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| Fraser Rempel- Summer 2012- Nipawin |
Fraser attended the rural Cherry Ridge school until the final two years of high school when he boarded in Nipawin to finish High School. Fraser was a quiet, bright, and happy farm boy. He loved and admired both parents for their thoughtful, wise resourcefulness. His mother told of how he, as a very small boy, when given a math sum to solve, would run to the couch, bury his head momentarily in a cushion, and then pop up with the correct answer.
Memories of his childhood included a trip to Bruderthal, Hillsboro, Kansas when he was about six to be with his Grandmother Ewert-Rempel prior to her passing. He attended school there during that time, and got to meet many of the Ewerts and Rempels that were his father’s kin, and his Mennonite extended family that had originally come in 1874 from Berdgansk, Southern Russia to avoid military service.
The Rempels and Ewerts had brought with them a long agrarian history and seeds for life in the New World, like hard wheat and apricots. They were instrumental in helping to establish Bethel College (1888), still thriving as a small liberal arts College http://www.bethelks.edu/
Fraser’s mother’s family were Scots and United Empire Loyalist background. His mother’s great-grandfather, Robert Flatt, had come from Kirkwall, Orkney Isles as a Hudson Bay agent in the early 1800s. He married Mary Baker, a farmer’s daughter from Wentworth County. Her family were United Empire Loyalists and from “Pennsylvania Dutch” stock. One of their offspring, Samuel Flatt, married and inherited the Baker family farm in East Flamboro, County Wentworth, Ontario. The second of their five children was Charles Edmond, Fraser’s maternal grandfather.
Charles Edmond Flatt graduated as a medical doctor from University of Toronto and took his nurse-wife, Margaret Fraser, and his young family (including Fraser’s mother, Mary) to live in Tantallon, the Quappelle Valley, where both Charles and Margaret got around by horse and buggy caring for patients. Fraser’s Grandmother Margaret Fraser Flatt provided nursing care for many of the influenza victims—both returning soldiers and family they had returned to-- the fallout of the Spanish Civil War. Margaret was also an executive member of the Women United Grain Growers, the organization of women who fought for the vote for women. Fraser remembered his Granny Flatt as being a sweet-scented “lavender Granny” who knew the Bible like the back of her hand and could take on anyone who came knocking who thought they knew the Bible better than she.
Fraser’s mother, Mary had been a teacher before they homesteaded in Cherry Ridge, and continued to be a strong advocate of education. She had done “Home Science” studies as well, and was part of the “Homemakers’ Club” in Cherry Ridge. Fraser perceived that his mother could do just about anything in the homemaking department from all the culinary arts, gardening, design, parenting and formulating exciting birthday parties that usually included something like a treasure hunt.
Fraser saw his father as being very supportive of his mother’s “other life” as well-- in 1945 the “new Nipawin Union Hospital” (now the “old hospital”) was built in Nipawin. Fraser’s mother became the first woman in Saskatchewan to serve on a Hospital Board. She didn’t drive, but Bill, Fraser’s Dad, asked Fraser to drive her to various meetings across the province. Fraser was a teenager. Their older sister, Joy, was working and besides, Herman, next to Fraser in age, were the two young brothers, Willy and Don (a baby.) Fraser, his Mom, and the two little ones would drive across the province so Mary could attend the various meetings. Fraser would feed and change and entertain the little guys while his Mother attended her meetings.
Fraser had many stories to share about his childhood and youth, never complaining about the poverty and hard work that affected everyone back during the Depression years. Actually, he saw his childhood as particularly favoured, and maybe it was. He remembered rounding up his brothers and buddies to pick stones or weeds or dig potatoes for his Dad, and then every kid getting a quarter, an ice cream cone and going to a movie in town as pay for the hard work.
One January night when he was in high school he walked home from Nipawin across the frozen, snowy fields. It was about a six mile hike. He wanted to be with his family to celebrate his father’s birthday. The sun had just gone down and he was suddenly aware of not being on his own out in the field. He carefully turned his head, first to one side and then to the other—there was a wolf walking on either side of him. They seemed oblivious of him, focused on something in the distance. Suddenly one of the wolves made a commanding sound and off they tore, along with the rest of the pack that had been pacing behind him. He said that he had not felt fear, only awe.
Besides school and farm work, Fraser was the older brother and therefore responsible for getting the brothers and sisters to school on a cart or sleigh behind a pair of mules. In his youth he drove the snowplough scraping off the Cherry Ridge and surrounding backroads as a way to make a little income to help fund his future education.
He excelled at school, graduating when he was 16. He loved poetry by the Romantic poets Shelley and Burns and tried his hand at writing a little poetry as a student. He was the first President of the Student Council in the “new” High School (that was replaced in 1971).
Fraser seems to have had a good relationship with his siblings, again I never heard anything but positive stories and comments. He told how his sister Joy was once very taken with Scottish dancing and because she needed a partner to practice, she recruited him. He didn’t take that outside of their home, but in the early 60s he was the “limbo champ” (along with Mildred Harjula) at various houseparties.
While he didn’t talk much about it and was by nature pretty self-effacing or modest, it is likely that he was at least a fair athlete. He played in pick-up baseball games, curled and swam for sure. Unlike his father, he didn’t really take to golf with any enthusiasm, and he didn’t watch sports on TV like everybody else’s Dad.
In his late teens he joined Air Cadets with the hope of enlisting in the Air Force. The War ended in 1945 when he was not yet 18. He did, however, get to travel a bit with the Cadets and to do some flying.
Fraser attended the University of Saskatchewan, receiving a Diploma in Agriculture in 1947. He states that he was just keen to farm and at that time had no great desire to do any studies beyond that. In the summers when he was at University he worked at a forge in Saskatoon, and later in a farm machinery assembly line near Guelph, Ontario with buddies from the Agriculture class. One summer he and his buddies went to New York City on a little trip. They saw all the tourist things, and they went to see the young actor Marlon Brando in the Broadway play “A Street Car Named Desire” – a highlight of the trip for Fraser.
In the summer of 1948 he met the love of his life at a dance. Catherine (“Cathy”) Sanders was a friend of his friends from Choiceland. They fell in love but spent a year apart, writing letters to each other, testing to see if they were indeed meant for each other.
They were engaged, and married October 22, 1949 in the United Church in Nipawin. Fraser had turned 22 just a week before, and Cathy turned 22 the day following their wedding.
Fraser farmed with his father and brothers, and built a small house in Nipawin for his wife, and then daughter, Cynthia, born November 13th, 1950. Fraser described his wife as having the gfit to turn the simple little home into something glamorous.
The little family moved out to Vancouver in 1953(?) Fraser was hoping to study Architecture at UBC but discovered that he did not have the required High School French. He opted to work as a milkman, and had a number of fascinating stories to tell about his experiences on the milk route. A farmboy from Saskatchewan, he was often the only milkman who went out on the route in Vancouver when it snowed.
He built two houses while they lived on the Coast, the first flat-roofed house in North Burnaby and a small house in the Crescent Beach area. Not too long ago he expressed some regret that they had not stayed in Crescent Beach and built a life there. But it was a flash-by regret and never came up again.
August 16,1954, Rex William Rempel was born in St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver. When he was three weeks old the family returned to the Prairies so Fraser could help out with the harvest. The family rented a house in Choiceland briefly, and also lived on Cathy’s family’s farm in White Fox.
In the mid-late 1950s Fraser began to work for the seed company, H.G. Neufeld Seeds, in Nipawin. Before Cynthia started school in the fall of 1957 Fraser had been made the General Manager of the company and the name was eventually changed to Newfield Seeds Ltd. Fraser served as General Manager and President of Newfield Seeds until 1991 when he retired. He also served as President of the Canadian Seed Trade on three occasions and was made an honourary member in 2004. You can read more about his work life as recorded at the time http://cdnseed.org/archive/pdfs/press/RempelHonoraryMemberRelease.pdf
Fraser and Cathy lived back and forth between Nipawin and the farm over the years of their children growing up. On August 24, 1958 they had a little daughter, Amy Catherine Rempel, born in the Nipawin Hospital. On November 18, 1959, James Alexander was born. Fraser stated in his older years that the “kidlets” were the highlight of his life and he could never get enough of his children. (He continued to call his offspring “kidlets” into their 50s and 60s).
Tragedy struck in May 1961 when Amy, not quite three, accidentally drowned. The family was never quite the same after that. I write about that family-life-changing experience HERE
The family spent many summers at Sunnyside Beach, Emma Lake, usually with Fraser depositing his wife and kids and then joining them on the weekends.
Fraser and Cathy attended a number of Seeds Conventions over the years in different cities in North America. Cynthia married Ed Zirkwitz in Vancouver in 1970 and Rex married Debbie Seaman (of Garrick) in Nipawin in 1974. The grandchildren came along: Philip Zirkwitz(1970), Conrad Zirkwitz(1973), Ryan Rempel (1975) and David Rempel (1976). Jim moved to Saskatoon with Fraser and Cathy, and subsequently graduated and left home in 1978.
Fraser was supportive and encouraging, both to his children and to others he mentored and befriended. Fraser and Cathy lived between Saskatoon and Nipawin area for the rest of their lives, ultimately settling down to Nipawin in 2005 when Cathy entered the Pineview Lodge as a resident. She died there in March 2007. By this time, Fraser had begun to lose the use of his legs and was feeling pretty isolated and lonely. He didn't complain much, or if he did, not for long. He was very grateful for the love and thoughtful concern and care of Jim, Rex, Debbie, Ryan, Delilah, and his adopted son Hua Cao and his wife Jia. Jim bought him a scooter so he could get around town with a fair amount of independence. Delilah made a great effort to see that his apartment had some order and that he had a chance to just have a friendly visit. Rex checked in on him frequently and made sure that he was eating. Hua took him out to dine, occasions he really looked forward to. Ester and Ron brought him farm news, garden veggies, home-cooking and took him driving. Don brought him over books to take care of his fascination with history and other subjects. Willy gave him a ride when he needed to be somewhere. There were other family events and outings and visits and phone calls, and letters from family with photos in them, but as his health declined and he was sometimes stuck in the apartment, life seemed less worth living.
He delighted in his phone plan that allowed him to make as many long distance calls as he wanted, at no extra cost (having lived with Mom and her large long-distance calls for so long). He was thrilled if he was able to have contact with all three of his "kidlets" on the same day.
He was very proud of his children and grandchildren and "adopted/chosen" children. He reported all the various comings and goings and accomplishments in their lives, and flashed around the photos of the great-grandchildren. He was so thrilled with Bradley and Amber, his great-grandchildren from his grandson Ryan, and said that it was enough just to know that Alyza and Angelika and their Mom, Marylen, "were there". (Phil's family).
Just after Christmas (December 27, 2013) he had a fall, perhaps a stroke, in his apartment. Rex had called by with some food and to check in on him. Fraser managed to get to the door to let Rex in. An ambulance was called and he was taken to the hospital. His final hours were in a quiet hospice-type room in comfort, and pain-free. Family and friends came and said good-bye. He died in the quiet way in which he had lived.
We miss you Dad / Grandpa / Brother / Great-Grandpa / Uncle / Friend. Look forward to seeing you again someday!
R.I.P. E. Fraser Rempel Oct. 15, 1927- January 4, 2013
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