Left to cherish his memory are his children: Ken (Martha), Walter (Joyce), Lorraine Wrubleski (Dave), and Sherrill Gering (Glenn); 9 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren as well as sister Erna.
He was predeceased by his wife Ruth and his parents Fredrick and Emilie, and siblings Elsie, Albert, William, Helmut, Arthur, as well as an infant sibling.
A private family service was held. A Celebration of Life to honour Ed will be held at a later date to allow friends and family to get together.
In lieu of flowers the family gratefully accepts donations to STARS.
Ed was born on the family farm near Oakschella, Sk on Oct 22, 1933. He walked or rode a horse to a one room school and he was in a 4-H grain club. In 1948 the farm in Sk was sold and they bought a farm north of New Sarepta. They farmed there until 1958 during which time Ed had raised some purebred Horned Herefords and broke Blackie, a 5 year old stallion which was dear to his heart.
After the farm was sold Ed found his way to operating and then purchasing a backhoe. He worked in the oilfield and put many of the water lines and septic systems in around Hay Lakes and New Sarepta in the 1960’s. He married Ruth Bittner in 1961. They built a house in New Sarepta beside the curling rink but sold that the next year when they moved onto the home place, which is still in the family.
Ed and Ruth raised four children on the farm. It was a mixed farm of dairy and beef with enough cropping to feed the livestock. Ed loved Horned Herefords and started breeding purebred cattle again in 1977 under the same name he had registered 20+ years earlier. He spent countless hours reading the Hereford Digest, choosing bloodlines, going to sales and shows. He took turns taking the kids on trips to Saskatoon to the Red Carpet Sale to sell and buy stock while Ruth and the rest of the family milked cows. The family often laughed that the dairy paid for his habit.
The area had a strong German background so auction sales were a time to visit in German with neighbours and friends. The kids would often complain, “Are you going to talk German all day again?” In fact, Ed and Ruth often spoke German at home when they didn’t want the kids to understand what they were talking about.
Ed loved building. There were several falls in a row when it was said, “We have to get posts in the ground before freeze up” so that when the longer days started in February we could nail planks, rafters and sheathing on cattle shelters or corrals. Ed had massive hands and fingers that never got cold so when the kids complained about the cold he would just grab their hands and ask what the problem was.
Ed and Ruth built another house north of the home place in 1988 when they sold the dairy to the boys. They enjoyed having the grandchildren over. They often fished with Armen and Eleanor Resler, taking great nephews or later, the grandchildren, with them. They loved camping and traveling around Alberta. They consistently attended the Bunnock (Bones) tournament in Macklin, the Rich Valley Fair and the Smoky Lake Pumpkin Festival. Ed loved growing strawberries, potatoes, tomatoes, sunflowers and tending his lawn.
Ruth passed in 2004, which Ed found very difficult. He moved in with Lorraine, Dave and the girls for five years before moving into Planeview Manor and subsequently Extendicare in Leduc. During this time he enjoyed floor curling, playing bingo and ordering a mushroom burger, onion rings and a diet Pepsi. He and Fausy from the Burger Baron had a special relationship.
Ed was very competitive by nature. He had a strong sense of fairness and his temper was almost as quick as his wit but neither was a match for his stubbornness when he felt he was right. He was very proud of his family and the grandchildren. When a challenge like a death in the family or Covid today arose, he would say, “What are you going to do about it?” This can be taken two ways – the things you cannot change and need to accept or the things need to be changed so “get after it.” It was something he lived by.
The family wishes to extend a sincere and heartfelt “Thank You” to everyone at Leduc Extendicare. They were his family on a day to day basis. Their care and compassion went above and beyond all expectations for both Ed and the family – especially in light of the current environment.
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