Obituary of Joseph May

Joe May was born in 1934, on a farm near Paynton, Sask. He was the second son of Frank and Myrtle May. He moved to Marshall with his family in 1949 where he attended school in Dulwich School. After Frank's death, Joe farmed with his mother until 1963. After moving to Lloydminster Joe continued to live with his mother while worked in the oil field and did some farm work. Later he worked on a market garden. After a major stroke late in 1994, Joe continued to live at home with the support of friends and family. In 2005 he moved to the Pioneer Lodge where he resided until September of 2006. After a short stay in the hospital, he passed away October 19, 2006. During the time at home and at the lodge, Joe enjoyed visits from friends and family. He always enjoyed seeing the young people and their families. He was predeceased by father, Frank, in 1955, mother, Myrtle, in 1988, brother, Herb, in 1995 and sister, Edith, in 2005. He leaves to mourn his passing, his brother, Charlie (Beth) and numerous nephews and nieces. The memorial service for Joseph was conducted from the McCaw Funeral Chapel, Lloydminster, Alberta on Monday, October 23, 2006 at 2:00 P.M. with Pastor Anne Laird officiating. Eulogy given by Joe’s friend Heather Salzl. Joe spent a lot of time with our family as we were growing up. Sometimes it seemed he was just another one of us kids. He could make us laugh and he could make us so mad sometimes with his teasing. Whenever he came for a visit he always brought chocolate bars and pop. He never forgot about us kids. As we grew up and had families of our own Joe always phoned us on our birthdays. I just received a phone call from him even though he was so sick. Joe was very generous with people of any age and if you needed a ride, or some money or anything else, you could always count on Joe. If he owed you money most often you got paid in pill bottles full of loose change-enough to cover the bill. Sometimes that was quite a few pill bottles. Another one of his little jokes. Joe loved a good laugh! He loved to play practical jokes and pranks. He was always trying to give us a chew of snuff saying it would put hair on our chests. And a lot of you would have had a nip of brandy if you stopped by the house. I think he read every Louis L'Amour book ever written and he received the Edmonton Journal everyday. While in the lodge, he made sure my great aunt always got the paper everyday. He had many sayings most of which I will not repeat. He loved to pick berries, go fishing, buy lottery tickets and he loved to eat. Once when picking berries with my great aunt Ida, younger sister Kathy, and my mom, he left the lights on in his car. When they came out of the bush, Kathy asked my aunt if she was ready to go. Aunt Ida said no. Kathy said a good thing as Joe left the lights on and the battery is dead. Aunt Ida looked at him saying, "You stupid son of a gun". Joe laughed and laughed. Earlier when we were little, Joe was berry picking with us and he showed my two youngest sisters how to fill their pails with leaves and only put berries on top. You can imagine what happened when Mom found out. He bought Valentine chocolates to give out the day after Valentines because they were cheaper. Joe loved garage sales and he was quite a pack rat!!! I don't envy Charlie and Beth the job of sorting through all his stuff. I'm sure Joe will be looking over your shoulder's saying, "Don't throw that away, you might use it someday." He worked in my sister's market garden for a while. When in the patch a vegetable would hit someone and the fight was on. He enjoyed her children and both spoiled them and teased them.My children remember among other things the atrocious noises that came from both ends of Joe. Everyone would run for cover, going "Oh Joe" and he would laugh. Joe's nephews would send pictures of their families and the new additions. You could be sure before you left, Joe would show off the photo and tell you about the wee one. He kept track of all of you. My sisters, Ovidia, Karen and I would go to help him sometimes after he had his stroke and do a bit of cleaning. He always had a can of coffee for us to take home -his way of saying thanks. When Joe had his stroke he was fortunate to have his brother Charlie and wife Beth living in town. As his mobility decreased Charlie became the errand runner, delivery guy and taxi service. He was so lucky to have his good neighbours of 44 years, Margaret and Benny Wolfe. When Joe had his stroke and came home Ben checked on him a couple of times a day. Margaret cooked supper for him almost every day. Having neighbours like this helped Joe stay in his own home for a few more years. Thank-you! Joe lived life in his own way and was as stubborn as a mule. He loved those close to him in his own way and we will all miss him. So long Joe, 10-4-13. Rest in peace. The family would like to thank Glen McCaw and the McCaw funeral service for handling the arrangements, Pastor Anne Laird for officiating, Eileen Yaxley for her gift of music, Heather Salzl for her kind words, the Moose Lodge Ladies for the wonderful lunch, and the friends and family for coming to help celebrate Joe’s life. Donations in memory of Joseph may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society.