Obituary of Leslie Eversen

B I O G R A P H Y EVERSEN: Leslie Robert George Eversen passed away in the Royal University Hospital, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on Thursday, February 23, 2006 at the age of 63 years. Les is survived by: his loving wife Jean of Livelong; five children: Tara and her husband Corey van Zandbergen and their children: Cora, Tristan, Tiara and Cade; Leanne and her husband Galen Heinrichs and their son Samuel; Sheldon Eversen and his wife Brenda; Audrey Eversen and Lesley Eversen and her friend Wayne Worman; four brothers and sisters: Doris Eversen, Donald and Anna Eversen, Edith and Hank Veerenhuis, Ralph and Laverne Eversen, his mother-in-law Lily Ballantyne, brother-in-law Robert and Sharon Ballantyne and several nieces and nephews. Les was predeceased by: his mother Dolce Eversen, his father Henry Eversen, his sister-in-law Sharon Eversen, one nephew Darcy Anderson and by his father-in-law David Ballantyne. The funeral service for Les was conducted from the Livelong Community Hall, Livelong, Saskatchewan on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 at 2:00 P.M. with Reverend Canon Don Skinner officiating. A eulogy was given by Les’ son Sheldon Eversen. A solo was sung by Marg Uhlig. Hymns sung were “Rock of Ages,” and “In The Garden,” accompanied on the organ by Darlene Kivimaa. Honorary pallbearers were all of Les’ friends. Active pallbearers were: Les Johnson, Frank Smith, Delon Bleakney, Marcel Buan, Leo Millard and Calvin Eaket. Interment followed in the Livelong Cemetery. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster and Turtleford administered the funeral arrangements. Eulogy Leslie Robert George Eversen was born August 20, 1942 at the family farm near Spruce Lake. He was the fourth child of Henry and Dolce Eversen. Dad went to school at Spruce Lake and Turtleford. He would walk to school. One year the snow was so high it was above the telephone lines. As a child, Dad enjoyed many things. He liked gardening and he even had his own part o the garden. He also enjoyed berry picking. One year, they had a milk pail full of berries within an hour. He also enjoyed going to the show at Spruce Lake where it cost a nickel to get in. Dad especially like visiting. Some of his siblings and he would take a trip to Flaxcombe to visit relatives. It would take them a day to get there. The visits were always entertaining. On August 17, 1974 Dad married the love of his life Jean Ballantyne. Dad used to play tricks on people and on their wedding night, Dad knew that some people would try to get even with him. However, Dad was always one step ahead of the gam and he hid in the honeymoon vehicle. The crowd at the dance quickly dispersed in a mad search trying to locate the vehicle, but to no avail! Mom and Dad lived in Glaslyn for almost a years and then they moved to the family farm. They raised five children - Tara, Leanne, Sheldon, Audrey and Lesley. Dad started farming in 1975. He worked very hard to provide for the family. He also helped out the neighbors when needed and in return the neighbors helped him. It was a time when a handshake and a man’s good word were all you needed. Dad started working off the farm in the early 80's. He went logging in the winters. Some of the wood in the house that we live in was logged by Dad. Dad enjoyed working and doing various jobs. Eventually, he sold a lot of the farm equipment and livestock. He then went to work in Northern Alberta, Grande Prairie, Peace River and Slave Lake to name a few. He worked as a mechanic in various forms of industry from construction, camp work and the oil patch. This required Dad to be away from home for extended periods of time. We always looked forward to the Sunday night phone call from Dad. He never missed one call. He found it hard to miss the children growing up. It was difficult for the family, but we managed. Dad eventually quit working far away and he come home to work for 3K Oil Services. When 3K sold out, Dad started working for Evergreen Stock Farm. He had very fond stories of both places. As previously mentioned, Mom and Dad raised five children. Dad was loving husband and father. He was always very proud of his family, especially at graduation. He was always supportive of any of our accomplishments. He took time to listen to our day at school, play LEGO, listen to us count to ten and play Go Fish with us. He also taught us how to ride a bike. He would take us to the top of the hill and give us a push and either we made it or we would try again. After supper, he often tickled us by giving us whisker rubs before we could get peppermints. Snowfalls were always interesting. The bus driver would call home and say “no bus today.” We thought this meant a day off from school, but oh no! Dad would start the old Ford truck and all five kids would pile into the cab. I was hoping that we would get stuck, but Dad would round the corner at the bottom of the hill and put the pedal to the metal. All you would see was white snow as we plowed through the drifts. All of a sudden, Dad would hit the brakes and we would be at the end of the lane. How we never hit the ditch, I will never know. We would get to school and he would say to us “There you go!” I was one disappointed little boy. Dad was always fair. He would give us praise when deserved and punish us when warranted. He instilled the virtue of hard work in us. We undertook many operations on the farm including collecting firewood, raising bees, chickens, goats, horses and cattle. We also planted echinacea along with a garden and were taught how to repair things. He always like it when we came home to visit. Dad was a genuine man. His self worth was not measured by the depth of his fortunes but rather by the depth of his love and laughter. Dad enjoyed a good laugh even in his last few days. His eyes would sparkle when he was really happy. Dad was not judgmental - he gave everyone a chance. He always took time to notice and appreciate the little things like the first hummingbird to arrive in the spring of the first goose to fly south in the fall. Dad was an intelligent man. He could talk to anybody about anything from history and politics to baking bread. He never needed a calculator. He could easily solve complex equations in his head faster than you could punch the numbers on a calculator. Dad was very easy going. He never got worked up over things. For example, when Audrey and Lesley hit the ditch on two separate occasions, all he would do is laugh and say, “No big deal.” Dad enjoyed playing cards. He always looked forward to an evening of Canasta. Even in his later years, Dad continued with his love of gardening, cooking, reading, and working on the farm. He also enjoyed visiting with the neighbors over a cup of coffee. Dad loved auction sales. He would nab me and we would jump in the truck and away we would go. A few hours later, we would return home. Mom would be there to greet us by yelling “You’re not unloading that junk here!” Dad would get a sheepish grin on his face and giggle. At one auction sale, we bought a table for $5. After sanding the paint off, we found a beautiful maple table with is still in our dining room at home. Dad loved his loud trucks. When we were playing in the yard, we always knew when Dad was on the way. You would hear this loud rumble and five minutes later Dad would always appear. It worked like clockwork. In October of 1996, Dad was diagnosed with heart problems and was taken to the ICU at the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon. He made a miraculous recovery and we were given the gifts of nine more years of his life. Dad was always a giving man, even until the end. He was part of a research group to find a cure for lymphoma. He said to the doctor “It might not help me, but I hope it helps someone else.” Dad said he was he was not afraid of dying, he just wanted to know what he was dying from. As he laid there his last few days, it was hard to see, but for the first time I saw Dad in a way that I had never seen him before. I saw him for the man he really was. It was hard to comprehend. Dad was truly at peace with himself. He really had no regrets about how he lived his life and that is the gift that my Dad gave to me that I will never forget. Card of Thanks The family of Les Eversen would like to express heartfelt gratitude to the emergency staff department of the Battleford’s Union Hospital and to the doctor’s and nurses of Riverside Health Complex and Royal University Hospital. Thank you to WPD Ambulance and Marshall Ambulance services and to First Responders. We would also like to thank Reverend Canon Don Skinner, organist Darlene Kivimaa, soloist Marg Uhlig, the pallbearers, and LADRA ladies for the lunch. Thank you to all the staff at McCaw Funeral Home. We are grateful for your compassion and understanding. To all those who phoned, brought food, sent flowers and gave memorial donations, thank you. Jean Eversen and Family Donations in memory of Les may be made to the Royal University Hospital I.C.U.