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Margret Ellen Luella Eriksson
1920-2002
Margret Ellen Luella Eriksson, resident of Rotary Manor and former-resident of Agassiz B.C., passed away at Dawson Creek & District Hospital on October 4th, 2002. A funeral service was held at 1:00pm on October 8, 2002 at the Bergeron Funeral Chapel, Dawson Creek, with Pastor Gary Henderson officiating.
Cremation followed.
Mom was born July 27th, 1920 at Spruce Home, Saskatchewan. She was the third of nine children of Wallace and Eva Sumners. In 1928 the family moved to a homestead at Christopher Lake.
Margaret married Vie Kilworth in 1938 and in March 1939 their oldest daughter, Ann was born. Gwen was born in March 1940. Mom worked hard gardening, canning fruit & vegetables and tons of jam & pickles. Gwen & I always had home knit mitts and socks. We were never cold or hungry.
In December 1954 Margret moved with her daughters to Dawson Creek to be closer to her sister, Anne Torrey. She worked at the New Palace Cafe, the Hudson Bay, the Post Office and at the new Canada Safeway on 13th Street.
After the girls were married Margret worked in the Yukon, Prince George and in Alberta. She led a very active life until 1966 when she suffered a heart attack. Mom was one of the first persons in Canada to have a quadruple bi-pass and valve replacement. Given a 20 chance of surviving the operation she showed the world she wasn't ready to quit.
In 1978, Mom met Nils Eriksson and for 22 years they lived a happy busy life. Mom always said they were the best years of her life. In 1979 they moved to Agassiz, B.C. where she made many friends. They enjoyed the Senior Citizens Center and Mom was a member of the Legion. She enjoyed the legion activities and her "club" the Charlotte Rebeccas.
Mom and Nils enjoyed floor curling, cribbage and of course Mom enjoyed Bingo!!
They loved to travel and made a trip to Alaska to visit Ann. There were trips to Vegas and to Dawson Creek to visit with Ken & Gwen. Visits with brothers, sisters and extended families. They both enjoyed camping and dancing
In 1983, Mom had a serious stroke which left her partially disabled. The isability was purely physical as her mind was still as sharp as a tack. Nils gave her no choice but to walk and to continue to live a good life. He was faithful with her therapy to her arm and leg. He cared for Mom physically, emotionally and with loving kindness. Nils passed away June 2, 2000 and left a hole in her heart. Mom was a very private person and didn't like people asking questions. She had her own rules for life, one of which was: "When she asked us to do something for her, she meant now, not later or tomorrow. If she wanted it done tomorrow, she would ask you tomorrow."
Mom was a wonderful Mother and friend.
Mom enjoyed her home at Rotary Manor. She loved to read and watch her "Soap". She was devoted to the Monarchy; her favorites were the Queen Mom & Lady Di. She loved country music and the outings with the Manor residents.
In September we took Mom to Edson to visit Uncle Ewart. They had a good visit and we are so glad we took the time to go.
Margret was predeceased by her husband, Nils Eriksson, her parents, brothers: Harold, George, Cliff, Clarence & Pat Sumners. Her sisters - Anne Torrey and Cathy McKillican.
She is survived by her daughters: Ann Meier and Gwen (Ken) Fordyce. Her grandchildren: Terry (Doug) Traina, Brenda (Tom) Moran, Bruce (Tracy) Hartman, Victor (Denene) Fordyce, Corrie (Tony) Sikora,& Lorna (Rick) Stauffer. Great grandchildren: Kenny & Kristin Stauffer, Amanda & Braden Fordyce, Brittany Ulledal, Ryan & Kyle Moran, Daniel & Benjamin Traina. Her brother, Ewart (Fay) Simmers, many nieces, nephews and friends.
You fought the good fight and now you are resting in God's house. I miss you already Mom, and I want to thank you for the most beautiful gift a Mother could give to her daughter - My Sister!!
Eulogy by Ann Meier.
C. Mason Miller Story (the passing of an era)
1909 - 2007
History of Mason Miller in the Rolla District. (as written by Mason)
I came in 1912
I homesteaded 1927
I married 1940
I died………..
I have saved myself a lot of time, and the history makers a lot of paper, so I will jot down a few memories. ……….
We are going to tell you a story about a very young boy, born May 14 1909, in Chelsea, South Dakota, who moved with his family to a very big new country. Moving into the Peace country in 1912, with his 3 sisters and 4 brothers, he was only 3 years old. They had buried twin girls on the way here and another brother was to be the first white male child born in this area. Grandpa Miller named Rolla in honor of his birth place, Rolla, Missouri, U.S.A.
The young boy grew up on a farm very close to here, enjoying the freedom of childhood. One day someone brought a young bear cub to the farm, after the mother bear had been killed. Boy and cub became fast friends. Bear grew, boy grew. Eventually a preacher came along and the bear was given to him and he took it to Edmonton and sold it to a Canadian soldier who took said bear overseas as he went on a tour of duty on the front lines during the First World War. Eventually the bear was sold to the London Zoo, to live out the rest of his life. A.A.Milne saw the bear and wrote a story about it for his son, Christopher Robin and Christopher named the bear Winnie the Pooh.
Mason, for that is his name, began helping around the farm. He talked about hauling grain to Spirit River with the horses, not a short trip, as it is today, but a major trip. He was always very careful of his animals and gave them the proper food and rest and they served him well. While in school he played the base horn in the band and that horn is here today, along with a cornet and camera that he used. Good music was something he enjoyed, but not loud music. That he considered NOISE and would leave the area as soon as it started. He logged with horses and helped on the saw mill with Olengers. One time he built a boat to take a load of potatoes down the Peace River to the Mackenzie River headed for the Artic. What a trip.
Getting married in 1940, he struck out with his wife Mildred, his bride, to build legacy for the children who were to be born. Evelyn, Stanton and Charles came along in close succession and followed later by and Tim and Nic. Ev was always hoping for a sister, but the brothers would have to do. He loved to invent farm machinery, some very workable, some, like all inventions, went to the scrap heap. One was the swather for the back of a tractor. This hooked to the tractor with the three point hitch, and the tractor backed up. Only problem was Dad couldn’t get enough reverse gears to make it work the best. I asked the boys, as they were describing it, why he didn’t invent a backwards seat for the tractor. Charles said, he did, it was a piece of foam and an overcoat flung over the gas tank and you straddled the tank. You could steer well, but Dad had rigged up levers etc. for the clutch and brake. Can’t you just picture this one..!!!! A philosophy he passed on to his children was to ‘never get mad at a machine… just fix it”. You can see how a practical application of such an attitude could take one further in life and applies not only to machinery, as in Dad’s world, but to computers and the trappings of our modern world.
He broke land, built granaries, houses and generally would make something out what others would see as nothing. What a legacy to pass on to his children, this was a trait that his Dad had passed on his children and it is still evident in the third generation today. He loved to argue or debate and the hotter the better. When everything was really heated, Dad would deliberately switch sides and he could argue the opposite as well as the other side. That was sure confusing to the other person. He was well read and always wanted to know about things. He kept in tune with world affairs and was very knowledgeable, and of course always had an opinion. He would get out his maps and look things up, or read the information in the atlas. He loved to hear where you had been and what you had seen. When his kids started to get married and have grandchildren, he and Mom made many trips to see them and even after Mom died he still would go and visit them. He loved to help with science experiments, attend figure skating practices and then attend granddaughter’s and graduations and weddings. He enjoyed walking down in Lethbridge with the granddaughters there. He was to have 5 grand children and 2 great grand children. Whenever the pictures would come he would look at them and tell you where this particular one fitted in.
He farmed in the Rolla, Coleman Creek and North Rolla area and finally moved to Rotary Village in 1999. There he had a bachelor apartment and got to met some old friends and neighbors. He entertained them all with his wee button accordion and his stories. At times the storied were getting flavored with Louis L’amour stories, as some of his memory was failing, but he could still tell you a real good story. Finally he moved to Rotary Manor in 2002, his choice as he knew he need a bit more help. He lived in the old Manor for just a short time and then into the new Manor. In the old Manor, his sense of direction was always out of kilter and this bugged him. The day he moved into the new Manor and saw Bear Mountain, he told me his room was to the east and pointed in the right direction and could find his way around there with no difficulty. While there he continued to play his accordion and entertain the staff with his stories. When I took his income tax to him in early 2006, he told me in three yrs. he would be 100. I told him as long as he was living, we would keep doing his income tax. Then later it was 2 ½ yrs. he would be 100. He made it to 97 ¾.
He was predeceased by his parents Lee and Mary Miller, his loving wife Mildred, whom he missed for the past 30 years, his sisters, Eunice, Mae, Rachel, and baby twin sisters, his brothers, Lloyd, Emmett, Clyde, Everett, Lester. He leaves to mourn his passing, his children Ev (Bob) Southwood, Stan ( Charlotte) Miller, Charles Miller, Tim (Elaine) Miller and Nic (Betty) Miller: grandchildren Karla (Derrick) MacDiarmid, Randy Miller, Wanda (Robert) Tensen, Leah Miller and Andrea Miller, great-grandchildren Mackenzie and Kaylynne MacDiarmid, many nieces and nephews, and friends and neighbors. Thank you all for coming. He has left a rich heritage in his 97 ¾ years of life. Dad, grandpa, great grandpa, we’ll miss you.
A funeral service was held on March 3, 2007 at the Rolla Baptist Church in Rolla, British Columbia. Officiated by Pastor Gary Henderson. Interment followed in the Rolla Community Cemetery.
Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Bergeron Funeral Services & Crematorium Ltd., Dawson Creek, British Columbia.
Detlef Gerhard Meier
1949 - 2007
Detlef “Jerry” Meier, was born June 14, 1949 in Hanover Germany. He passed away February 23, 2007 in Chetwynd General Hospital, British Columbia. A strong man who fought hell to keep his heaven. Through flights of angels he has now found peace. He is survived by his son Bradley and his loving caregiver Belen Aalten. He will be missed.
Jerry was cremated and as per his wishes there will not be a service. Donations in Jerry’s memory can be made to the Canadian Cancer Society.
Arrangements were entrusted to Bergeron Funeral Services & Crematorium Ltd, Dawson Creek, British Columbia
Fred Knapp
1915 - 2007
My Granddad, better known to everyone as Fred, was born in Asquith, Sasktatchewan April 27, 1915 to Dayton and Lucy Knapp. Granddad passed away February 14, 2007 at the age of 91 years. He was the third of even children and the only boy. His sisters always said they spoiled him.
Granddad moved from Asquith with his family in at the age of 15 in 1030 to the Capio District. There, his dad had a blacksmith shop, and they all worked hard cleaning land, growing gardens and tending to crops to make ends-meet.
In 1940, at the age of 25, Granddad married Eileen Williams. Together, they bought land in the Shearer Dale area, and began to ready the land to support his wife and family. Granddad and Grandma had five children starting with Gary, then Ed, next was Derek, followed by Marilyn, and finally Janeen.
From 1940 until 1984 Granddad farmed, worked at different sawmills getting lumber ready for the homesteaders to build their homes, operated a cat clearing bush, and did other off jobs in order to support his family. Granddad also spent a fair amount of time working for the government getting gravel from the Peace River to pave the Rolla Road. Granddad also worked on the Clayhurst Ferry for a number of years, until Granddad and Grandma moved to town in 1984, at which time he went to work for Jack Cornish at United Spring and Brake as a janitor in the shop. Granddad worked there for eighteen years until he had his first stroke at the age of 87.
Through the years of Granddad’s life the things he enjoyed the most were growing things (the farmer in his never left) hunting and music.
On the farm, he had a greenhouse and always had tomatoes and cucumbers growing. The first thing he did when he moved to town was to build a greenhouse and start on planting a garden. He always had fresh tomatoes and cucumbers on the table.
Granddad also lived for hunting season and was always out and about. (His grandson remembers grandpa taking him out to getting rabbits’ and grouse as well as teaching him how to use a gun properly, and the skill of the hunt)
Granddad went hunting himself at 82, and ended up shooting a deer. While he was skinning that deer he stuck himself in the leg with his knife. So, being Granddad, he tied his hanky around his left leg and walked about a quarter mile back to his truck so that he could get Elaine to bandage him up, and he could get back to skinning his deer. With much fighting and arguing, Elaine finally convinced him to go to the hospital. When the doctor was finished with his leg, granddad was determined to get back to his deer. As soon as he attempted to get off the table, he passed out and was made to stay the night. Now, anyone who knew Granddad, this didn’t go over too well! Sure enough, bright and early the very next morning, he showed up at the farm to ensure that the deer had been done properly.
He still had a draw from an elk at the age of 90 and was sure he could still get one, but never got the chance as we felt it wasn’t safe for him. (not that I’m sure he didn’t try to talk Dillon McNeely, his hunting partner, into taking him!)
Granddad had also really enjoyed music, and played the mouth organ really well. After moving to Pouce Coupe Care Home two years ago, he looked forward to the Salvation Army on Wednesdays for the sing along, and all the rest of the music that came to play for special occasions.
From my point of view my Granddad was everything a young boy growing up could have asked for. He would always take time to pull us on the toboggan. He took the time to teach me how to trap and drive a tractor. He would often take me ice fishing in the winter and hunting in the fall when there was no farming to do. He also used to help me fix something I had broken before my Dad found out, which, looking back, I appreciated. Like the time I ripped the headlight off the little red tractor doing some snowplowing for my Granddad. I knew I was in for so much trouble. All granddad said to me was “we better fix that before the old boy finds out”
We also got into trouble together on occasion. Once while I was cultivating his field, he decided that we should work a little tighter around the power poles. While doing this, we bent the harrows on the cultivator. I got in big trouble from my Dad, but, Granddad never did let him know he was right there with me and it was his idea! The last few years Granddad was on the farm I did his farming for him, the pay wasn’t great, but I knew he appreciated it.
When I was younger, Granddad always took the time to play softball in the year. He would never wear a glove as there was no left handed gloves, but man, could he catch even so.
Going to Granddad’s for a mean was an adventure. Everything he cooked went into one frying pan and I will tell you it always tasted great…most times we would eat straight out of the pan because Granddad said there was no point dirtying anymore dishes.
Granddad had his first stroke at 87 years of age. Of course, being as stubborn as he was, he recovered from that quickly. Four years later, one day after his 91st birthday, he broke his hip. Following an operation, plates and screws and his iron will, Granddad was soon back on his feet with a walker.
December 31, 2006 Granddad had a second stroke that paralyzed his throat. He fought hard to come back from that, even when he was not able to eat he requested a feeding tube to get the job done. However, because he could not take his medications life was at stake every day. He never did lose his sense of humor and his interest in the lives of those he loved and cared about as evidence by the chat in the hospital room after his stroke.
We lost Granddad on Valentines’ Day due to a heart attack. He has left us to go on to a better place where he is probably hunting, growing vegetables and visiting with Grandma as we speak.
Granddad was predeceased by his Dad Dayton in 1948, his mother Lucy in 1973, his sisters Janet in 1974, Jean in 1988, Eva in 1998, his loving wife Eileen in 2001 and his sister Ada in 2005.
He leaves to mourn his passing, his five children, their partners, and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. Also, one sister Florence Turnbull, one sister in law Dorothy Hart, and one brother in law, Roland Trumann.
Granddad’s family would like to take this opportunity to thank his friend Dillon McNeely for all his kindness to him, taking the time to take him hunting and driving him around. As well as to United Springs and Brake and all the staff for having Granddad there, for giving him a purpose in life and for their kindness and thoughtfulness in the following years when he couldn’t work due to his illness. And also to those of you who visited Granddad in the Care Home and in the hospital, I know he appreciated each and every one of you.
Granddad was a man of few words, but we all knew exactly how much he loved us by his facial expressions, his little laugh and his teasing. He had a great sense of humor and no nonsense approach to life.
Granddad, thank you for everything. You will always be in my heart until we can match each other “step for step” again. I love you.
