John Robert Litke

In the presence of family, John R. Litke passed away in the afternoon of Friday, May 24, 2019 at the Barrhead Healthcare Center. He leaves to mourn his loss his wife of 68 years, Wanda; sister Kathy (Keith) Wright of Sherwood Park and brother Stanley (Pat) Litke of Calgary; three sons Dean (Delores) Litke of Barrhead, Jay (Pat Lagore) Litke of Calgary, Del (Denise) Litke of High River; one daughter Heather (Karl) Baker of Barrhead; seven wonderful grandchildren – Derek, Deanna, Christopher, Jacqueline, Brittany, Kyle and Eden; and nine precious great-grandchildren. John was predeceased by his father Jack, his mother Louise and his brother Norman. John was born and raised in Hanna, Alberta. Like most people living through the Great Depression on the prairies, John was greatly influenced by these difficult times of hardship, developing a thirst for success, a tremendous work ethic and great resiliency. As a young man, John moved to Calgary to begin to seek his way in the world. John enjoyed his time in Calgary during the post World War II boom. When working for a prominent clothier in downtown Calgary, John met a young bank teller from Innisfail, Alberta – Wanda Kirkham - and the young couple fell in love. They were married on December 22, 1950 at the home of Wanda’s parents in Innisfail. Opportunity called from Robinson, Little and Company to move up to Grande Prairie, Alberta to service the area as a dry goods salesman for the booming Peace River area. John fondly remembered the small towns, dusty roads and colorful characters of the Mighty Peace. In Grande Prairie, the young couple also welcomed their first child John Christopher Dean on March 2, 1952, and two years later, Lawrence Jay joined the young family on September 4, 1954. As much as John loved working on the road, the family sought more permanence, and in 1957 John and his partners bought a men’s wear store in Barrhead, Alberta from local businessman Frie Bredo. The renamed store, John’s Mens Wear, quickly became an integral part of the Barrhead business community, and it remains so today under the direction of John’s son-in-law, Karl Baker. At the helm of his own business for the first time, John put into effect the lessons he learned both from the clothing businesses in the competitive downtown Calgary market and from his travels throughout the Peace Country, to create a special kind of store. Over the years, John’s Men’s Wear developed its excellent reputation not only for its quality merchandise and excellent service, but also for it being a social hub for lively conversations about sports, politics, business, farming and current events. Additionally, two more children joined the family in Barrhead: Cary Del in July of 1958 and, finally, Heather Dawn in March of 1965. John was an avid promoter of the Barrhead community, particularly in the areas of sports and business. He was involved in the creation of the Barrhead Jr. Elks hockey club and sponsored the Barrhead Blue Jays for a few years as well as many minor sports teams. In the community, he volunteered for many projects as a member of Kinsmen and K 40’s. He also was highly engaged in the Progressive Conservative Party for the Barrhead constituency in support of his close friend, MLA Dr. Hugh Horner. In addition, he was the Chairmen of the Barrhead Police Commission for a number of years and was quick to volunteer for ad hoc committees that helped host events or complete projects for the town of Barrhead. John’s connections and sense of citizenship also took him outside town affairs. Provincially, he sat on Board of Directors for Alberta Terminals Ltd., and nationally, he became the President of the Retail Merchants Association of Canada. He was also appointed to a Federal Department of Industry, Trade and Commerce committee as an advisor on textile and clothing, the first time anyone from the small business sector had been appointed. During their “golden years” John and Wanda loved to travel, visiting Europe, the Caribbean, Eastern Canada and Hawaii, often accompanied by one their life-long “couple” friends: Don and Pat Sharp, Hugh and Jean Horner or Sam and Pauline Huculak. The last number of years of travel took them to Palm Desert, California for a couple winter months – “but only after the sale in January!” They also loved to host their expanding family, especially their beloved grandchildren, at their cottage at Thunder Lake in the summer. The last few years, unfortunately, were tougher for John as deteriorating health and age, plus Wanda’s dementia put an end to travel and much of his ability to connect with his community friends. In the big picture, however, by any measure the determined prairie boy had a long and successful life. He fittingly left this world with his customary grace in the presence of loving family members and in the community that he embraced and served so well.