Obituary of Ryder Trew

TREW: Ryder Louis Trew passed away in Lloydminster Hospital on Wednesday, October 5, 2005 at the age of 89 years, a mere 26 days after his dear wife Marg. Ryder is survived by two daughters; Sharon and her husband Jack Tingley of Lloydminster, Myrna and her husband Kevin Kromrey also of Lloydminster; five grandchildren and three spouses and nine great grandchildren; as well as numerous other relatives. Ryder was predeceased by his Margaret on September 9, 2005. The memorial service for Ryder was conducted from the Grace United Church, Lloydminster, AB on Tuesday, October 11, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. with Reverend Harold Martin officiating. The eulogy was given by Grant Kromrey, grandson. A poem was read by his three granddaughters, Terri, Jodi and Jackie. A tribute to both Grandma and Grandpa was presented by grandson, Shane Tingley. The hymn sung was “O When The Saints Go Marching In”, accompanied on the organ by Irene Knowlson and the Grace United Church Choir. The honor guard and honorary pallbearers were the Lloydminster Elks and the Order of the Royal Purple. The urn bearers were Shane Tingley and Grant Kromrey. Interment followed in the Lloydminster City Cemetery, where at this time both Mom and Dad were laid to rest together. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd. of Lloydminster administered the funeral arrangements. Eulogy Given by Grant Kromrey, grandson Ryder Louis Trew was the second child born to George and Mary Trew on July 23, 1916 at the family homestead near Cantaur (Can + Tower), Saskatchewan. Grandpa had an older brother, Ted, and two younger sisters, Esme and Beryl. Grandpa’s passing was preceded by his sister Esme at the age of 13, his sister Beryl a few years ago and just recently his brother Ted. Grandpa first attended school in Velva, Saskatchewan. Then during the drought in the thirties his family moved to the Turtleford/Spruce Lake area to farm. In 1939 Grandpa met Grandma at a dance in the “English River Hall”. It was love at first sight. They were married on November 15, 1943. Soon after Grandpa left the farm near Spruce Lake and entered the Army. He and Grandma moved to Regina for two years and then returned to Spruce Lake to farm again. In May 1947 their first daughter Sharon was born. In the fall of 1951 they moved their family to Lloydminster where Grandpa took work as a cat operator for Cleeves Construction. Their second daughter, Myrna, was born soon after their move in 1952 completing their family. Grandpa had various careers. He hauled heavy oil, worked at the Co-op Lumber yard and as truck driver for ICG Propane. Grandpa worked with ICG Propane for 24 years where he earned a perfect driving award. Even after he retired he could always tells you where so and so lived whenever a name came up, including exact directions to their home. In addition to being a hard worker, Grandpa had many wonderful pastimes. Fishing, camping and dancing were in the top three. Fishing and camping took Grandpa and Grandma traveling in their motorhome with their boat in tow to many areas of Alberta, BC and Saskatchewan – linking up with family and friends along the way. Grandpa even became an avid flyer once he discovered that his son-in-law Kevin could fly him to some really great fishing spots. Dancing was another favorite pastime. Grandpa was an excellent dancer and he and Grandma shared many dances together and were a joy to watch. A special song to them was “Can I Have This Dance” which they danced to on their 25th, 40th and 50th Wedding Anniversaries. Grandpa loved sports, especially baseball and curling. It will be hard to imagine a national curling event on TV possibly proceeding without Grandma and Grandpa’s running commentary and constant critique. One thing about Grandpa was he always kept busy. As my aunt Sharon said he was her “Mr. Fix It”. Whether something required gluing, soldering, hammering, or bolting whatever it took would be done in Grandpa’s well-stocked and well-organized garage, which he kept as neat as Grandma’s house. Grandpa also believed in being respectful and having good manners. He taught us to never wear a hat at the dinner table and that uh-ha was not an acceptable substitute for please or thank you. Grandpa and his longtime neighbour and friend Alf Wightman joined forces to become an “Unstoppable Snow Removal Service” for their neighbourhood. Armed with two snowblowers and numerous shovels “Mother Nature” just didn’t stand a chance. They were even still at it last winter. Grandpa was also a dedicated member of the Elks Lodge, attending meetings, working fundraisers, attending socials, and helping those in need. After retiring from ICG at the age of 70, Grandpa began helping my Mom and Dad at their greenhouse for several years. Grandpa just liked to work and he was so fit that he was almost 80 before we realized that maybe he should not be climbing scaffolding any more, but that did not stop him from giving orders from the “ground level”. In the winter months he would help inside with the watering, earning the name of “Super Soaker” from the Evergreen staff. If something needed water he made certain it got it. Grandpa’s favorite job at the greenhouse, which he did up until about five years ago, was delivering truckloads of plants to the surrounding towns. He enjoyed being on the road again as it reminded him of the many years of delivering propane. Grandma would often accompany Grandpa on these trips. As a teenager my first vehicle was the greenhouse’s delivery truck. To make it look “cool” I had decorated it with a few goodies such as a big “NO FEAR” sticker (something that was cool at the time). My sister often wondered how many people chuckled when they encountered two seniors in their 80s driving down the road with a huge “NO FEAR” sticker on my “cool” truck. Grandpa enjoyed a truly wonderful life filled with many blessings. He had a lot of spirit and even this past spring at almost 89 years of age he drove himself out to Aunt Sharon and Uncle Jack’s for branding. We all take comfort in knowing Grandpa is at peace and that after sharing a lifetime together he and Grandma are reunited again. Grandpa and Grandma attended every annual family get-together, birthday, anniversary, rodeo, horse show and any other event they could be apart of or support. Their love will be forever remembered and their presence will be forever missed. Card of Thanks Thank you so much to the exceptional staff in Vermilion Supportive Living for their care and concern for Dad when he was left alone. They definitely gave it their all. To Dr. Naude whose comforting words and caring ways made Dad and our family more comfortable on his last day and also many, many times previous to that as he was a wonderful caregiver for both Mom and Dad. To Reverend Martin for his lovely service for Dad. His sweet compassionate way always makes one feel so special. For the food, cards, flowers, phone calls – all of which were greatly appreciated. To the Royal Purple Ladies for being Mom and Dad’s honor guard and for the lovely lunch after the service – “Great Egg sandwiches and lots of them.” To Glenn McCaw again for his hugs and kind understanding and also to the McCaw staff for everything. Finally thanks for wonderful parents who led a very full, productive life together, who will be greatly missed but rejoice in the fact that they are together forever as it was meant to be. Dearly remembered and sadly missed, Sharon & Jack Tingley and Families Myrna & Kevin Kromrey and Families Donations in memory of Ryder may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society or to a charity of the donor's choice.