The 'Christian cartoonist' who brought smiles to the faces of thousands for more than half a century, has passed away at the age of 102. Ernie died at Menno Home in Abbotsford on July 15. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Rose, of Abbotsford, along with his children, Valerie, (Phil) of Ladysmith, and Gary (Linda) of Sherwood Park, Alberta, three grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents, Albin and Hedvig along with his brother, David, and sister, Thelma.
Ernie was born in the family farmhouse on the Matsqui Prairie on Feb. 4, 1919, less than three months
after World War One had ended. Ernie, who grew up in the Scandinavian community of Ridgedale in what is now north Abbotsford, was introduced to cartooning at age four by his grandmother, Hulda Poignant. She started to draw a stickman and Ernie finished it. He was soon doodling every chance he got. His first cartoon appeared in Canadian Poultry magazine in 1940.
After a stint working as a civilian mechanic at the Canadian air training base at the Abbotsford airport, Ernie enlisted with the Canadian army. While stationed at Ontario’s Camp Borden, a live mortar detonated close by, permanently damaging his hearing. Despite the injury, he remained on active duty at several military bases in Canada throughout World War Two. On the side, Ernie continued to draw and several of his cartoons appeared in military publications. After the war, Ernie used his family connections and was hired at the Swedish Press in Vancouver as a linotype operator and page layout compositor and was also a regular editorial cartoonist. In 1949, he moved to a similar job in the central B.C. town of Quesnel where he was hired as a compositor with the Cariboo Observer. He also produced a weekly editorial cartoon.
While sketching a cartoon on a napkin in a cafe he caught the eye of a young waitress named
Rose Zack. Romance soon blossomed and the couple married in 1954. They had two children before moving south to Maple Ridge in 1958. Ernie then became a compositor at the weekly Gazette and was continuing his weekly gig as a cartoonist. But Ernie, an outgoing man, wanted to experience a personal reaction to his drawings. Prompted by a story in a U.S. magazine he trained himself and started performing chalk talks. He created a variety of illustrated stories he would use during his performances, including his personal testimony as a new Christian called ‘From the bottle to the bible.’ He also delivered secular presentations, including one where he would sketch a duck, add a few lines and turn the duck into a duck hunter. In 1977 he introduced his Initial Drawing, a unique creation where participants print their initials on a blank sheet of paper and pick a favourite animal. Ernie then drew a personal storyboard using the two letters to recreate a cartoon of the subject along with their animal. In 1984, Ernie retired from the Gazette but said he then “became busier than ever.”
For 30 years he entertained children at the BC Children’s Hospital, Canuck Place and Ronald McDonald
House and other facilities. He also found time to publish his first book of cartoons - People, Pencil and
Paper - in 1994. In 2003 Ernie moved back to Abbotsford and he was soon using his unique skills to entertain people of all ages - from Canuck Place Abbotsford to senior’s centres. In 2011, he was given a life-time achievement award by the Abbotsford Arts Council for his tireless efforts through these performances.
In 2013 he raised more than $8,300 for Abbotsford’s Canuck Place children’s hospice through the sale of his second cartoon book - Poignant Moments. “I may be slowing down, but I’ve still got my marbles,” said Ernie, who gave most of the praise to Rose. He said, “My success would not have been possible without her,” adding that his wife was his driver, inspiration and sounding board for many of his creations. Ernie, who rarely took payments for his performances, said the reaction he received from people through his chalk talks and Initial Cartoons is what he always found so satisfying. Ernie performed his unique Initial Cartoon well past the century mark, entertaining at hospices, churches, schools and hospitals.
On his 101st birthday in 2020, he signed copies of his third cartoon book - Welcome to the Past - at Trethewey House Heritage Site in Abbotsford. A week later, Ernie drew for children at Canuck Place Children’s Hospice (Dave Lede House) in Abbotsford. Ernie, sporting a 101-years-younghat, often said, “I like to keep busy. It keeps me young.” Less than a month later, COVID-19 hit but Ernie was not deterred. He continued to sketch and draw for staff and residents at Menno Home until shortly before he passed.
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