January 15, 1929 - Monday 17, 2020 (91 years)
Philip Soehn “my dad” passed away at his home in Chilliwack BC. Phil was a lot of things, but the main thing he was… he was cool!.
What I mean by that is that Philip lived life and since his passing I have met many of his and my mothers long time friends, who have added to the stories I already knew.
Phil arrived in Canada when he was an infant. He grew up in a small town in Saskatchewan called Fox Valley. His formative years where spent in the dust bowls of the dirty thirties. Coming from a large family he learned the value of things especially your responsibility to others. A lesson which he passed onto me in very philosophical ways and at opportune times.
At around 16 he travelled to Calgary and drove truck. Later he moved onto construction and drove a turn-a- pull a big scraper kind of machine. He worked on the Kenny dam and when construction jobs got less he spent his weekends playing pool for food and rent money. A skill learned working in the Fox Valley pool hall.
For a time he and my mother and two sisters worked in Hope B.C. which from all the stories was not their best times.
Somehow they ended up in Prince George B.C. construction jobs were hard to come by. One of his friend told him about a job at the local Gaol. It would be a large cut in his pay but it would be a guaranteed income and health benefits. Her decided to try it. He stayed there for thirty five years outlasting four wardens and finishing with a university degree granted by the B.C. premier, in business management and acting as the business manager until he retired.
During this time I learned all my outdoor and life skills from him. My mother and I went camping many a weekend Dad teaching me to shoot a rifle at age 6. His insistence I join the boy scouts until I was reached the top gave me many life skills. And because he did not insist on many things I was happy to oblige.
While we were in Prince George they enjoyed archery at the archery club, pool and darts and horseshoes at the royal Canadian legion. He also tied his own flies for fishing made his own Knives and did leather work and what most people remember him for is his art work. Phil like the rest of the family, I believe inspired by his father Anton, where great at art in all its forms and thinking out of the box to create what yourself or other needed to get by.
When my Dad retired at 55, They moved to Chilliwack to “not have to shovel snow anymore”. During this time my dad carried on all his hobbies hunting fishing darts horseshoes pool and later a new one poker. I should mention my dad and his hunting partner Al Colins hunted in the same area in the Chilcoltn with a group of friends and for while myself for 45 consecutive years.
My dad and mother travelled to Reno a couple times a year to play poker. After my mother passed in 2006 my dad started to focus more on his art and poker, Texas holdem. My dad played to win but his biggest joy was “to beat those 60 year olds”.
One of the main life lessons my dad encouraged at the end of every phone call in the last decade for sure was “As long as you have your health, all the other stuff will work itself out”. I would counter “Life is not years of living but moments to be enjoyed.”
So you may ask what makes my Dad so cool? He was always there for the family while doing all their activities he helped us craft our way through life by gently prodding us in the right direction. Teaching us that handwork and the right attitude would help us achieve our goals and that winning was necessary but it must be earned for it to mean anything. Which dad do you know who at 80 years old takes a life of conservatism and turns into a semi professional Gambler. As I have heard all the stories looked through all the photos the prevailing thought I had was “My Dad was Cool”
He will be greatly missed
Love his Son Ken Soehn
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