“Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings: …
with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
the high untrespassed sanctity of space,
put out my hand and touched the face of God.”
Ben Richard Scaman is, once again, soaring through the clouds. Ben passed away on March 2, 2021.
Ben was born in Claresholm, Alberta and met the love of his life, Audrey Amundsen, when he was 19 years old and she 16. Audrey was singing “If You Were the Only Girl in the World” at a community event and Ben decided he wanted her to be his girl. He wrote in his journal, “She sure is a swell kid”.
However, the war intervened and Ben decided to join the RCAF in 1940 and served as a Spitfire pilot with the RAF and RCAF. He achieved notoriety for two events in particular. One was in intercepting an enemy aircraft surrendering as noted in the book “The Great Coup”. The other was his ability to tip over “doodlebugs” or V1 flying bombs by putting the tip of the wing of his Spitfire under the doodlebug wing to send it toppling into a field rather than into its intended target of London. A dangerous tactic as the V1 contained one ton of explosives!
Although Ben and Audrey hadn’t seen each other for three years, they knew they wanted to be together. They got engaged shortly after Ben’s return from overseas and were married three weeks later. The Veterans’ Land Act provided them the opportunity of acquiring a lot on Banff Avenue, and in 1947 they moved to Banff where Ben set up the first propane gas service. He took on many odd jobs such as plumber, taxi driver, guide, bus driver and salesman. In addition, he and Audrey proceeded to build their house by their own labour. When the house was renovated 60 years later, the contractor commented that it was one of the best built houses he’d ever seen!
Their son Don, and daughter Cheryl, were born shortly thereafter. In 1955, the family moved to Edmonton where Ben was a part owner in two machine shops and eventually became the manager of an engine rebuilding shop. They rented the house in Banff to others for 20 years.
In 1975, Ben & Audrey moved back to Banff to the house they had so laboriously built. They loved being back in Banff. For years, Ben worked part time with the Government of Canada road crews and Audrey rented rooms to tourists. They had many years of retirement there and Ben especially enjoyed the view of Cascade Mountain from his front room window.
After 64 years of marriage, Audrey passed away in 2009. Ben continued to talk about her and recently said he wished she was sitting beside him, knitting, as they watched TV together.
In 2018, at the age of 98, Ben grudgingly agreed it was time for him, once again, to leave his beloved home in Banff. He moved to Calgary into an independent retirement community. Within a few months he was very content in his new apartment, having exchanged the view of Cascade for a panoramic view of the Rocky Mountains.
Ben talked a lot about reaching “the Big Double O” and we had a wonderful family celebration in January 2020 to mark his 100th birthday.
One of Ben’s greatest gifts was his interest in others. He was always interested in what you were doing and asking for updates. He often said, “I know what I’m doing. I want to know all about what you’re doing.” He was always engaged in the conversation. Months later he would remember what you had talked about previously. He always went out of his way to acknowledge people attending to him, asking how their day was, be it a server in a restaurant or a doctor in the hospital. He loved to secretly pass mints to someone to brighten their day.
Ben was a gentleman and an accomplished dancer. He was up to date on all current events and loved to discuss what was going on in the world. He was, as they say, as sharp as a tack. He loved to find a good deal at the store and chuckle about the money he’d saved. He was also very generous.
Ben was handy and always had a trick to fix something. He loved his sweets, especially maple buds. He was stubborn! He worked hard throughout his life and demonstrated tenacity and grit.
He will be so dearly missed. Several of his great grandchildren got to know him well and would love to snuggle up with him. He leaves a wonderful family legacy.
He leaves to mourn his son Don Scaman (Michelle Andreychuk), daughter Cheryl (Mike) Hayduk, seven grandchildren, Tanya (Joel) Melanson, Sharma (Scott) Biggs, Reid (Amanda) Scaman, Vanessa (Josh) Chapman, Aven Strohschein, Connor (Sarah) Hayduk, Ellyse (Allan) Lambie, sixteen great grandchildren, and many extended family members.
A private family gathering will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to a charity of your choice.
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