Obituary of Bernard Wolfe

Bernard Bartholomew Wolfe (Ben) passed away peacefully on September 15th, 2007 in the Lloydminster Hospital. Ben was the second youngest of fourteen children born to Catherine and John Wolfe. He was born at home in Cosine Saskatchewan on Feb 28th, 1932. For years he would smile to himself as he had most of his grandchildren convinced he was born on a haystack in a barn. Only one of many stories he would use to tease them. Then there were the stories of riding pigs to school and Pete’s pancakes that seemed almost unbelievable but were all very true. It was never about the story for Ben. It was about getting people to laugh. He had a wonderful sense of humour and shared it generously with every one. And come to think of it if I had known 30 years ago rather than today that Benny’s middle name was Bartholomew – I think we would have had another good laugh. As a young man growing up another love of Bens was the catalyst for what would become the most important part of his life. He loved to go dancing and dancing is where he met his future wife Margaret. They were married in 1953 and shortly after began a family that came to mean everything to him. Gabe was born in 54, Henry 55, Gerry 56, Sandra 57 and Gord in 61. Ben was a wonderful father and a great role model to all his children and grandchildren. He taught by example. His compassion for others, generosity, and kind acts touched the hearts of many. Ben was an extremely hard working husband and father, working many jobs from farm hand to taxi driver and sometimes three jobs at the same time. However, the job that suited him and that he loved the most was the one of milkman. This job enabled him to enjoy two of his greatest passions: talking and playfully teasing children. Ben’s visiting sometimes turned a 6 hour job into an 8 hour job. Sometimes it just took a long time because people weren’t at home and he had to let himself in to put the milk in their refrigerators. He would have up to 20 keys on his key ring. He was also very popular with children on his route since he would regularly drop small chocolate milk cartons, of course he was unable to sell damaged product; however that didn’t stop him from giving them to the eager little boys and girls standing on the sidewalk. I was taught the trade of “milkman” by Benny – I often remember driving along and a particular house would have the “no milk” sign up in the window – Ben would grab the regular load of milk and say something like “they just forgot to put the milk sign up, they have been away on holidays for 2 weeks but I know they are back in town” – sure enough he would come back from the door empty handed – they had forgot to change the milk sign. Talking about loving a good laugh – I was helping Ben deliver milk a Christmas while I was home from university and Ben sent me to this house and said there will be a drink of Christmas cheer for you on the stool by the door – sure enough. I took a sip and just about spit it out, it tasted terrible – I turned around to see Ben peeking around the corner laughing – he said “it tastes like coal oil doesn’t it – throw it in that bush over there that’s what I always do”. Ben taught his children what it meant to be caring and what it meant to have a strong work ethic. He retired from the Dairy Producers in 1983 to become a fulltime grandfather. The first of ten grandchildren was born in 1978, and the births continued annually for 9 years. With these additions to the family, Ben was both excited and busy; spending hours bouncing babies on his knee and later on chauffeuring the grandchildren around town. Whenever a ride was needed, grandpa pulled up in the little red Datsun. He was a full service chauffer. He would walk right into your classroom at school and announce that he was there to pick you up whether you were in grade 2 or 12. Interestingly, even though he spent a lot of time chauffeuring, his driving skills never seemed to improve very much- but he was always available, always got you there, and almost always left you with an unforgettable experience. I think the driving stories are way too numerous to get started on today. Ben and Margaret were married for 54 years. Marriages that long just don’t happen. They take a lot of love, care and understanding. Margaret will attest to many fond memories of their life together. She remembers all the laughs they shared raising their children and grandchildren. She also remembers affectionately all the “love taps” on the backside while baking or canning. When Ben would get too involved in the cooking, he would be sent on an errand to the store for some mysterious missing ingredient. He may not have returned with the correct ingredient but he always remembered the long list of people he had talked to and every detail of their conversation. You see, Ben was never the kind of guy that ever worried about how many things he had or how important he was or whether he had a lot of influence over others. Ben lived his life taking care of others and he felt blessed he had a partner in life to share his passion. His accomplishments were quite simple. They were the love and respect of every one he knew. Ben believed that when he passed he would be going to a better place. Somewhere where he could once again join his daughter Sandra, his Mom and Dad, some of his brothers and sisters; and many other family members and friends. And for all of us sitting here today he would say, as he did many times over the years when dealing with difficult situations, “that’s life”. B I O G R A P H Y WOLFE: Bernard “Bennie” Wolfe passed away in the Lloydminster Hospital, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan on Saturday, September 15, 2007 at the age of 75 years. Bernard is survived by: his loving wife Margaret; four sons: Gabriel Wolfe and his wife Valerie, Henry Wolfe and his wife Cheryl, Gerald Wolfe and his wife Elizabeth, Gordon Wolfe and his wife Marion, one son-in-law Barry Reiber, ten grandchildren, three great grandchildren and four sisters as well as numerous other relatives and friends. Bennie was predeceased by his parents, his daughter Sandra Reiber and by six sisters and three brothers. A prayer service for Bennie was conducted from St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church, Lloydminster, Alberta on Monday, September 17, 2007 at 7:00 P.M. Mass of Christian Burial was conducted from St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church, Lloydminster, Alberta on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 at 10:00 A.M. with Father Jan Sobkowicz officiating. A eulogy was given by Dr. Doug Weir. The soloist was Linda Quilichini accompanied by Pat Hankey. Active pallbearers were grandchildren: Jason Wolfe, Gabe Wolfe, Dawn Wolfe, Candace Wolfe, Scott Reiber, Emery Wolfe, Andy Wolfe, Becky Grassl, Wayne Grassl, Mitch Wolfe, Michelle Wolfe and Lisa Wolfe. Interment followed in the Lloydminster City Cemetery. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster administered the funeral arrangements. Card of Thanks The family would like to thank all the people who had some part in taking care of Ben during his stay at the hospital, Doctors, nurses and many other staff members working there. Thanks to the CWL Ladies for the lovely lunch. Thanks to all the people who graciously gave of their time to make Ben’s funeral so heart warming and beautiful. We appreciated all the cards, flowers, donations, food trays, sympathetic wishes, your kindness touched our hearts during such a difficult time. Thanks to Dale, Glenn and staff at McCaw Funeral Service for their kindness, guidance and support. Thank you Margaret Wolfe & Families Donations in memory of Bernard may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society or to the Heart & Stroke Foundation.