Mr. Jerome "Jerry" Francis Kuntz

Jerome “Jerry” Francis Kuntz Weyburn, Saskatchewan passed away at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Estevan, Saskatchewan on Tuesday, April 6, 2010, at the

age of 69 years 2 months shy of his 70th. Birthday.

Jerome was predeceased by his parents, Emmanuel & Josephine Kuntz; brother, Alphonse (Norma); brother-in-law, Hughie Knockwood; nephew, Kelly Kuntz; grandchildren, Joshua Kuntz & Zacharey Kuntz, Mother-in-law & father-in-law, Joe & Eunice Demyen; brother-in-law, Donald Demyen; sister-in-law, Donna Dackow and a nephew, Daniel Demyen.

He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Donalda “Carole” of Weyburn, SK; children, Lisa Kuntz of Weyburn, SK, Connie (Stan) Piercey of Moose Jaw, SK and grandsons, Daniel & Nathan Kuntz and Alex & Jeoffery Piercey and Dawn Kuntz of Regina, SK; twin sister, Ilene Knockwood of Courtenay, BC; sister, Lavine (Ken) Stepp of Weyburn, SK and sister, Caroline (Henry) Marcotte of Regina, SK as well as numerous in-laws, nieces and nephews.

Jerome and his twin sister Ilene were born to Josephine and Emmanuel Kuntz, on June 1, 1940 on the farm near Torquay, Saskatchewan. As a child and young boy he was an avid athlete and played on various baseball, hockey and curling teams.

From a young age he was very determined. Grandma Kuntz often shared how as a young boy she would have to tie him to a chair in-order to keep him where she could see him. But dad, being his determined self, would simply get up and go with the chair tied to him, sitting down for a little rest whenever he needed it. As he grew older, his determination never wavered, turning into what some might call a bit of a “perfectionist”. Dad never did anything half way and was very particular about the way things were done. This was often very frustrating for us, but we soon learned to simply keep our mouth shut and let him finish.

Dad joined the military in 1958 along with his twin sister Ilene, serving 23 and ½ years as an instrument electrician on the Hurk, 105, and tutor jets. As a young man, his career took him to places throughout the world. With marriage and children, dad’s military career took him to postings in Edmonton, AB; Cold Lake, AB; and Moose Jaw, SK. He was always learning more about his trade and often went on courses to Germany, Greenland, and so on.

With the help of close friend, Lee Farrell, Jerome met Donalda Carole Demyen on a blind date in December of 1964. He eventually proposed at an A & W Restaurant. They married on a cold blustery Saskatchewan winter day, January 29, 1966. Together they were blessed with three beautiful daughters, Lisa, Connie and Dawn Margaret. Jerome was a very devoted family man, always making time for his daughters. Summers were spent camping, and taking countless trips home to Saskatchewan to visit family and work on the farm. Dad loved the Saskatchewan prairie, visiting museums, and heritage sites. This would take us on some interesting journeys on his famous “short cuts”. We would inevitably reach grandma’s house but not as fast as we had planned. Don’t you know, real men don’t ask for directions? We often wondered if dad was looking to create his own stars on ice, as he took great pride in building us our very own skating rink in the back yard each winter, equipped with flood lights. Dad was a devoted husband and partner and the love of mom’s life. For 44 years they worked side by side building their family, sharing the good times and bad. The loved to spoil each other. Their life together has been an example to us all.

Dad retired from the military in 1985 from 15 Wing Moose Jaw moving to Weyburn to take the position as caretaker of the Royal Canadian Legion where he worked for 14 years. During this time, dad was blessed with his grandsons, who he treated as his own sons, tucking them under his wing and helping them to become the fine young men they are today. Growing up, Daniel and Nathan became dad’s shadows or his “guys” as he would call them, following him everywhere, watching, listening, and learning. While working at the Legion, many happy memories were shared as the boys would help dad set up bingo, play pool, and shuffle board. At the age of 9, Daniel and dad could often be found filling in as a crib team at the Legion on Tuesday evenings.

Family vacations continued over the years, taking us across northern Saskatchewan, to Alberta, British Columbia, and South Dakota. Each trip brought a new adventure in camping, fishing, and seeing countless historical sites.

It is no surprise that dad always loved to eat. Whether it was grandma or mom’s home cooking, or the countless experiments of Dawn and Lisa, dad was always eating. His typical complement was always a twitch of the nose and “It went down”. Over the years, he would often go with mom or Dawn and let them shop while he stopped to have coffee and French fries and gravy.

After leaving the Legion, dad and mom moved to Regina, where they took care of an apartment block with 46 apartments. Over the next seven years, dad became a jack of all trades and was very proud of his building. During this time he met many wonderful people and made many lasting friendships. It was a good thing that dad had the patience of Job as it often served him well raising his daughters and grandsons. Over the years, he taught them all to drive, play cards, fish, complete puzzles, build and fix things. Dad taught us many different card games and there was never a time that we didn’t all get together where we didn’t play cards. As his partners, Dawn, Daniel and Nathan often won many games, and were always kept on their toes. To dad’s credit, Connie inherited her electrical talents. With dad’s help, Nathan can be called on to fix any of your plumbing wows, build shelves, use a measuring tape, insulate, and hang walls. Fixing cars was another one of dad’s talents, which he soon passed on to Daniel. As dad got older, he was the brains and we became his muscles. Just recently, dad and Lisa installed a new kitchen faucet and put up an arbour in the back yard.

Following dad’s heart attack in May of 2004 and having being diagnosed with congestive heart failure, mom and dad retired, moving to Estevan to live with Lisa. During this time, he was able to reconnect and reminisce with his cousins, spending countless hours going for coffee.

In June of 2008, dad, mom and Lisa moved to Weyburn. With a new house and yard, he could often be found in the garage or garden, tinkering to make things just right. Dad was a very devote man, putting all his trust and faith in the Lord. Over the past six years, dad never complained about being sick and often reminded us that he was on God’s time. Always being a father, dad tried very hard to stay with us, long enough to say good bye to each other. As we gathered together in dad’s last days, he reminded us of the importance of family, faith, and prayer. He was surrounded by all his loved ones and he felt comfort with prayers and songs said by his family during this time. Over the next days, this would be the strength that would help us to eventually say good bye. On Tuesday, April 6, after a brief hospital stay, God saw him getting tired, and called him home. Although our hearts are broken, we are comforted that dad isn’t suffering any more and he is home at last with grandpa, grandma, uncle Alphonse, Joshua and Zachary to meet him. We could not have prayed for a better father or husband. He was a family man through and through, and we were all blessed to have called him dad.

The Funeral Mass was held Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 11:00 AM from St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church, Weyburn, Saskatchewan with Celebrant Father Gerry Bauche and Con-Celebrant Father Norman Marcotte. Interment will be at a later date. Prayers were said Friday, April 9, 2010 at 7:00 pm at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, Weyburn, Saskatchewan For friends so wishing, donations may be made in memory of Jerome to the Heart & Stroke Foundation or The Marian House, 1835 Halifax St. Regina, SK.

Condolences may be left at: www.fletcherfuneralchapel.com

“O most holy apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant & friend of Jesus

Pray for us.”

Arrangements were entrusted to Fletcher Funeral Chapels Ltd.

Weyburn, Saskatchewan (306-842-5432)