Harold Douglas Ecklund

The man, the myth, the legend. Harold Douglas Ecklund closed his last gate on February 17, 2026. He was always a morning person and it was fitting that Dad got dressed, said “Good morning” to the staff at Zagime and collapsed on his walker. He did not cause a fuss or commotion, but he also did not get a chance to say one last word of advice or a well told, completely off colour and definitely not politically correct joke. He was tired. He was worn out and he was ready.

Dad was born on May 30th, 1927 on the family farm in the Percival district, one of the earliest Swedish settlements in SK. He was the first son of George and Esther (nee Olson). The old farmhouse would see the birth of three more siblings to Dad. The Irish twin Keith would follow shy of 14 months later followed by Stan in 1929 and “Precious” Doris in 1932. The old farmhouse sadly lost a little one at three weeks, but a few years later in 1939, Sidney came along. This youngest Ecklund was lucky to be born in the Whitewood Hospital. Thus, the moniker, “Sid the Suck” began.

Harold attended Newborger School #2657 at the tender age of six. He knew no English at this time but would learn it at school then come home and teach his siblings his new found knowledge. This is a trait that he carried with him all his life. Telling his minions what to do and how to do it. He was so known for his sayings, phrases and life lessons usually in ten words or less. “Did you miss that class on closing gates?” or “Bet you won’t forget this, cause I won’t let you.” Or ones that we all carried into adulthood: “It’s one thing to do something stupid but it’s ten times worse to stand there and defend that stupidity!”

Handsome Hal worked hard all his life. His, “I didn’t get much education so I always had to use my brains” was doled out regularly. However, Dad did get his Grade XI through correspondence. A big deal to our mom who was always proud of that fact. After this diploma in 1948, Dad worked at Stewart’s Lumber camp in Flanders Ontario, with Harold Anderson and brother Keith where they cut eight-foot spruce trees for $2.40 a cord. He worked hard in the cold and wind, meeting new people and writing home to our mom.

In 1949-50, Dad worked in a Planer Mill in the Upper Frazer Valley in BC. He worked on pile drivers and his job was to paint the pile as they were driven. On a visit back to the farm, he asked our mom Phyllis Fitzpatrick to marry him and on November 1st, 1949 they were engaged. I guess Dad had enough of being a lumber jack as they were married the following October and in 1950-51, he was a little closer to home, running a pole truck at the Coop Refinery in Regina.

But “Big Swede” could not stay away from the farm. In 1951 Mom and Dad moved to the old Hawkes farm. That’s where the real living began. Dad started his infamous ranching career with one cow that Grandpa Fitz (Our mom’s dad) gave him for a wedding gift. From there he worked off the farm to build up his herd. He worked building elevators and also he and his brother Keith ran a gravel hauling business for the old Number One highway and local RM’s. In 1951 Linda arrived so life as a farming family officially started. In 1954 Ken was born and would become his farming partner for decades. Until then however, Harold farmed with Keith and his dad George until 1957. Gary was born in 1959. In 1961, he partnered with Sid and together the brothers raised their families (Brian born in 1963 and Laurie in 1965) side by side with the cousins getting into many shenanigans over the years. According to the cousins they had the best life growing up as farm kids and best friends. George was still farming with his sons and at 73 he could still be seen picking stones and that’s when Ken entered the picture. Grandpa George retired and Ken took up the reins. After Ken’s first year at university in 1974, he and Dad formed a partnership.

Although Dad worked on the farm all his life, all work and no play was not his motto. Mom and Dad travelled with friends to Vegas, Mexico, California and most memorable to Sweden with Linda at the helm. That trip was the “Trip of a Lifetime” he said for years. Dad also did solo trips to Texas to see his brother Stan and to see cousins in Burns Lake and Prince George BC. He also made it to the Dominican for his grandson’s wedding. Trips to Calgary for the Stampede, the Brier with friends, visits with Doris and Roger, skiing with Brian and Laurie when they were little and visiting with his own dad who lived with Doris during that time were precious memories. Attending Brian’s 60th birthday in Calgary and meeting all Brian’s friends was a highlight for Brian. He had told his friends and Ag customers about this Big Swede for years and now they could finally meet the man behind the stories.

Family trips to Hamilton to visit Stan and our Mom’s sisters were fairly regular. One memorable family trip was to Expo ’67 in Montreal. Dad had a brand new 1966 chevy truck with a topper. So, with a full tank of purple gas and $375 cash (probably borrowed) the three older kids crawled into the truck (Linda and Ken in the back) and off they went. Having been pretty frugal, sleeping and eating in campgrounds and the two oldest kids having their own money and with fuel being 35 cents a gallon, Dad even came home with a little cash in his own pocket.

Handsome Hal was always active in curling and later in life, golfing. He also had a dog. Herp (2, 2.0, 2.1) could be found in the back of his truck or curled up on the step. Between his active social life along with his dog, Dad managed to get off the farm again in January 2014 at the age of 86 when Linda took him on a Caribbean Cruise. He only renewed his passport for five years though as he knew nothing was a guarantee. However, saying that, in the same year he purchased a new fuel tank for the farm and signed a five-year contract with the coop! (At his passing the fuel tank had been paid off for six years! Yet he still would not buy green bananas.)

Even though Dad loved his free time and the cabin now was taken care by Gary, retirement was not in Dad’s sights and when Ken brought up selling the cows, Dad would have none of it. Ken had to work off the farm and he thought selling the cows, would make things easier. Dad won and continued that task until 2018.

When Dad started slowing down, meaning he watched more curling than played, couldn’t get in and out of a fishing boat easily, did not attend two men’s golf nights each week and started using a cane, the family got homecare involved. Dad wanted to be on the farm and with the wonderful homecare staff coming twice a week to make a few meals and “supervise” him in the tub, he was able to do just that. He would call Gary daily whenever he had a question on the sump pump, septic pump out, washing machine, lazy boy chair, or the television remote. Gary had so much more confidence than we had with our dad and technology, he even had him working an iPad so he could watch his old favourites like Bonanza, Gunsmoke and Cheers. If it wasn’t Gary helping dad out, it was Ken. Once Dad admitted that he probably should not be driving, Ken would pick up Dad twice a day. Once in the morning for breakfast at the CanAm and then again in the afternoon for Happy Hour. Dad treasured those times as being in the know, surrounded by family and friends was what our socialite father loved. In hindsight he probably suffered from FOMO and his children probably inherited this as well!

Dirty Harry had many claim to fames but only having moved a mile in his entire life was definitely one of the big ones. However, in November of 2023, Dad agreed to try assisted living in Broadview at Zagime. There he was greeted with another great, caring staff who accepted his partaking of supper a little later than the other residents to accommodate his happy hour priorities. His good friend Denis would pick him up every day, sometimes earlier than 3:30 to go for a drive before the gathering. His youngest daughter Laurie would drive from Saskatoon and pick him up regularly, usually every three weeks to have a weekend at the farm. When this happened, Ken would pick Dad up in the morning and go for breakfast and in the afternoon Harold and Laurie would visit friends, do errands, get a haircut or go for a drive. Dad loved these trips to the farm, as he still felt the farmer inside him and he would always rubber neck as we passed Dallas’ yard to see if his truck was at the shop and if it was, we would whip in there for a quick catch up and depending on the season, talk about calving, harvest, seeding, latest machine purchases and of course latest breakdowns.

Dad was doing a little doctoring in the fall of 2025. Denis took him to the Broadview Hospital for his cough. He received some antibiotics and was told to use his puffer. Around this time, Ken took Dad and Sid to Moose Jaw to visit with their brother Keith and Dad was so glad they did that as he figured it would be the last time they could all be together. The trip to Saskatoon on October 25 for his granddaughter’s wedding was another highlight. However, on a second trip to the doctor, just before Christmas, Dad was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He had a great Christmas with the family, staying at the farm, playing lots of crib, watching the news and having daily Happy Hours with neighbours and friends.

On February 14th of this year, as Laurie and Harold went for a drive, he couldn’t believe that the weather was so beautiful. He recalled his own dad’s birthday (on the 14th) so many years ago when horses and cutters were used to gather together in celebration and the wind and cold would cut right through you. He commented how we now drive around in luxury with heated seats and steering wheels. Dad had seen so many changes in his almost 100 years, the same as his own Dad, our Grandpa George who also passed away at….98.

Harold leaves to continue his stewardship of land and life his four children: Ken (Donalda), Gary (Sandra) and first wife Dianne, Brian and Laurie(John) and first husband Joel, his ten grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren: Miranda (Chris) and their children Tala and Mavrik, Derek (Jess) and their children Kai, Jagger and Crue and Morgan (Sheola), Roxann (Mike) and their children Amilee and Freya, Kate and her children Ainsley, Gunner and Brooklyn, Alexsa (Lane) and Kali, Makayla (Sheldon), Carmen (Tyler) and Jake (Hanna). He also leaves to mourn his brother Keith (Edna); sister Doris Haynes; brother Sid (Maryanne) and many nieces and nephews.

Harold was predeceased by his wife of 59 years Phyllis, his grandson Jason, his brother Stan and his daughter Linda.

Rest in peace Dad. You always said, “Blessed are those who go quickly.” You were loved by so many, for so long and a huge hole has been left in our hearts and in our communities. It is the loss of an era.

A visitation will be held in the Broadview Community Centre, Broadview, Saskatchewan on Thursday, February 26, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. The funeral service will follow in the same location at 2:00 p.m., officiated by Pastor James R. Graham. A private family interment will take place in Percival Cemetery.