Obituary of Allan Currie

B I O G R A P H Y CURRIE: Allan George Currie passed away in the Riverside Health Complex, Turtleford, Saskatchewan on Friday, February 10, 2006 at the age of 80 years. Allan is survived by: his children: Jim Currie (Kay) of Mervin, SK; Sheila Lins (Bob) of Fairholme, SK; Cliff Currie (Cathy) of Turtleford, SK; Sandra Littlejohn (Rob) of Peace River, AB; Richard Currie (Diane) of Peace River, AB; his special friend Marj Gudmundson of Mervin, SK; grandchildren: Valarie Close (Harold) of Peace River, AB; Connie Matthews of Hardisty, AB; Michael Lins (Andrea) of Glaslyn, SK; Angela Lins of Lloydminster, SK; Becky Lins (Mark) of Lloydminster, AB; Jaime Currie (Brandon) of Turtleford, SK; Justin Currie of Turtleford, SK; Patrick Currie of Peace River, AB; Roger Currie of Peace River, AB; great grandchildren: Connor Wehrhahn of Peace River, AB; Kirk Wehrhahn of Peace River, AB; Drake Matthews of Hardisty, AB; Zachery Matthews also of Hardisty, AB; two sisters: Vera Armstrong and Families of Exeter, Ontario; Helen (Cliff) Scott and Families of Stratford, Ontario; one sister-in-law Clariece Sweezey and families of Lloydminster, AB. Allan was predeceased by: his loving wife Thelma on March 27, 1995, his daughter Jean and her husband Dave Close, his brother Bill Currie and his parents Wilfred and Ildagert Currie. The funeral service for Allan was conducted from the Mervin United Church, Mervin, Saskatchewan on Tuesday, February 14, 2006 at 2:00 P.M. with Pastor Ken Keller officiating. Hymns sung were “Just A Closer Walk With Thee,” and “Amazing Grace,” accompanied on the organ by Noreen Williamson. Honorary pallbearers were all his friends with special thanks to the nursing home staff. Active pallbearers were: Michael Lins, Justin Currie, Patrick Currie, Roger Currie, Connor Wehrhahn and Mark Lovberg. Interment followed in the Mervin Cemetery. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster administered the funeral arrangements. Eulogy - read by Kay Montgomery Al Currie was born on the Currie homestead two miles east of Mervin on September 27, 1925. He attended school in Mervin until the call of the farm became too great. Al married Thelma Ripley on November 13, 1948. Al was on the farm for 65 years. I remember the day he and Thelma were packing to move to town and he turned to me and said, “Kay it isn’t easy to leave the place you’ve lived for 65 years.” Al and Thelma raised six children: Jean, Jim, Sheila, Cliff, Sandra and Richard. Farming presented many challenges in the early years and Al was determined to find a way to be successful, so he did some custom trucking, spent one winter as a mechanic at the Friendly Service in Mervin, in addition to milking cows and sowing the crop. Al had a very inventive mind. For example he built a stand that could hold a 45 gallon oil drum that would balance and tip easily to pour into smaller containers. Many years later this invention appeared in the Grain News under “New Inventions.” He also made a drill press out of an old cream separator. Interestingly his inventions are still in use on the farm today. Al had many talents and abilities that kept him busy including woodwork, gardening, bird watching, camping and fishing, bowling and shooting gophers. His gopher hunting expeditions on the farm sent me running for cover more that once. Al made a hole-in-one on hole number two at the Mervin Golf Course, which gave him bragging rights for many years. Al served on the Turtleford Rural Telephone Board for twenty years; he also found time to coach and manage minor hockey and ball; he also served on community boards and projects and was a long time member of the Canadian Order of Foresters. One of his memorable projects was working with a group of local volunteers to construct the curling rink in Mervin. Al and Thelma retired from farming and moved into Mervin in May, 1989. That gave them the time and freedom to experience the wonder of travel in their motor home. Al with the encouragement of Thelma explored the beauty of the many sights from the prairies to the east coast, the west coast, Mexico and north to Fort St. John. Many of their stories involved special times with Helen and Cliff Scott, Al’s sister and her husband. Al moved into retirement with a bit of resistance and reluctance, often returning to the farm to see if the operation was in order. There was occasion it didn’t meet with his approval, but he was more than willing to offer advice. We knew Al had changed his priorities the day he drove the combine up in front of the shop for repair and declared he was going golfing! In his spare time Al learned to use the computer for communicating by email with his family. He enjoyed the many jokes that arrived regularly and in particular from his sisters Helen Scott and Vera Armstrong in Ontario and nephew Gerry Nelson in Saskatoon. Al spoke proudly of his grandchildren and he was always available to play a game of cards or teach the fine art of driving a motorized vehicle. The mark of a rookie driver was evident on Al’s vehicles and other solid objects around the farm for a long time. In January of 2004 a stroke changed Al’s life in a profound way. It was difficult for him to give up the independence he once knew. We admired Al for his acceptance of this new life in the nursing home. He was well liked by the Nursing staff because of his sense of humor even under difficult circumstances. He spoke often of the friends who found time to pick him up and take him to the café` for coffee and gab with his friends. He looked forward to drives in the country he was so familiar with, the home cooked meals and the companionship that went with spending a Sunday at Marj’s. The family is grateful for the support Marj gave him. Al was the center of his family; loved and adored by each of them. They will miss the phone conversations the holidays together and the special bond that was evident in all that they did. Al will be missed by family and friends! Card of Thanks The family of the late Allan Currie wish to express their sincere thanks to the Doctors, nurses and staff of the Turtleford Nursing Home for the wonderful care given to Dad over the last two years. Thank you to Ken Keller for his comforting words. Special thanks to Kay Montgomery for reading the eulogy. Thank you to Noreen Williamson for playing the organ and to the church choir for singing. Thank you to the grandsons for being pallbearers. Thanks to the church ladies for the lovely lunch they provided. A very special thank you to all the friends and family who sent flowers, brought food to the house, sent cards, for donations received, phone calls and visits. Your thoughtfulness will always be remembered. Also thank you to McCaw Funeral Service for handling the funeral arrangements. The Currie Family Donations in memory of Allan may be made to the Riverside Health Complex or the Heart & Stroke Foundation.