Raymond Stanley Landers

Adam, spoke beautifully at the Service. This is what Adam had to say about his Grandfather.

As I'm sure everyone here knows, my grandfather was a great man. For me, he was more than just my grandpa and it took me a long time to realise it. Growing up without a dad in a family of ONLY women, there isn't many men around to teach you how to be one too. Whether my grandpa knew he was gonna have to be that guy or not didn't matter because he certainly was.

Looking back at things, he wasn't one to sit you down and impart all his wisdoms, but he certainly lead by example. When I look back I see a calm man, with his sun hat on tending to one of the gardens. He'd stay out in the sun just a little too long and then you'd catch him inside 10 minutes after enjoying a nap in his chair. Later that day he'd employ some questionable cooking methods to create a hamburger devout of any moisture and then we could sit down for some good food.

I would follow him around everywhere, he was patient and understanding. I've noticed many things over the years that have sculpted my opinions of him. For example at my grandmothers funeral. I think I caught him finally sit down many hours into that, displaying his unwavering commitment to my grandmother, and a bit of his stubborness too which, maybe I've picked up too. The house was covered in photos. Perhaps a product of both he and my grandma, but it showed me what was most important to them and that was their family.

He worked all day with time for only a few naps or breaks, whistling away in the kitchen while he worked or humming something about some good-looking gal cooking something up for him. Sometimes he made mistakes (if you want an example he no longer has that yellow pasta strainer since he melted that on the burner) and after a little bit of swearing he was right back to the task at hand. He kept things tidy. He was always well dressed for the ocassion. He was always smiling and laughing at things and knew how to make a few jokes and gags himself, just ask Leslie about his teeth!

At the end of the day, now that he's gone, I look back and wonder "if only I asked the right questions sooner" what extra information could I have got out of him? Would he have more advice for me that I could have used? How exactly did you make such fantastic fudge? That being said, he stepped up where there was nobody else. The things I picked up from him are immeasurable and I've only spoken to a few. I'm just grateful for all the time I did have. Thank you

Karen spoke about Raymond's childhood, growing up and being a Father and Grandfather.

Thank you all for coming to visit with us and Celebrate our Father's life.

Raymond Stanley Landers was born August 14, 1930 during the great depression to Katherine and Delbert Landers at 73 McNab St in Stratford, Ont. He was the 7th of 8 children and the 4th out of 5 boys. The house had 3 bedrooms for 10 people and no indoor bathroom at first. The 3 girls came first, Dorothy, Jean and Mae, and they helped raise the boys as did the whole neighbourhood. Many of the neighbours had even larger families than the Landers, but the women all helped each other take care of the children. It was by all accounts a wonderful place to grow up and many a tale has been told about the comaraderie of the children especially amongst the boys. Everyone knew everyone, so the boys all had nicknames in case the Cops nabbed them, then they would only identify the others by nickname. Doug, the oldest brother was Seab after Seabiscuit the race horse, Ken was Henny, for Henny Penny the sky is falling. Ron was Blondie for his platinum blonde hair, Raymond was Huck and with his red hair and freckles you could guess where that name came from, and Gerald was Dimps for his Big dimpled cheeks. For some reason, Ron, Raymond and Gerald's nicknames stuck with them. My Dad hated the name and was very happy to move to Sault Ste. Marie where no one would know his nickname. Raymond and Gerald looked enough alike that later when Raymond would visit Stratford, many people would shout a greeting like 'How's it going Dimps?' He would not bother to correct them. The boys in the winter would play hockey in the willows, which was a swampy area that froze in the winter, but was full of willow trees. Raymond played one season of organized hockey as a goalie and Gerald was also on the team.

As a kid Raymond was always happy to help out doing many different things as long as there was a little pocket money to be earned. He learned his gardening skills from his father and there was always a big vegetable garden to look after. When we moved to the Soo, the vegetable garden was one of the first things my parents put in and we had everything from lettuce and radishes and onions to many tomatoes. My Father was very proud of his flower beds as well and grew beautiful roses along with other gorgeous flowers. Our neighborhood was not very developed in the 60's so there was lots of bush down at the end the street. My Dad took a shovel and a bucket and dug up a nice little birch tree that still grows in the backyard.

Going Back to Raymond's childhood, Brenda loved the story that Father would go to the market and buy a crate of Baby Chicks, (I think they were a penny each) and bring them home for Easter for his Mom. She stopped liking the story when she found out once the chicks grew into chickens they were for the family and neighbors to enjoy for dinner. One year though, they got a surprise. All the chicks were roosters. You can imagine how much the neighbors enjoyed that. Raymond loved bringing home stray dogs too but had to stop when his oldest Sister, Dorothy moved back into the house with her 2 kids, Shirley and Gary who was allergic to dogs. For the younger boys, Shirley and Gary were like two more siblings and since only 3 of them were still home that was only 8 people in the house. Gary said it was still very crowded. Before I was born, Dorothy and the kids moved in with my parents who were very supportive of them.

Father also helped a farmer whose farm was within walking or biking distance, later got a paper route and helped his Dad before school each morning as his Father was the Custodian at Shakespeare public school. He was still custodian when I started school there and I also had the same kindergarten teacher as my Father. Meanwhile, Katherine kept busy with her family of 10 and was a very charitable woman. There were many men riding the freight trains during the Dirty Thirties and it was well known if you stopped at Katie's on McNab St, she would have a meal for you. They would sit on her back porch and enjoy a hot dinner and then continue their travels seeking employment. Katherine also attended the little Baptist Church down the road and took Raymond with her and he sang in the choir. It was never clear to me if any of the other kids went there or sang too. It is possible that she only took Raymond as he was a wanderer and a joker and got into trouble frequently. He used to torment his Grandmother when she was visiting in the kitchen until she had enough and then chased him out. He would head for the front door and the stairs and a few times was soaked by the glass of water she would throw at him. He liked to tease and was sarcastic all his life. Gary, his nephew told me Raymond liked to say something funny or provalkative and then sit back and smile while everyone else discussed or argued. When he was 5 or 6, his Mother could see a little red head strolling down behind the house on the next street. She thought that's Raymond and why is he not in school. When she caught up with him, he told her he didnt feel like going to school that day so he thought he would take a walk.

Needless to say, she marched him right back to school. Raymond also spent time with his Paternal Grandfather (Who came from Britain). He would join him for lunch at the coal yards for Linberger Cheese and Biscuits.

When the second world war started, Doug, the oldest brother signed up. One of my Dad's favourite memories was when Doug was training at Camp Borden and hitchhiked on Christmas Eve to be home to celebrate. He arrived in the wee hrs of the morning and of course Raymond heard him come in. He went downstairs and there was a train set from Santa under the tree so Doug helped him put it together and they were playing with it long before everyone else was up. It was Doug's last Christmas at home. He was killed in Italy in 1944 at the age of 18. He was never forgotten but forever missed.

One day the RCMP came knocking at Grandma's door. They wanted Raymond to join. He had the physical traits they were looking for. Grandma said no, to wait a year. She didnt think he was old enough yet. Who knows what would have happened if she had said yes???

Raymond hated being cooped up in school so achieved a Grade 9 eduation and then went to work. First at Kroeller Furniture Factory, where he hated the smell of the glue. Next he went to work on the trains as a coal man. He got in trouble when the smoke was really black as many people complained. His answer to the boss, in typical fashion, was "Well the coal ain't white". When Raymond got tired of living in a rooming house in Toronto and shoveling coal, he moved home and started working for the Department of Highways.

He met the love of his life, Jean at the hockey rink when she hip checked him as he walked by with his friends. He was 19 and Jean was 15. Of course, her parents would not let them get married until she was 21 and they were married 11 days after her birthday. They had 3 cute baby girls and we lived in a big brick house. I still remember my Father taking me outside and showing me how to peek into the bush at the front of the house. I did and I saw many, many, pairs of eyes looking at me. They were baby owls. So memorable. When Brenda was 2, our Mom and Dad decided to move to Sault Ste. Marie for Raymond's job. My Grandmother was not happy that her babies were going so far away. We arrived in the Soo on Canada Day in 1967, Canada's 100th Birthday! We stayed in a hotel and then went to see the house the next day. We were so excited because it was a pink house and had a yellow telephone.

We settled in and started school in September. My Mom could not drive at that time and Brenda was too young to go so she stayed home for a few years while my Dad was often on the road as his crew looked after the roadside, seeding and cutting back and planting trees, along beside the highways. They discovered a new church was being formed from 3 smaller churches that were going to close. That church became Willowgrove United Church and we went every Sunday, joined the junior choir and programs for the youth. The church congregation grew quite rapidly and soon needed an annex built. My Dad pitched in when and where he could during the construction. It was a wonderful atmosphere to grow up in. My parents met some wonderful people there including and especially Gladys Dukes and her late husband Ernie. They also made many close friendships in our neighborhood.

My Mom eventually got her licence and went back to work and we did well in school. My Dad was promoted and became the Supervisor of the Echo Bay Patrol for the "Ministry of Transportation and Communications" formerly known as the dept of Highways. He was responsible for a large area from east of Echo Bay to north of the city. When the OPP would call to get the plows out or the highway had to be closed, my Dad would get the call no matter what time of night!

Raymond was able to walk all three of us down the aisle for our weddings and remained a constant source of advice and often was quite humouress. About a month after my wedding, Dad had a heart attack and ended up going to Toronto for bypass surgery. He quit smoking cold turkey and in those days you were kept in the hospital longer and had many weeks of outpatient appointments. While there, a Dietition taught Raymond how to eat healthy and when he came home, he always had a salad with lunch, usually with lots of greens. I am positive, the change in his diet gave him longevity. He was able to go back to work before retiring and then began enjoying all his leisure time. For my parents 40th wedding Anniversary, they went with Gladys and Ernie who were celebrating their 50th Anniversary, on an Alaskan Cruise. They went to Nashville and Branson and thoroughly enjoyed being Grandparents of 4, 3 girls, Katherine, Kelly & Leslie and 1 boy, Adam. As children, they all loved to stay at Grandma and Grandpa's. Father would become a short order cook in the mornings. As each person in the house got up, he would offer a wide variety of Breakfast favourites.

Pancakes and waffles (home made of course), Breakfast Sausage, Bacon, Eggs, Toast and Cereal. You name it, he would make it.

As kids, we loved on the weekends when Raymond would spend all afternoon cooking thick slices of potatoes in oil in the electric frying pan. They were our favourite and a great treat. The McKinnons still make them and call them Ray's Fries.

Brenda reminded me that sometimes Father would break into song while he and Mother were cooking together. He would sing Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair. So sweet! Raymond lost his Love our Mother, Jean 10 yrs ago. He missed her terribly all these years.

Vicki told me a funny story the other day about our Dad visiting their cottage. He was helping Bob with something near the water

when he lost his balance and landed flat out on the beach. Leslie asked him later "how tall are you Grandpa?" Bob answered and told Leslie she missed her chance to measure him when he was flat out on the sand. Our Dad thought that was quite funny.

Father had started doing some woodworking projects and made a change table and a wardrobe for Kelly and Leslie's bedroom. Then as the girls got older, he made the 3 girls rocking cradles for their dolls and a rocking horse for Adam.

Father loved the outdoors and enjoyed many hours on the Front and Back decks people watching and encouraging the tomatoes to grow and visiting with neighbors.

He also took a few spills outside and after he broke his arm, needed a little bit of assistance at home. He just loved all the ladies and was a charmer from way back! He was a whistler all his life and sometimes would break into song! Lately he had taken to singing, "That Lucky Old Sun". Up in the mornin' Out on the Job, Work like the Devil for my Pay, But that Lucky Old sun got nothin' to do, But roll around heaven All Day. It was first recorded in 1949 and I imagine Raymond learned it from the radio in his parent's living room. Raymond liked to throw off the Ladies and me by changing the words to suit himself. It was pretty funny at times. I know many of the ladies will remember him fondly as well as Heather and Kate from the Alzheimers Society who he liked to beat at cribbage.

The last few years, Father had taken to telling stories about his life we had never heard before. I have shared some with you today and I hope you enjoyed them.

I would like to finish with a poem that really suits Raymond.

The things that he did

to show you he cared.

The sound of his voice,

The wisdom he shared.

A piece of advice

you'll never forget.

The way that he lived,

examples he set.

The work he put in

to doing things well.

The places he'd been,

The stories he'd tell.

His greatest success

that he was proud of.

His hobbies, his passions,

His Laughter,

his Love.

* * * * * * * * * *

LANDERS, Raymond Stanley- peacefully on Sunday, April 17, 2022 at the age of 91. The last of Del and Katie's Clan has finally joined them for a raucous game of shanghai.

Beloved husband of the late Jean. Loving father of Karen Willert (late John Anderson, late Paul Willert), Vicki McKinnon (Bob) and Brenda Dinsmore (Anthony Brunetta, late Delmar Marcil). Cherished grandpa to Katherine Marcil (Joe Burns), Adam Marcil (Cameron Belsito Marcil), Leslie McKinnon and Kelly McKinnon. Predeceased by his siblings Dorothy Crew (late Stew), Jean Bishop (late Frank), Mae Taylor (late Roy), Doug, Ken (Edna), Ronald (late Dorothy), and Gerald. Survived by his brother in law Lloyd Sidwell (Anna) and many nieces and nephews. Close friend of Gladys and the late Ernie Dukes. Raymond loved to laugh and make others laugh with his own brand of humour. He always had a tune he was singing and a whistle on his lips.

Family and friends may visit Arthur Funeral Home - Barton & Kiteley Chapel (492 Wellington St. E. 705-759-2522) on Saturday May 14, 2022 from 10:00 am until time of service in the chapel at 11:30 am. Rev. Glen Eagle officiating. Interment Greenwood Cemetery. Reception at Willowgrove United Church (55 Tilley Rd.) following interment. Memorial contributions to the Willowgrove United Church, Heart and Stroke Foundation or the Sault Area Hospital Cancer Care Fund would be appreciated. Until we meet again, we love you. A special thank you to the lovely ladies who have been caring for him at home. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.arthurfuneralhome.com for the Landers family.