plots for the Lethbridge and Brooks Agriculture Experimental Stations. In 1973, she sold her dry land property to her newly formed company, Town and Country Packers, and captured the potato packaging market in the Medicine Hat area, serving all wholesale outlets and keeping very busy all year round. Tay officially retired from farming in 1989 – 90 and continued her volunteer activities. A member of the Medicine Hat Quota Club since 1964, Tay also has been a member of the Medicine Hat Business and Professional Women’s Club since 1978. From 1986 to 1989, she was a board member for Alberta Culture and Multiculturalism. Tay’s proudest volunteer achievement was being awarded one of 25 “Citation for Citizenship” certificates from the Federal Government in 1991 for her efforts to promote multiculturalism through the Medicine Hat Multicultural Folk Arts Council which was presented at a special ceremony in Ottawa. Tay’s many years of volunteering received many other local, provincial and federal honours. The family would like to thank Riverview Care Centre for the care provided to Tay during her final months. A Celebration of Tay’s life will be held at Cook Southland Funeral Chapel, 901 – 13 Street S.W., Medicine Hat on Saturday, May 18, 2019, at 2:00 p.m. with a time of fellowship and refreshments thereafter in the Cook Southland Reception Facility. (Condolences may be expressed by visiting http://www.cooksouthland.com) If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made to the charity of one’s choice. Honoured to serve the family is
Cook Southland Funeral Chapel, 901 – 13th Street S.W. Medicine Hat, Alberta T1A 4V4 Phone 403-527-6455
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