Obituary of Russell Denny

DENNY ~ Russell "Chief" Rustum Denny passed away peacefully in the Battleford's District Care Centre, Battleford, Saskatchewan on Friday, June 17, 2011 at the age of 90 years. Russell will be sadly missed by his three sons: Randy (Bonnie) Denny of Prince Albert, Lorne Denny of Prince Albert, Rick (Starla) Denny of Livelong; nine grandchildren; eight great grandchildren; one brother Harry (Heddy) Denny of Valleyview, Alberta as well as numerous other relatives. The memorial service was conducted from the Livelong Community Hall, Livelong, Saskatchewan on Thursday, June 23, 2011 at 2:00 P.M. with Reverend Canon Donald Skinner officiating. The eulogy was read by Carol Spence. The hymns sung were "The Old Rugged Cross" and "Amazing Grace" accompanied on the organ by Judy Gies. The soloist was Bernice Edwards singing "Where The Roses Never Fade". The honorary pallbearers were The Members Of The Legion. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Turtleford, Saskatchewan administered the funeral arrangements. EULOGY ~ Russell, Chief, brother, husband, soldier, carpenter, co-worker, father, father-in-law, grandfather, great-grandfather, friend..... How can you best describe a full & colourful life of 90 years? Chief was born in Glentworth, SK on March 2, 1921. He was one of six boys and three girls. In the spring of 1933, he moved to the Beaverbrook School District in the Turtleford Area. The Denny boys, Rachers, and Burts would roam the river hills picking berries, and hunting partridges for supper as well as creating any mischief they might find along the way. Only Uncle Harry can deny this now. There was often talk about their "poor mother". On June 11, 1942 Chief married Lillian. In July, a month later, he was called to the Army. He enlisted right away and was off to Regina for basic training. From Regina, he want to Camp Shilo in Manitoba, then to Vancouver, and then to Prince Rupert. Before going overseas, he took his Provost Corp Training in Camp Borden. He was a Harley Davidson Motorcycle instructor in Prince George, and from there he went overseas and was stationed in England during the Battle of Britain. He received his official discharge on Feb. 26, 1946. Lillian followed as long as she could, but, with a baby on the way she eventually stayed home with her parents. Chief worked for Walter Hicks, feeding cattle on the Flannigan place near Thunderchild Reserve. Later, he worked for Jack Marshall doing field work and threshing in the fall while Lillian cooked for the crew. Chief & Lillian purchased land on the flats where he did a bit of farming and raised some cattle. He also commercial fished on Turtle Lake, and drove a tour boat named the Umiak to the north end of Turtle Lake. Chief and Gust Carlson did some carpentry work and later worked with Ken Weber and Milton Conacher. Chief got a job with Bob Richardson's lumber yard in Turtleford. Rick remembers Bob coming over one Christmas, delivering his annual North Lumber Calendar, and called "Chief" Russ. That was when Rick discovered his Dad's name was really Russell not Chief! In 1963, Chief was hired by the Department of Indian Affairs as the Housing Supervisor on Thunderchild Reserve. He worked there until his retirement. Its was the only Reserve in Canada that had two "Chiefs". After retiring, Chief continued carpentry. He built cedar chests, jewellery boxes, gliding rockers, picture frames, you name it! He helped with any building project that required expert knowledge. He also enjoyed donating projects to the Festival of Trees in North Battleford. Most mornings you would find Chief with one leg sprawled over the back of a chair or over the corner of a table at Pruden's Burger Stand having "a cup of slop" (with the cream added first) bantering with Helen and the gang. He even became Helen's courier complete with a sign for his truck. Chief loved having everyone over for pancakes made with his own secret recipe. The only two things he disclosed were that you had to use Magic Baking Powder and fresh cow's cream. No matter how hard Marlys tried, the recipe is still a secret..... She should have tried harder! Chief loved to spoil his grandchildren, especially the girls. He built them doll houses equipped with window, doors, and rugs. He even spoiled the kittens they brought him; (Oh how lucky they were that Rick was not the girl Lillian & Chief were hoping for.) He and Lillian loved taking the Grandkids for soft ice cream trips and to the Red and White for candy. Cheezies were always on the list. They hauled water from the lake in 'old Wilma'. And when they stayed over, the Grandkids would wake to a booming yell "Hit the deck!". Only to treat them to a fresh picked bowl of raspberries and cream on the table. Life was always fun at Chief's....watching westerns with John Wayne or Clint Eastwood on the VHS, reading from the extensive collection of Archie Comics, feeding, watching and counting hummingbirds and endless numbers of rabbits, playing 3 sets of 3, sharing stories, stoking the fire, and eating around the table. He mashed the fluffiest potatoes and always washed the dishes in really, hot water. Chief was a particular man and always liked things neat and tidy. His lawn was cut, his bed was made daily following army regulations.... His shirts and pants were always pressed. He even pressed his sheets after Lillian died until his daughter-in-laws informed him it wasn't necessary. For those who knew him, knew he has a big softy, but for those who didn't ....he was no pushover! Lorne recalls winding his dad's car up to 90 miles an hour to impress one of his first dates and then when he and Chief went to court over it, Chief told the judge that if the judge could get the car up to that speed he could have it!! Chief was a character, a man with strong presence.... Known as grouchy and ornery but more as a generous man with a kind heart. He could entertain with his stories, or just shoot the breeze with a cup of coffee in hand. He will live in our hearts and memories forever, as to know him was to love him! His legacy of working with his hands and being a perfectionist carries on in his boys Randy, Lorne, and Rick and also in his grandsons, and more than likely, it will carry on in his great-grandsons too. The family would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the care workers in Turtleford and especially at the North Battleford District Care Center for helping to make his last years comfortable. Chief has left us to rejoin Lillian and the rest of his family that went before him. We will miss him dearly. A warning to above, "Here he comes! Get ready to be up early, serve supper on time, and be skunked in crib... Oh and be sure to have a spittoon handy as well." Chief all of us want to say, "Happy Trails to you! We love you." CARD OF THANKS We would like to thank Reverend Skinner for handling the service and all his words of comfort. Carol Spence for the reading of the eulogy. Bernice Edwards for her beautiful singing. Judy Gies for playing the music. All of the people that sent flowers, brought food, sent cards and attended Dad's service. Thanks from the Denny families Donations in memory of Russell may be made to the Alzheimer Society, Battleford District Care Centre or to a charity of the donors choice.