Bowes Family Blog

Bob*: Eulogy for Mom

2010-05-09T00:45:00.001-06:00

Let me begin by quoting an excerpt from an email I received from an old classmate, Lee Hope, upon hearing of Mom’s passing: “Losing one’s mom is unlike any other loss we have, and I think, you being the only boy, Bob, I know you held a special place in her life and loves … I spent considerable time remembering her, especially in those years when she was raising a family and busy contributing to her community in all kinds of ways. She and Mom shared their joys and sorrows of life in a friendship that lasted many years…”

Our mother was as sweet a person as you would ever wish to meet. One could not ask for a more loving, downright interested and dedicated mother. She loved baseball, curling and hockey and whatever book you were reading. Being a tiger on the roads, hers was the ride of choice for many of us traveling to sporting events in other towns before school buses. We always arrived first. She must have been fast, because according to our Dad she was never ready to leave on time for anything. She had to make sure the house was tidy in case anyone visited while she was away. That was our Yellow Rose of Texas.

Mom was a woman who lived her beliefs and never compromised them. She was respected by all who knew her for her commitment and dedication to God and the church. She always seemed to see the good in people and gave some of the most incredible reasons that might explain bad behavior in others. For many of those her prayers have since been answered and all is well.

For those who grew up in Spiritwood in the ‘40s and ‘50s, we were privileged to be raised by a wonderful group of neighborhood mothers: Mrs. Cook, Mrs. Hope, Mrs. Konsmo, and my second mom Mrs. Sidoruk, aong others. We didn’t need ‘neighborhood watch’ or marked safe houses. They were all safe houses and, of course, a place for a good lecture if it was required. In Spiritwood your deeds never went unnoticed and the word often beat you home. The end of an era indeed.

I know that at heaven’s gate there would have been the sounding of trumpets and the singing of angels as a dear one was welcomed home to join our father and the others. I can only pray that we will all be worthy of joining them when we too shall pass.

Rest in peace, dear one, and thank you for your love and prayers. They will be sorely missed.

*Lorrie and Bob were not able to come back from Australia for the funeral. But they were in Canada for a family wedding—in the rain!—in August.

Lorrie: Eulogy for second Mum

2010-05-09T00:26:00.001-06:00

My name is Lorrie Bowes* and I am married to Robert.

I have said many times in the past that it has been a wonderful gift from God to have been a part of the Elmer and Madge Bowes family. And so as I write this my heart is filled with a mixture of sorrow and joy.

Sorrow because I am saying goodbye to a lady who was my second Mum for 38 years. A lady who was so like my Mum with her strong belief in God and her quiet Christian ways. After my Mum passed away I blamed God for many years but Madge, in her quiet, gentle and loving way, was able to help me heal and I came to realize that while I had lost one mother I had been blessed with a wonderful “second Mum.” She was always there when you needed her—whether it was to give you a hug or just listen to you talk—she would always make the time no matter what she was in the middle of doing or what time of the day or night you turned up. She listened and guided but never criticized although there were many times when I am sure she wanted to.

I loved her and I thank her for so lovingly including me in her wonderful family. I thank her also for being such a wonderful example of

“doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

So in spite of the sorrow, I also feel joy in knowing that she is at peace, but more importantly I am convinced that she has been welcomed with the words

“well done thou good and faithful servant.”

That is as good as it gets and that is no less than “our Mum” deserves.

*Lorrie and Bob were not able to come back from Australia for the funeral.

Sherry: Eulogy for Mom

2010-05-08T23:54:00.001-06:00

Mom had a gift for seeing the good in everyone and truly loved each of us for the individuals we are. And if I were to describe my relationship with Mom, I would call her friend.

Friends are fun and people one likes to go on adventures with. Whether going on an adventure through one of Mom’s captivating stories or, ad Bob said, “venturing out with the tiger on wheels,” Mom was a fun companion. I had many adventures with Mom, but since I am limited to only one I will share this one with you.

One morning I woke up to discover that I’d slept in. Running down the stairs from my bedroom I hollered at mom, “I’m going to be late—could you please drive me?!” Looking up from her coffee cup Mom said, “Oh Sherry, I can’t, I’m still in my pajamas!” I pleaded, “Please Mom—I can’t be late this morning!” So, realizing my dilemma, Mom grabbed the car keys and, clad only in her housecoat and slippers—curlers in her hair, we hopped into the car and headed down the highway. We turned off the highway and were rapidly approaching the intersection beside the school when I began to be concerned at the speed with which we were approaching. I was thinking, “Sheesh, Mom, I know I’m late but shouldn’t we be slowing down?” Just then I noticed that even though Mom was madly pumping the brakes, we weren’t slowing down! I also noticed a school bus lumbering along and about to collide with us should we keep going the same speed. Thus I yelled, “Goose it Mom!”

Mom tromped on the gas, sending us back into our seats like were were on some kind of circus ride, and as we cleared the intersection just in the nick of time, Mom’s next dilemma was how to get slowed down enough so as not to end up in the trees at the end of the street, for at that time the street beside the school was not yet a through-way. The only thing Mom could do was ‘peel donuts’—well ‘squeal donuts’ might be a better term—until we had lost enough momentum that we could finally coast to the edge of the street and park the car beside the school.

All of the ‘smokers’ used to gather at the end of the school facing the trees, since there were no houses there yet and huts, there was less chance of getting caught. As we pulled alongside the school I looked up to see a line of guys standing there, mouths agape, cigarettes in hand, looking dumbfounded at this spectacle before their eyes! Poor Mom stared wide-eyed ahead and as the reality of what had happened hit home I could read mom’s mind: “How in the world am I going to get home looking like this?” Just then a white knight appeared in the form of Bill Andres, a bus driver. Seizing the opportunity, immediately after Bill had dropped off his kids Mom jumped out of the car, ran to his bus and begged a ride home.

Friends are fun, and yet a true friend doesn’t always say what you want to hear—rather they say what you need to hear.

With the stresses of these past few weeks and as we stood and watched as our beloved Mom lay slipping away before our eyes, and with the reality closing in that she was, in fact, dying, it was difficult not to want to lash out at anyone who might be perceived as a threat to the little bit of strength she had left. In writing my portion of this eulogy, I was reminded of what she would have said to me had she seen my reaction to those around me in my panicked state of mind. She would have said, “Sherry, if I was not responding to those around me with kindness because of my state of being, my dad would say, ‘Madgy, Madgy! It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it!’”

I have learned so many, many good things about life and loving from my mother, and it should only seem fitting that on her dying bed she had taught me yet another lesson to be cherished, and that is, no matter what life brings—be it waking up late and having your day start off bad, or having a child rope you into doing something for them that you would rather not do, or finding yourself panicked because of ‘no brakes’—whatever the case may be, one can choose to act, and treat others with dignity and grace, even when one is facing something as monumental as death.

Linda: Mom’s Eulogy

2010-05-08T23:51:00.001-06:00

Mom enjoyed so many things of a creative nature. She sewed for us, reupholstered our old furniture, made quilts and crocheted, could play the piano and guitar. One of my favourite childhood memories is of lying in my bed at night listening as mom played the piano and dad the violin or harmonica, singing around the piano. But of all the interests, talents and gifts mom possessed, there was none she enjoyed so much as having people over. She truly had the gift of hospitality and almost every Sunday after church, if we were home, she invited someone for dinner. Not lunch, but dinner with all the trimmings. Tea and coffee were always on.

My family certainly benefited from her generous nature and at one time ended up staying three months with them. This was not uncommon as others in the family had similar experiences. Someone said they had said to mom, “How can I ever repay you for all you’ve done?” Mom replied, “You won’t need to repay me. Just pass it on.”

And it was always fun at Mom and Dad’s. Mom and Dad shared a great sense of humor and a repartee that was so much fun to watch and listen to. Dad got such a kick out of mom and no one could bring a sparkle to mom’s eyes and make her laugh like dad could, right until the day he passed away.

Mom was like the family dispatcher, getting all of us, including Dad, ready to go somewhere, sending us off or taking us to one thing or another. I remember one time she came to Rosetown to babysit while Glenn and I went on a trip. One morning at about 8:30 Rick casually mentioned to Grandma that he needed 25 bags of popcorn for a school popcorn and candy sale that morning. I can just imagine Mom’s gasp as she realized she would never be able to get that done by 9:00. She sent them all off and delivered the popcorn to the school in time for the sale. Rick said her popcorn sold first. She asked him how he knew that, and he said because there were butter spots on the paper bags and so everyone knew it was buttered popcorn. She sure laughed about that.

Then there was the time Terry—or was it Tammy?—who always enjoyed Grandpa’s Sunday morning pancakes, said, “Grandpa, these are the best pancakes you ever made!” Grandma and Grandpa exchanged amused looks as Grandpa said with a chuckle, “Grandma made the pancakes this morning!”

Mom’s teaching, her wisdom, her love will always surround us. I would call her the Proverbs 31 woman: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all. Her children rise up and call her blessed.”

new song: My Mother’s Day by Colleen

2010-05-08T23:45:00.000-06:00

For my mother and her sisters, who said good-bye to their own mother just a few weeks ago. I love you all very much.

Madge’s 91st birthday

2010-04-27T10:28:00.001-06:00

Madge’s 91st birthday party in Idyllwild Lodge. Linda, Madge, Martin & Betty are joined by two other Lodge residents.

Marilynn: Mom’s Eulogy

2010-04-25T21:37:00.001-06:00

Mom was born on January 26, 1919 at Yoakum, Texas. She passed away on April 18, 2010 at the age of 91 at the Idyllwild Nursing Home in Spiritwood, SK.

Mom was the oldest of three children born to Ocie and Guernsey Cockrum who, along with an older half-sister, lived in Yoakum until the stock market crash of 1929 when they moved a few miles to a ranch near Fordtran, Texas.

In August 1934, Ocie and Guernsey and their children, Madge, Vernell and Euvon, prepared for the the greatest adventure of their lives: the move to a remote area of Saskatchewan where they planned to homestead. As they were preparing to leave, a change to the Homestead Act, which would require them to live in Saskatchewan for five years to qualify for a homestead, prompted Aunt Eula to write to them with the disappointing news, thinking they may decide to remain in Texas. I can picture Aunt Eula sitting at her large kitchen table in their log home, sadly writing a letter than may deny her the companionship of close relatives, doing so quickly, as she had to send her son off with the letter to catch the post. Quickly finishing off a letter, that no doubt contained news of the family and the area, Aunt Eula stuffed it into an envelope and watched as her son rode off on horseback to deliver the letter. As fate would have it, he was long gone when she noticed a page that had fallen under the table; the very page telling them the sad news about the new Homestead Act, so when the family received her letter, they were blissfully ignorant of the news that may have kept them in Texas.*

The family move took a week and was accomplished in a 1934 truck that Grampa had refurbished so that the family could not only carry their belongings but could sleep in it along the way. Their trip was a wonderful adventure in itself. They arrived in Makwa, Sask. in August and were fortunately able to purchase Hudson’s Bay land for $10 per acre close to relatives where, with the help of relatives and neighbours, they quickly built their own log home.

Mom was enthralled by the adventure of living in the remote county of Saskatchewan, and wholeheartedly embraced the winter and all that northern Saskatchewan had to offer, including a young gentleman named Elmer Bowes, whose family had moved to the Makwa area from Vanscoy, Sask after the drought of the late 1920s. As you can imagine, my beautiful mom and her beautiful sister were welcome additions to the social scene with their charming southern drawl. Uncle Euvon was too young to be part of that scene yet.

On October 9, 1937, Mom married Dad and they moved to a homestead near Makwa. The small farm did not provide sufficient income to meet the needs of a family, so Dad took a position with the Searle Grain Co. in Meadow Lake, embarking on a career as an elevator agent that would take them next to Bapaume, then to Spiritwood in 1947. In 1958 they purchased a General Store, then later a dry cleaning business. Spiritwood was to be their home for the rest of their lives and they were truly happy with their choice.

My sisters will add their part to the story of Mom’s life, but I want to comment on one of Mom’s values that had a strong impact on me. Mom had such an enquiring mind and was open to and fascinated by new scientific possibilities. And just imagine how many new life-changing discoveries she was witness to over her 91 years. With this love of learning Mom threw herself wholeheartedly into helping us with research for school projects and instilled a love for learning that has been one of her legacies to us all. She had no problem seeing the unfolding wonder of the world and universe as part of God’s design and her enquiring mind led her to graciously listen to and ponder on the spiritual views of others while not faltering from her own. I am thankful for that gracious legacy.

* After the funeral, Aunt Marilynn told me that she could picture Aunt Eula’s response to finding the missing page: very matter-of-factly saying, “Well, what will be will be.”

she whispered it to me

2010-04-25T21:21:00.001-06:00

On the evening of Sunday, April 25th, Glenn and Linda got together with Martin and Betty for a game of Wizard. This had been something of a ritual for them over the past few years: gathering on many free evenings, especially Sundays, in Grandma’s room to play games. It was poignant to be with them on this first Sunday evening without Grandma. We laughed a lot over our friendly competition, and we teared up at the thought of Grandma’s absence. Here are some snippets from the evening’s conversation. ~ Colleen

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Linda: She really enjoyed having us around, talking and laughing.

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Martin: I was always teasing her about watching the sports games.

Glenn: I would go into her room and turn on the hockey game and say, ‘That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it Grandma?’

Martin: We were watching curling the other day and she wanted it left on!

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Martin: We never did get it settled who is the favourite son-in-law.

Glenn: (feigning disappointment) That is regretful.

Betty: She took the secret to her grave.

Glenn: I think she whispered it to me one day though. I just didn’t want to disappoint any of you!

Martin: She was always so diplomatic about it.

Glenn: She was diplomatic, wasn’t she? Everybody was always putting the pressure on her!

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Mama & Daddy loved each other

2010-04-12T00:44:00.001-06:00

View Full Album

LOVE SURVIVES by Betty (Bowes) Taylor

sung by Designer Genes. Listen here.

Daddy walked those country miles to see his blue-eyed blonde / The magic in her Texas smile had him spellbound / As Autumn leaves were falling, heart-to-heart they pledged / To cherish one another for always.

Mama and Daddy loved each other / Through the good and bad / When they started out together love was all they had / It wasn’t always easy, this melding of two lives / But because of their commitment love survives

Courtship days were spent in spinning dreams that seemed so real / But reality put wrinkles in that fabric of ideals / Many times they’d lay it down and dampen it with tears / Then with the warmth of love they’d iron it out

Mama and Daddy loved each other / Through the good and bad / When they started out together love was all they had / It wasn’t always easy, this melding of two lives / But because of their commitment love survives

Whatever comes, I’ll stand by you, ‘cause I have seen love work / It melts icy feelings, cools off heated words / Warms the heart with tenderness, and binds us up as one / This kind of love will always see us through

Our love will go the distance though the dusty road is long / May our children and their children sing this song:

Mama and Daddy loved each other / Through the good and bad / When they started out together love was all they had / It wasn’t always easy, this melding of two lives / But because of their commitment love survives

Madge’s 85th birthday

2010-04-12T00:29:00.001-06:00

With her namesake, Madge Cockrum.

Madge and her children, August 2009

2010-04-10T22:39:00.001-06:00

In August 2009, Dustin Olson & his bride Sabrina gave us all an excuse to gather and celebrate. Also in this picture: Dustin’s mom Sherry.

All of Madge’s children were able to be there, including Bob and his wife Lorrie, all the way from Australia via Costa Rica.

We miss you so much, Uncle Bob & Auntie Lo!

Front: Bob, Madge, Marilynn. Back: Sherry, Linda, Betty.

The wedding ceremony was on the lawn—in the pouring rain!—at the Inn on the 10th. Madge’s daughter Betty Taylor & her husband Martin brought Madge in Idyllwild Lodge’s Handi Bus.

Everyone came to say hi.

Betty took some great photos from her (dry!) vantage point in the bus.

Later at the reception, Madge was bright and cheerful as she visited with her children, grandchildren, and friends.

Madge and her daughters, January 2009

2010-04-10T22:12:00.001-06:00

Madge has always been known to her family as “The Yellow Rose of Texas.” The videos posted at the top left will give you a taste of one of our most nostalgic songs …

Obituary: Veda Stephens (nee Cockrum)

2010-04-10T21:32:00.003-06:00

The Victoria Advocate - May 26, 1980, p. 12A

Madge's writing (Spiritwood Scribes)

2007-06-02T12:53:00.000-06:00

click on images to enlarge

Getting ready to move to the ... convent.

wedding dress detail

2007-06-02T12:43:00.001-06:00

As promised, here are close-up pictures of Madge's wedding dress.

NOTE: The date is wrong on the first picture. The photo was taken at Madge & Elmer's 65th anniversary celebration in 2003.

click on pictures to enlarge

Bob & Cindy

2007-06-02T12:35:00.000-06:00

Last year Elmer's son Bob at his home in Australia and couldn't attend his father's funeral, so his daughter Cindy read his eulogy. Here are Bob and Cindy pictured with Elmer and Madge in Spiritwood, SK.

Golf Course

2007-06-02T11:44:00.000-06:00

"At seventy-five years of age, Dad and four other business partners set to work to build the Spiritwood Golf Course. Some of us weren’t even aware that Dad liked golf! This was a labour of love for Dad and stands as a legacy to his desire to live life to the fullest, and to his love of sport. Golf was his new sport of choice and he took to it with true sporting joy in the game. Our yearly family golf tournament, the GlenElby, named for him and Glenn, his son-in-law partner in the golf course, was a family get-together he has looked forward to every year for the past years." (daughter Marilynn in her eulogy)

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BELOW: a team at the GlenElby Family Golf Tournament, LtoR:
Rick Pilling, ___Brian Girard???___, Glenn Pilling, Jeffrey Taylor, Elmer Bowes, Linda Pilling
(Is that a stacked team or what?)

Elmer in his chair

2007-06-02T11:38:00.000-06:00

"Walking into Dad’s apartment for the first time after his passing, seeing his chair sitting a bit askew … just as he’d left it ..." (daughter Sherry in her eulogy)

click on photo to enlarge

Eulogies by daughters Marilynn and Sherry

2007-06-02T09:52:00.000-06:00

Just over one year ago, Elmer Ross Bowes died in his sleep and his family buried him in Spiritwood, SK. We had his son's eulogy was already posted here. Now we add eulogies from daughters Marilynn and Sherry. Pictured here, Elmer & Madge with their four daughters at Madge's 85th birthday party (LtoR): Betty, Elmer, Madge, Marilynn, Sherry, Linda.

MARILYNN'S EULOGY

April 2, 1916 - May 26, 2006

Although it was with a deep sense of loss that I undertook to review my father’s life for this Eulogy, it is an honour and a privilege, for my dad has been my earliest and most long-standing hero.

When I speak about my dad, you will know that I’m talking about your loved one and friend, Elmer Ross Bowes, who was born on April 2, 1916, to Isaac (Ike) Bowes and Mary Storie Bowes, in a brick home built by his father on Avenue H South in Saskatoon. Dad was the youngest of six children. He was four years old when his dad decided he wanted to try farming, sold the family home in Saskatoon, and moved to a rented farm near Vanscoy, Sask. Here they stayed until the drought and crop failure after crop failure, and the stock market crash of 1929, prompted a move north to a homestead at Makwa, Sk. At that time Dad was enjoying school and playing Senior baseball with the Delisle team. He was invited to stay with family friends, the Hallans, to continue his schooling in Vanscoy, and to continue pursuing his passion for baseball.

It was a good arrangement as Dad and their son, Raymond, were inseparable companions and competed for best marks in school. Dad told a story about the generosity of their teacher, John McRay, who said he would give them each five dollars if they could achieve overall marks of distinction on provincial exams. The two boys rose to the challenge and were proudly given the five dollars by their teacher, which was quite something given that five dollars was a lot of money in those days and he had his own family to support. I suspect this teacher had a role in nurturing the generosity of spirit that was so much a part of Dad.

Dad talked of the day he said goodbye to his family as they boarded the train for Makwa country, along with boxcars of possessions, including livestock, and headed north. Knowing how closely Dad always has held all of his family, that would have been almost too hard for him if he hadn’t had two married sisters, Myrtle and Edith, living in Saskatoon. In July of 1933, Dad joined his family in Makwa, and it is lucky for us he did, for the Cockrums moved into the area not long after that along with their two beautiful blond daughters, Madge and Vernell, and son, Euvon. Dad wasted no time in getting introduced to the oldest, Madge, and was soon courting her in earnest. Dad told the story that, so keen was he to see her that he walked twenty miles from the Bush camp where he was working across very rough and difficult terrain to the Cockrum homestead to visit. With that kind of dedication, she knew she had a good man and they made plans to marry. Mom was eighteen and Dad twenty-one when they were married at the Cockrum family home on October 9th, 1937 and moved to their homestead not too far away.

Bob was born in July, 1940, and Dad soon realized the income from the homestead would not be sufficient to support a family. He was able to secure a job at the Searle Grain Elevator in Meadow Lake beginning a grain-buying career that lasted eighteen years, and took the family off the homestead and to Bapaume, where he continued with the Searle Grain Company, and they purchased a small general store. Their six years in Bupaume fostered many friendships, which have endured over the years. The move to Spiritwood in 1947 was the last move for the family, which now included a daughter, Marilynn, as both Dad and Mom fell in love with Spiritwood and became actively involved in the community. Dad continued to manage the Searle Grain elevator as the family grew to include daughters, Betty Ann, Linda, and Sherry. When Dad’s health would no longer permit him to endure the dust of working in the elevator, in 1958 they bought a store, which later became the local drycleaners and Laundromat.

After retiring from the Drycleaner/Laundromat business, Dad could not see himself being idle, so he took a job driving a school bus for the Northern Lakes School Division, and later custodian for the offices. He brought to this job not only his good driving ability and record, but his love of children and his ability to see the best in them, and he made lasting friendships with his bus students and their families. As dad once said, “Making friends with the kids, parents, and other bus drivers was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.”

Dad was a superb driver and a practised prankster, and used both to advantage on numerous occasions when we were growing up. I recall one time when we were driving down the street just to the west of this building, and Dad suddenly said to Mom and all of us that the steering had gone on the car, and he made a frantic effort to get the car to make the turn, then just before we were to hit the ditch, he cranked the steering wheel around and came to a stop wiping his brow and exclaiming , “Whew! That was a close call.” And as Mom sat there recovering and we all cheered, he chuckled and we knew it had all been a game. As you can imagine, Mom said her famous, “Oh, Elmer.”

We thought Dad was well and truly retired when he left the school unit job; however, were not completely surprised when he embarked on an entirely new career. At seventy-five years of age, Dad and four other business partners set to work to build the Spiritwood Golf Course. Some of us weren’t even aware that Dad liked golf! This was a labour of love for Dad and stands as a legacy to his desire to live life to the fullest, and to his love of sport. Golf was his new sport of choice and he took to it with true sporting joy in the game. Our yearly family golf tournament, the GlenElby, named for him and Glenn, his son-in-law partner in the golf course, was a family get-together he has looked forward to every year for the past years.

Going back in history, Dad’s excellence at baseball, his love for the sport and competitiveness made him a star player at a time when baseball was a big thing on the prairies and all of North America, and the big leagues sent out scouts. Dad told of the thrill of opening the mail in his office one day when he was a young grain buyer, to find a letter inviting him to a major league baseball training camp in Florida. Although it was a difficult decision to make, he decided that with a young family to support he could not take the chance since there was no guarantee of making a major league team. To do so would have been a dream-come-true for a prairie boy who loved the game as he did, but he has said that he never regretted his decision. About baseball, he said, “I enjoyed the baseball days on the prairies and up at Makwa and Meadow Lake, but playing with the boys in Spiritwood was the most fun I’d had in thirty-six years of playing ball.” Dad also applied his knowledge and skill in mentoring young players as he coached both minor league ball, as well as hockey.

As all who have known Dad will also recall, his passion for the winter was curling, a game at which he also excelled, playing right up to this past winter through the use of the new rock throwing device. Of course, he was no longer able to sweep the rocks down the ice, but I recall how he used to love to make that broom slap on the ice. As guys will be, Dad and his curling buddies were always trying to outdo each other, and he recently retold the story on himself about how his ego just about got him into serious trouble. As he told it, he was at one time able to prove his male prowess by picking up the rock and cleaning it off on the front of his curling sweater, then lifting it into the air above his head before he brought it down for the delivery. On one occasion – actually the last time he ever tried such a stunt – he thought it would be brilliant if he took both rocks and raised them over his head. As it happened once he began to raise them over his head, he realized what damage it could do to his person if the rocks jackknifed, and he barely managed to lower them without mishap, but certainly not with as much aplomb as he had intended. One of the things I have always loved about my dad is that the target of his humour was usually himself and that he didn’t take himself too seriously.

Among Dad’s passions was a love of the town of Spiritwood. He was active in community service sitting as a Town Councillor from 1952 to 1956, acting as Mayor of the Town from 1956 to 1959, as President of the Board of Trade from 1960 to 1965, and a Medstead School Unit Trustee from 1966 to 1968. He was Vice-President, then President of the Centennial Arena Association and presided at the official opening of the Centennial Arena. He was a Mason with the Shellbrook Chapter, a Charter member of the Spiritwood Lions Club, and more recently was a member of the History Book Society and contributed to the history of the area through his writings. He was a member of the local Writer’s Group, a member of the Museum Society, and has been an active member of the Spiritwood Free Methodist Church serving in various capacities over the years.

One wonders how Dad ever found time for family and friends, but somehow he, and his life partner of 68 years, Mom, managed to always appear to have all the time in the world to connect with people – children, grandchildren, extended family, and friends – and to make those they connected with feel like they were special, which is what they always were to him.

In thinking about Dad for this Eulogy, I pondered over just what it was about Dad that made us love him so, that made him a model worth emulating for his son and daughters and their spouses, that his sons-in-law and daughter-in-law could feel he was like a father to them, too. I’ll just share a few of my thoughts before I turn the microphone over to Sherry for her portion of this tribute:

My dad (Elmer) was a man with true generosity of spirit. Not a man to hold a grudge, he freely forgave wrongs; he looked for the best in people and always managed to find it. He loved to tell jokes, and could lighten the load of disappointment and sadness with his ability to see the humour in a situation. He made many friends and kept them for a lifetime. He was a model for all of us - practising values that build relationships and community; He could get passionate about sports and politics (sharing many a friendly argument with his sons-in-law), and he could get passionate about what was good for his family and community. He could be moved to great anger only when there was unfairness, disrespect, or lack of consideration for others. He practised the Christian Virtues of Love, Joy, Peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

I found a poem that exemplifies my father that I want to share with you.

When I think about a man
With a deep and quiet soul -
Who worked for what his family needed,
And took pleasure in his role …
When I think about a man
Who’s had big challenges to face,
I think about my dad
About his dignity and grace
When I think about a man
Who in his daily life revealed
So much strength and tenderness
And depth in what he felt…
When I think about a man
Who always gave the best he could,
I think about my dad,
My lifelong hero,
A good man.

SHERRY'S EULOGY

Walking into Dad’s apartment for the first time after his passing, seeing his chair sitting a bit askew … just as he’d left it, I felt the deep sense of loss that I know is shared by many of you today. Our father was a kind man who was known to have a big heart that manifested itself in many ways, some of which have only been brought to our attention in the past few days.

Isabell Horn was telling my sisters just the other day, that when her son started riding dad’s school bus he was only four years old and often he would fall asleep on the bus ride home from school. Rather than shaking him to wake him up and send him on his way, dad would gather him in his arms and carry him to Isabell’s door.

Another story that comes to mind involves an experience dad had a few years ago with one of the students that rode the school but on his Witchekan Lake route. One day while waiting his turn at the barber shop and after the barber had finished with the man ahead of him, dad took his place in the chair and was told by the barber that his haircut was paid for. When he inquired as to who had paid for it, the barber told him that the man ahead of him had – and that he’d said something to the effect that it was because, “Mr. Bowes drove my school bus many years ago, and I really liked him.”

Dad was in the process of going through old files just before he left us and one thing we discovered lying on top of his desk was a cute little note written in a child’s handwriting that said,

My Grandma and Grandpa used to own the Laundromat, but now they retired and get a lot of company. They get so much company because they have so many friends. I like my Grandpa and Grandma because they are nice to have around. There ‘hous’ is very pretty.

From Tammy

At my niece Jaime’s wedding, I wanted to laugh out loud when, as the beautiful bride, Jaime, came walking down the aisle, another niece, Debbie, leadned over and whispered in my ear, “I wonder if Gramps is crying yet?” For that was the kind of father and grandfather he was.

Some people cannot imagine our Father in Heaven as being a kind and loving God. I have no problem with that, because I only need to compare him to my earthly father. We had rules to follow that were strictly enforced by him and Heaven help us if we didn’t follow them. But they were always rules put in place not to squelch our fun (how our dad loved to have fun), but rather they were rules put in place to protect us from harming ourselves.

Martin read from the last page of dad’s daytimer. Skimming through it myself I was amused to find the pages clipped to May 23rd and to see where he’d written things important to him, such as,

Jan. 18th @ 1:30 – Bud Dicus picking me up to curl.
Jan. 26th – Madge’s 86th birthday
March 27th – Bob & Lor to arrive in Canada …
May 12th – Marilynn’s Birthday

And my personal favourite:

May 19th @ 2:35 – Go to exercise parlour @ old Lutheran Church – Viv in charge!

Dad had also written on February 13th – “Sherry left for home in Estevan – really enjoyed her visit.” I had been asked to come and stay with Mom and Dad while Linda & Glenn went on a well-deserved holiday to south America and Betty & Martin were away to their son’s in Calgary. I too had enjoyed that visit since it meant that I had mom and dad all to myself. Some of you have heard me say before that being the youngest, that rarely, if ever, happened. Before Betty & Martin left I asked if there was anything about Dad’s routine that I should be made aware of. Betty replied that, amongst other things, their nightly ritual usually consisted of her tucking dad in and then praying together with him. She forewarned me that sometimes his prayers got a bit lengthy. So it was that as I sat on the edge of dad’s walker beside his bed that night, dad reached for my hand and he began to pray. He thanked God for his wife and that they’d been blessed with so many years together and for the staff at the nursing home for taking such good care of her. He thanked God for his son and his wife (whom, he added, was like another daughter to him). He thanked God for each of his daughters and his sons-in-law and said how much they meant to him and how grateful he was that each of us had brought our children up to look to the Lord. He prayed for his grandchildren and thanked God for the ones that were walking close to him and, while he never mentioned any names, he prayed for the ones that he wasn’t sure were walking close enough. He prayed for his friends and that means some of you – he knew the struggles some of you were going through. And just as I was having to prop up my arm with my hand as it was beginning to shake from holding it in one position for so long – as if to underscore what he’d already said, he’d begin again with, “And as I mentioned before Lord …” It was a precious, precious time spent with my father …

I was reminded of the time eleven years earlier when he’d had his heart attack and we nearly lost him. I’d received a call from Linda, who had said that if I wanted to see dad alive, I’d better drop everything immediately and get to the University Hospital in Saskatoon. I made it to Saskatoon from Moosomin in 3 hours … a trip that normally took about 5. I was so upset that in retrospect, I should not have been driving and the whole way I kept crying out to God to “Please, please let me see my dad just one more time!!” I thought of all the things I should have said that I hadn’t said and more things that I would say should God grant me the chance to do so. I remembered how a Bible verse came to mind right at that moment that said, “The righteous cry and the Lord hears and delivers them out of their troubles.” I remember thinking that I sure wasn’t righteous, but that if God would only hear my prayer, I would try to do better. The next thought I had was that I was rapidly approaching Regina and rush hour traffic and again I cried out to God saying, “God, you parted the water for Moses! You can part the cars for me!!” Just then I noticed lights flashing ahead and I thought, “Oh no! It’s the police and they will surely stop me for going this fast,” since I had the needle buried on my speedomoter. At the beginning of my journey I had turned on my four-way flashers for the benefit of other motorists so that they might be able to see this “crazed” woman coming down the highway. What I had thought to be a police car, however, turned out to be an ambulance, and when the other vehicles saw me coming with my four-way flashers on, they began to move into the other lane to let me pass through since they assumed I must be with the ambulance! I can tell you that I made it through Regina in record time and that I got to the hostpital in Saskatoon just as they were wheeling dad into the O.R. The next morning, alone with dad, I wasted no time in telling him all the things that I should have said but hadn’t. When I said to him that he had no idea how glad I was that I was sitting holding his hand that morning, he looked at me and with knowing in his eyes said, “Oh, yes I do, babe!”

God not only answered my prayer for that day but in his goodness he gave us another eleven years with dad. We can be so thankful for family and friends at times like this.

Alas, on May 26th, the handwriting in Dad’s daytimer had changed, and I want to stop right here for a moment to say a heartfelt THANK-YOU on behald of the family to Linda, who took the time to record dad’s last moments on this earth. I’d like to share some of those moments with you now …

Dad passed away in his sleep early this morning – about or between, 2:00 or 3:00 am. Rose Szabo had checked him at 2:00 & he was fine. At 3:00 he was gone … He was laying in bed looking as if he was sleeping peacefully, on his back, hands folded on his chest.

His clothes were laid out for today on the back of the chair, meds & junk food(!) on the table, slippers – moccasins – under the table by his bed. Ball cap in the basket of the walker.

Last night he was in Mom’s room watching the Oilers get beat (Argh! As Dad would say). Mom & I were in the hairdressing room, first door on the right down the hallway from Dad’s room. About 9:30 he stopped by to say good-night to Mom & I. Sid was just finishing Mom’s hair with the curling brush. Dad said, “O-o-h! You look Spiffy Mom. Pretty spinoiky!” He came in closer, leaned over & said, “Yuri, Yuri.”

I should explain “Yuri, Yuri”. Mom and dad went to Australia & New Zealand with Marilynn & Dave 4 years ago. Of course they arrived home with many pictures – one of which was mom rubbing noses with a man dressed in tribal garb. When we inquired as to what this picture was all about, we were told that it was a New Zealand Maori tribesman, greeting mom with a message of peace. Apparently, it is believed in their culture that if one is to rub noses with another, it is impossible to be at war with them. Thus, they say, “Yuri, yuri,” meaning “peace” and they seal it by rubbing noses.

So, after dad told mom she looked,“Pretty spinoiky” and had said, “Yuri yuri” to her, [Linda continues],

They rubbed noses, kissed cheeks & Dad said to Mom, ‘You go straight to bed now.’ Mom answered, ‘You go straight home now!’

And I guess that is exactly what he did.

Elmer & Madge with little "Bobby"

2006-09-08T02:14:00.000-06:00

Elmer as a young boy

2006-09-08T01:55:00.000-06:00

Dore River Jack's Dog Team

2006-09-08T01:48:00.000-06:00

Jack Maclane used to stop in to visit Elmer & Madge when they were a young couple.
Here they pose with his sled & dog team.

the wedding dress

2006-09-08T01:06:00.000-06:00

This Eatons letter is obviously a response to a query from Madge Bowes' mother, Eliza (Ocie) Cockrum, in the summer of 1937 before Elmer & Madge's October wedding. The prices for fabric are fascinating. The notes about adding pounds and lining lingerie are priceless!

Note: If you click on the scanned letter pages, they will enlarge. If you hold the cursor over the enlarged page, you should be able to see icons in the top right and bottom left corner. Click on the bottom icon with the arrows and the page should get even bigger -- good for both viewing and printing.

And here's the real dress, which Ocie Cockrum made herself.
(Sorry about the lack of detail in the scan -- I'll fix it as soon as I can locate an original to copy.)

driving to the homestead

2006-09-07T23:30:00.000-06:00

Colleen here: I have resigned from my job at Briercrest and moved to Spiritwood to live at "the 'Vent" with Mom & Dad. Last week I sorted the last drawers in Grandma and Grandpa's now-empty dresser, discovering treasures in the process. There were many pieces of jewelery, including old wedding rings and a bracelet everyone thought had been stolen.

Here is one of my favorite finds (the scanner was too small for the entire plate):

There are 2 plates.
A note found with the plates reads: "1937 plates on truck Elmer and Madge drove from their wedding to their homestead in."

Here's the happy couple at that homestead:

Travel Bugs

2006-07-29T18:01:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone,
Jeff Here in Utah

Today feels like the best day I've ever had!
We woke up at 5:45 and headed out to go canyoneering
that is hiking and rappelling through a canyon in Zion National Park.
Only 12 people a day are allowed access to this precious bit of real estate
and how amazing it is.

Photos and more words on my blog and website.
Follow the link on the right.

I'm thinking of the storage room full of Grandpa's photographs
as I travel and explore through some of the national Parks here in the U.S
as I've been taking around 130 pictures and enough video to fill a DVD per day

the clan at Elmer's 90th

2006-07-04T19:41:00.000-06:00

Marilynn and her dad at Elmer's 90th

2006-07-04T19:40:00.001-06:00

Dustin at Elmer's 90th

2006-07-04T19:40:00.000-06:00

Zane at Elmer's 90th

2006-07-04T19:39:00.000-06:00

Bob at Elmer's 90th

2006-07-04T19:38:00.001-06:00

Elmer & Madge at Elmer's 90th

2006-07-04T19:38:00.000-06:00

obituary photo

2006-07-04T19:33:00.000-06:00

2006-06-30T19:21:00.000-06:00

This email is from Lorrie Bowes' father, Harold Quirk, in Australia.

From: Harold Quirk
Cc: Dave/Marilynn Ashby
Sent: Monday, 29 May 2006, 12:34 PM

Well Old Timer, you've beat me to iT& when the Lord sends for me I hope he gives me the same sort of one way Ticket, & please give my love to my Departed. I was going to apologise for not Emailing sooner for not having attended your 90th that Bo & Lorraine assured us was a lovely Party. Anyway we'll make up for it, when I catch up to you & we Tee Up in a BALL.
Au Revoir my very dear Friend, from your Friend Down Under, [Harold]

Marilyn & Dave & the Bow as Clan, to say how sorry I am is putting it so lightly & certainly does in no way convey my sense of loss & almost dismay when Lorrain & Bob brought the news to me but then reality took over & what a way to go & so I became happy for him.

I feel for you his Family & particularly Madge your Mum as she has lost her Mate, & oh how I know how lost & lonely she will be but then she has you all to comfort her & this will be a great solace, but of course not complete. [Oh how I know.] & a large part of one looks forward to the day that God sends for us & we can rejoin fact it seems as it would be like a tree in a forest that is being cleared, "The view is good from up hear but oh so lonely."

So to you the Bow Clan, I who have mourned on so many occasions understand and sympathise & pray God to help in your sorrow as I know you ask. Amen.

Harold Quirk

he was a good friend

2006-06-30T18:58:00.000-06:00

From: Betty and Martin Taylor
To: 'Colleen Taylor'
Sent: Friday, June 23, 2006 2:56 PM
Subject: FW: Elmer

Colleen, This email is to Bob & Lorrie from Dave H. (no uncle to us). ... The anecdotes that people include is so touching. It’s nice to share them.

Thanks so much!
Love Mom

From: Bob Bowes
Sent: Sunday, June 04, 2006 4:13 PM
Fw: Elmer

----- Original Message -----
From: UncleDave
To: Robert E. Bowes
Sent: Thursday, June 01, 2006 2:21 PM
Subject: Elmer

Dear Bob and Laurie,

You’d have been proud of your daughter today. She delivered your “Reflections From A Son” very well, and in your absence it was a very moving tribute to your dad. When I closed my eyes, I could hear your voice and I could visualize you with your dad. It made me think of my times with my own father, who, at 82, is getting closer to the end. I think now, after listening to your words, that there are a few things I need to tell him.

I know you would have liked to have been here to celebrate his life with the rest of your family, but I know also the impossibility of that. It was great that you could get back for his 90th to help him celebrate. I am attaching a picture of your Mom and Dad that I took at the Gospel show at the Grand Ole Opry in April. The two were intent on the activity on the stage, which, at that moment, was Linda and Betty singing.

A few years ago when we were golfing, I said to your dad, “Elmer, I don’t know how much time we’ve got, but I wanted you to know that ever since I met you I’ve considered you a friend.” He said nothing. He just stuck out his hand and we shook.

Bob, I feel truly lucky to have had a friend in your dad. We golfed at least one round each year, and we kibitzed and bugged each other about the “upcoming match”. He was a true gentleman who was a lot of fun to be around. He supplied me with lots of stories, some of which I could tweak and use in the newspaper, and he gave me photos that I used in the “Pictures From the past” section of the paper.

But most of all, he was a good friend.

You were blessed, to have had him as a father. I know you’ll treasure his memory.

[Dave H.]

To my Canadian family

2006-06-30T18:56:00.000-06:00

From: Lorrie Bowes (in Australia)
Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2006 6:36 AM
Subject: Hi there

To my Canadian family

How wonderful it was that we were able to celebrate Elmer's life while he was with us, that we were all able to tell him how much he meant to us and that he then had 5 weeks to absorb and reflect on it all before our gracious God took him gently and peacefully to him. What a wonderful reward for a wonderful man.

I have been trying to put into words just how much Elmer meant to me but as it says in the song "words don't come easy" especially when talking about someone so loved. How blessed was I when I met Robert and became a member of the Bowes family 34 years ago - I not only gained 4 sisters and 4 brothers but also a wonderful mother and father in law. Elmer became my Canadian father and his wisdom, gentle guidance, patience and love through the years have been such an anchor for me that mere words will never express how grateful I am and how much I loved him.

The tears are flowing too much now to continue but just remember that I love you all very much, miss you all just as much and that my thoughts and prayers are with you. I know however that our loving Lord has his arms wrapped around us all and that he will continue to comfort and strengthen us in the days ahead.

Love from your Australian sister and daughter.

obituary photo

2006-06-30T18:43:00.000-06:00

For some reason I can't upload the obituary picture to display on this blog, but if you click this link you'll be able to see it.

This is a cropped portion from Grandpa's birthday. In the original he is posing with his 90th birthday cake.

Colleen

Ike Bowes

2006-06-30T18:36:00.000-06:00

From: Bob Bowes
Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 6:14 AM
Fw: Photograph

Hi Guys. The man on the right is Great Grandpa Bowes (Dad's Dad) taken in S'toon they think in the early 50's with friends whose son is now living in Aus. I have spoken to him (Rick J.) on the net but we have never met although we are trying to arrange a meeting. They live on opposite ends of the Gold Coast and we are planning to meet soon, probably at the Canada day celebrations here. Cheers, Bob

From: Rick J
To: Bob Bowes
Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 8:53 AM
Subject: Pic

Hi Bob, received a picture of Ike with my folks, it must be taken up at Loon Lake as the trees are not like anything from around our neck of the woods. Will try and scan it on our flat bed scanner tonight and send it too you. Mom is not sure what year it was but had to be 54-56? Dad was working for Merlin Motors and the car in the background looks like about a 54 Ford Mainline.

Do you know how old Ike would have been at that time. Looks in pretty good shape and definately a rugged bugger.

Rick

From: Bob Bowes
To: Rick J
Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 9:00 AM
Subject: Re: Pic

Hi Rick. Thanks for that. I'll check with some of the family to see if they know when Ike was born. Great progress and I'm still looking forward to getting up to see you. I'm in the process of car shopping at the moment and you know what that's like. Wish me luck.

From: Bob Bowes
To: siblings
Sent: Thursday, June 15, 2006 4:53 PM
Subject: FW: Pic

Can anybody help with Grandpa Ike's birthday or even year???? Maybe and I betcha Mom would remember. Cheers, Bob

From: Betty and Martin Taylor
To: 'Colleen Taylor'
Sent: Friday, June 23, 2006 3:05 PM
Subject: FW: Pic

Colleen, this email came before the one I just sent you. You might want to include the pic grandpa Bowes on the blog.

There is a story behind Bob connecting with Rick J. Rick contacted Bob and asked him if he’d ever lived in S’toon in the early ‘60s. Not sure how he heard about Bob. I think it was on the internet. Imagine connecting in Australia and his family having family connections with ours!

son Bob's eulogy

2006-06-30T18:27:00.000-06:00

GOODBYE TO THE 'GO TO GUY'

by his son, Bob Bowes,

read at the funeral by Bob's daughter Cindy

Life is so very special and today we are here together, some in spirit, to celebrate a very special life and to say goodbye to one of the most kind, gentle and well liked people most of us will ever chance to meet.

He was the GO TO GUY, the one that you could turn to when in need of a helping hand or a quick loan or a ride somewhere or just needed a friend. He once carried a hundred pound sack of flour several blocks with a broken rib because he thought his bigger friend who was ill might be hurting more than he was.

He was the GO TO GUY you called on when the team desperately needed a clutch hit or a fancy take out or a draw to the button to save an end or the one you wanted putting last for you in best ball.

He could play the guitar, fiddle, piano and harmonica and with his good looks and cheeky grin, the hearts of women... The best one of all he kissed goodnight after the hockey game Friday night and went off peacefully to his final resting place.

He was the guy with the cheery smile and a wave to everyone he met on the road and the time for a quick chat on the street or the golf course. Your time was his and his was yours and I never heard him say a bad word about anybody.

He was the man they wouldn't let fight for his country because of a bad heart... A heart that we all know was as big and strong as a horse. He always fought well above his weight.... And he cooked a mean pancake.

He was a man of great wisdom and talent that would dazzle us with his knowledge of world history and geography and his photographic memory for phone numbers was legendary. Even at 90 he could rattle off almost any phone number in town that he'd ever called and many in other towns as well ...And he cooked a mean pancake.

To his Children and Grand Children, he was fixer, healer, mentor, story teller, good listener, provider, nd car owner for a heavy footed son and 4 daughters with dead beat boy friends. The odd one slipped through our defences and married in.

To us all, He and Mom were everything and his memory will be forever cherished.

He wouldn't deny us our sadness at his passing but would want us today to remember and celebrate his good and full life....

He was after all THE GO TO GUY ... And man could he cook pancakes.

Goodbye Dear Heart, God be with you and may you rest in Peace. We love you.

an email conversation: Bob Bowes & friends

2006-06-30T17:53:00.000-06:00

From: Betty and Martin Taylor
To: 'Colleen Taylor'
Sent: Friday, June 23, 2006 2:47 PM
Subject: FW: A sad day

Hi Colleen,

As you notice, I’m forwarding a few emails which I thought might be of interest on the blog. It might be good to just put in the applicable dialogue in reverse order (first message first) instead of the way it appears on an email reply.

I thought this dialogue between Bob and Lee F. was full of nostalgia. She and her brother Rod were friends of Bob’s from school days. Mom and dad were very good friends of their parents. They even took a trip together to the states, as the one email mentioned.

Colleen's note:
Uncle Bob lives in Australia.
As per Mom's suggestion, the emails occur in chronological order.

From: Bob Bowes
Sent: Friday, May 26, 2006 6:47 PM
To: various friends
Subject: A sad day

Dear friends

After all my bragging about not ever having lost anyone close I get hit with the big one first.

My wonderful Dad passed away peacefully in his sleep between 2 and 3 am
Friday morning at the Seniors lodge in Spiritwood.

He had just watched the Oiler game in Mom's room at the lodge, kissed her goodnight and headed off to his own room in the respite section where he was staying while my sister Betty and husband Martin were out of town.

Dad was 90 and we thank God for the wonderful time we had just 5 weeks ago when we celebrated that birthday. He sang and danced with the Grand kids and made a wonderful speech. We couldn't slow him down and he stayed up late relishing the day while most of us had gone to bed. He was the baby of the family and the last to go. He will be sorely missed.

Funeral arrangements haven't been finalized yet but I am guessing early next week. Having just been home 5 weeks ago, Lorrie and I sadly won't be able to make it back and we ask for your prayers for our family.

Bye for now, Bob

From: Lee
To: Bob Bowes
Sent: Saturday, May 27, 2006 2:17 PM
Subject: Re: A sad day

Bless him! Sounds like he went quickly. Will your mom understand?? Hard to be left behind. I immediately thought of the time Rod, Donna and I went to Spiritwood a few years ago, dropped in on your mom and dad in their old house, we were made to feel as welcome as celebrities and the talk was easy and abundant, he felt we should stay much longer of course and we had such a good visit. Losing him will be tough for you, I am so glad you were with him recently - he would have loved that!! And the occasion of his birthday would have given you all opportunity to look back on his good life of loving his family and serving his community. Take care, I'm thinking about you....

From: Bob Bowes
To: Lee
Sent: Sunday, May 28, 2006 4:15 PM
Subject: Re: A sad day

Hi Lee. Thanks for that. What a sad time. I was a basket case for a couple of nights and sure looked my age in the morning. We are sure thankful for the last visit. What better Wake than a 90th birthday party. Luckily someone took movies of the whole thing, copies of which will be in high demand now.

Our next trip home will for sure have an Edmonton stop in it. For some reason we didn't want to stray too far from Spiritwood last April but did get to see all the kids at the party.

I haven't heard from Rod so if you're talking to him, give him our best. Take care, Bob

From: Lee
To: Bob Bowes
Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2006 8:38 AM
Subject: Re: A sad day

Have been thinking about your dad and I know if my mom were alive she would want me to remind you of the two stories that she often told about your mom and dad. the first was about the trip that your folks took to the states with my folks (a VERY BIG deal in those days) and one of the stops they made was I think at your mom's sister's place in the States and she and her family didn't know anything about curling so my dad and yours set up a "rink" scenario on a rectangular glass covered coffee table and used salt and pepper shakers for rocks and did a whole demo! including whole ends, scoring and everything! Can't you just see them in your mind's eye??

The second was around the time when your mom was very pregnant with one of the younger girls, almost due to deliver. Your mom was ticked off cause your dad once again forgot to do some household chore (I think it was to take the garbage out) and she decided to teach him a lesson so she called the elevator and in a very breathless voice said, "Elmer, come home quick!" and hung up and then phoned my mom laughing to tell her what she had done. So your dad tore home thinking the baby was coming fast and when he walked in, your mom reminded him of the chore he forgot to do. My mom and yours had many laughs about that story. They knew how to have fun, didn't they? Hope you're doing OK and using this time to enjoy good memories. (Bob, will your mom understand what has happened?) Take care.....

From: Bob Bowes
Sent: Monday, May 29, 2006 3:51 PM
To: [siblings]
Subject: Fw: A sad day

Hi Guys. Just got this email from Lee Folliott (Hope) It might be useful in the Eulogy if the girls need some more input. The story about the garbage has changed a bit over the years but the gist is the same. Calling soon. Bob

Colleen's note:
I didn't notice if Uncle Bob answered Lee's question about Grandma understanding Grandpa's passing. The short answer is yes, she seemed quite aware of what was happening -- before, during, and after the funeral. She kept repeating, "I just can't believe it."

At the viewing the day before the funeral, my mother said to her, "Imagine, Mom, you were married 68 years." Grandma thought a moment and replied, "That's a long time. But not too long."

obituary

2006-06-26T00:25:00.000-06:00

This obituary that went to Spiritwood and Meadow Lake newspapers.

Elmer Ross Bowes
April 2, 1916 – May 26, 2006

Elmer Ross Bowes was born on April 2, 1916, at Saskatoon, SK. He passed away peacefully in his sleep at age ninety, on May 26th, 2006. The youngest of six children born to Isaac (Ike) and Mary Bowes, Elmer was four when the family moved to a farm near Vanscoy, SK. When the family moved north to a homestead near Makwa, SK, Elmer stayed with friends intending to complete high school, but joined his family at the completion of grade ten as he was need on the farm. In Makwa he met Madge Cockrum, who had moved to the area from Texas with her family. They were married on Oct. 9th , 1937, and moved to their homestead near Makwa. A job at the Searle Grain Elevator supplemented the farm income, and began a grain-buying career that lasted eighteen years, and took the family from the homestead to Bapaume, SK in 1941, then to Spiritwood in 1947, which was the last move for he and Madge. In 1958, Elmer left the elevator when they purchased a general store that later became the local dry cleaners and laundromat. Following retirement from the business, Elmer drove school bus for the school division, and later became the custodian for the offices. Still full of vigor in his seventies, Elmer laboured along with four partners, to build the Spiritwood Golf Course. Elmer excelled at baseball and over his 36 years in baseball, played for teams in Vanscoy, Delisle, Makwa, Meadow Lake, Glaslyn, North Battleford, and lastly Spiritwood. Curling was his winter passion up to age 89. Elmer was active in community service over the years as a coach, a member of the Home and School Association, was active in the Free Methodist Church, a School Unit Board trustee, member and president of the Board of trade, and executive member of the Centennial Arena Association. He sat as a Town Councillor, then Mayor of Spiritwood during the Fifties. He was a Mason with the Shellbrook chapter, a charter member of the local Lions Club, was a member of the History book Committee, the Spiritwood Writers group, and the Museum Society. Elmer was predeceased by his parents, Mary and Isaac Bowes; brothers, Ken and Claude; sisters, Myrtle Emmerson, Edith MacPherson, and Effie Midgett; father-in-law, Guernsey Cockrum, mother-in-law, Ocie Cockrum; brothers-in-law, Fred Emmerson, Carl MacPherson, Clyde Midgett, and Delbert Mann. Elmer was a wonderful role model. He will be sadly missed by his wife, Madge, of 68 years, his children and their spouses: Bob (Lorrie) Bowes (Coolangatta, Australia), Marilynn (Dave) Ashby (Cold Lake, AB), Betty (Martin) Taylor, Linda (Glenn) Pilling (Spiritwood, SK), Sherry (Zane) Olson (Estevan, SK), his 16 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren, and his many relatives and friends. The funeral service was held in Spiritwood, May 31, 2006, arrangements in care of Beau “Lac” Funeral Home. Donations can be made to the Spiritwood Idylwild Lodge Auxiliary.

Dustin: Family Legacy

2006-06-09T12:42:00.000-06:00

Full text from Dustin's weblog.

Thursday, June 08, 2006

SO in recent encounters with some relatives I have decided to try my hand at poetry, even though I would not call what I write true poetry since I am sure that it lacks my structure to the real writer. Regardless I wish to place this poem on here as a tribute to my Grandfather (whom I was very close with) who recently passed on. He was a great man and to quote my father "was as close to perfect as anyone he has ever met". That pretty much sums up my Grandpa.

Family Legacy
(An Ode to my Grandfather)

It started with one man and his wife,
Joined together in love, for life,
Not knowing what they’d start,
Just following love from their hearts.

One man and his wife,
Creating so much life,
Leading by example,
Giving a legacy,
from one generation to the next,

A pilot,
A poet,
A thinker,
A worker,
Artist,
Musician,
Accountant,
Businessperson,
Teacher,
Farmer,
Athlete,
Scientist,
Philosopher.

All rooted in one man and his wife,
Given together in love for life,
Starting something they could not know,
I hope they were proud as they watched us grow.

The closest to perfection that could be seen,
Coming out of one human being,
He gave himself to each generation for all to see,
A man and his wife’s family Legacy.

Jeffrey: Legacy

2006-06-09T12:38:00.000-06:00

Full text from Jeffrey's weblog:

Legacy

What a legacy you've left
my dear elder friend,
such love and joy
to which I have borne
proud witness.

Early Friday morning,
My Grandfather
passed away.

I'm up at my parent's in
Spiritwood SK,
putting together
all the video I've shot of Grandpa,
and sitting in the midst
of my relative's reflections
on this great man.
Well belovedin his community,
a man of many talents,
and the genetic source
I am sure of my creative impulses!.

Always quick with a joke,
and a huge smile.
Generous, fun loving,
gentle and eloquent.
But most of all faithful in prayer,
for his wife, family and friends.
Loving God with his whole heart.

Farewell.
And see you in Heaven someday
I love you Grandpa.

grandchildren pay tribute

2006-06-08T22:21:00.000-06:00

Jeff has posted a family photo from Grandpa's birthday party along with a poem.

I realized that some of my regular audience might appreciate an update on my blog.

Inspired by Jeff's and my poetry, Dustin followed suit with his own tribute to Grandpa.

I'll fly away

2006-06-01T19:23:00.000-06:00

Some glad morning when this life is o'er, I'll fly away;
To a home on God's celestial shore, I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

[Chorus] I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away (in the morning);
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

When the shadows of this life have gone, I'll fly away;
Like a bird from prison bars has flown, I'll fly away (I'll fly away)

[Chorus] I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away (in the morning);
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

Just a few more weary days and then,I'll fly away;
To a land where joy shall never end, I'll fly away (I'll fly away)

[Chorus] I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away (in the morning);
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

He cooked a mean pancake!

2006-06-01T19:19:00.000-06:00