Obituary of John Ramsay

RAMSAY: John Alexander July 7, 1933 - March 10, 2014 It is with heavy hearts the family announces the passing of a much loved husband, father, grandfather and friend. John is survived by his four children: Molly Bellanger, Heather (Robert) McNinch, Joni Ramsay and Sandy (Marla) Ramsay; ten grandchildren, Danae (Carey Walker) Bellanger, Drew (Alexa Onderko) Bellanger, Mark McNinch, Roddy (Dana) McNinch, Whitney McNinch, Sydney Ramsay, Shaye Ramsay, Leanne Huard (Dale Totte), Jessie Huard (Josh Evans) and Abigail Ramsay; two great-granddaughters: Jules McNinch and Alex Walker; his brother-in-law Don Irwin and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife Joan Ramsay, his parents John and Isabella Ramsay and his sister Marie Irwin. The Memorial Service was conducted from the Good Shepherd United Anglican Church in Turtleford on March 14, 2014 with Reverend Canon Don Skinner officiating. The eulogy and slide presentation were given by Sandy Ramsay. The hymns sung were The Old Rugged Cross, Amazing Grace and Softly and Tenderly accompanied by the United Anglican Church Choir and organist Bev Meikle. The pallbearers were grandsons: Mark McNinch, Roddy McNinch, Drew Bellanger, nephews: Don Irwin, Sandy Irwin, and cousins: Glen MacDonald and Gordon MacDonald. The honorary pallbearers were Marvin and Gail Wouters, Winston and Roberta Wooff, Cora McNinch, Lucy and Gary Dopson and Rod Gordon. The internment followed at the Turtleford Cemetery. EULOGY We lost my Dad in small increments. They call it the long goodbye. We have been grieving for some time now. Today we are here to remember the man he was. John Alexander Ramsay was born July 7, 1933 to Jack and Isabella Ramsay. He grew up on a farm in the Marwayne area and attended a country school with his only sister Marie. They rode horses to school and we have often heard how stubborn his pony was. His first job was in Edmonton driving a team of horses delivering milk and again, more horse trouble, including a complete runaway on the Low Level Bridge. These experiences did not breed a love of horses, and yet when his McNinch grandchildren started to rope and later to barrel race he followed every weekend's results with great interest... especially, how much prize money was won. August 9th, 1957, he married the love of his life, Joan Margaret Ferguson. They moved to Prince Albert where he bought grain for the Sask. Wheat Pool and she worked for the Victorian Order of Nurses. That was followed by five years in Paddockwood where he helped establish a credit union, working out of the elevator. While living in Paddockwood, they made lifelong friends and welcomed 3 daughters: Molly Susan, Heather Dawn and Joni Marie. The family moved to Birch Hills for two years and then back to P.A., where a son arrived: John Alexander Ramsay the Third. The family was complete and so was Dad's time with the Pool. In 1967 the family moved to Turtleford where they purchased the Imperial Oil bulk agency. Several years later Dad purchased SGI Turtleford Agencies. Mom and Dad became involved in the community. Dad was the president of TADRA during the building of the arena and served many years on town counsel as well as a term as Mayor. He was Chairman of the hospital board for years, and back in the Dr. Richards days he was a regular blood donor, called up when emergencies arose. He was a proud supporter of Turtleford's women's hockey team in the 70s, The Tigerettes, to which he contributed a center, a right-wing and a defense man. And he was Treasurer of the Riverside Ski Hill back during its tenure in the 80's, when he and I spent many weekends together fitting people with skis and boots in the rental shack. But family was his main priority. We spent many Sundays traveling to Marwayne to visit our grandparents. Many happy summer days were spent at Brightsand. On a perfect lake day Dad would always say "It doesn't get any better than this" and it didn't. The day would end with Dad's barbecued steak, fresh vegetables from their garden and Mom's apple pie from their fruit trees. Dad eventually bought a boat and spent hours pulling us all waterskiing even though he was not a swimmer. Their yard was a constant source of pleasure for both Mom and Dad - lots of work but they were proud of the results. He was a great gardener and though he scaled back in later years, his tomato patch was still a wonder. Heather and Robert were married in their yard in 1980. The late 70s and early 80s saw Mom and Dad start to travel - Hawaii was their favorite destination with their lifelong friends Marvin and Gail Wouters. Mom and Dad and I also visited Scotland for three weeks in the 80s to visit family. He enjoyed the trip but on our return I realized how much he loved the prairies: as the plane descended above farmland near Edmonton he looked out the window and said it was the greatest sight he'd ever seen. In later years they traveled to the States seeking sun, relaxation and togetherness. They also visited both coasts during Joni's RCMP postings in Newfoundland and B.C. and traveled to be present for the births of both her daughters, Sydney and Shaye. Grandchildren were treasured. Dad often had a sleeping baby on his chest as he lay on the couch reading the paper. He loved to tease and delighted in every age. He recently met Danae's daughter, his second great granddaughter, and declared her beautiful. He played crib with Mark and Roddy. In addition to roping and Whitney's barrel racing, he enjoyed watching Drew's hockey and he and Mom would also make the odd trip into the city to watch Jessie in highland Dancing. He was always there for both generations - children and grandchildren. Even in his seventies, he would still get right down on the floor to play with Shaye and Abigail. He worked as Molly's bookkeeper at her pharmacy in Maidstone for 15 years. He did a meticulous job of the books and enjoyed all aspects of the store, the staff, the incoming stock and the Mars bars. He loved to help out on the McNinch farm in the busy seasons. He always wanted to know the ins and outs of every operation and usually had some advice on how to improve the outcome, solicited or unsolicited, it didn't matter. But he believed in us, encouraged us and supported us unconditionally. He may not have always agreed with the path we chose to take, but once it was clear our decision was made, he was behind us 100%. Always. When we screwed up he was calm, forgiving and then helped to fix the situation. He led by example and we are all better people for it. He was modest, truthful, hardworking and honest. He had an unwavering sense of right and wrong. He often told us "Sometimes you just have to do the right thing" but his sometime was always. He valued common sense and work ethic. He would often ask our daughter Leanne if she had asked for a raise at work lately, and was delighted if she had recently got one. He took pride in his family, his yard, his cabin and his businesses. He loved anything sweet - chocolate bars, Butterscotch confetti, ice cream, Mom's apple pie and especially her famous brownies. Another love was the Montreal Canadiens. This went back to childhood when he would listen to the games on the radio and the rivalry with his sister Marie, a Leafs fan. He had a wonderful sense of humor. Sometimes he would say "How do I tell you this nicely?" and then it was on. I recall watching curiously as he applied grease to the outer door handle of his half ton, after which we drove down to his Imperial Oil office where Rod Gordon was working. He honked the horn and Rod came out and approached the cab and Dad reached over and locked the door, which caused Rod to immediately try to open the door by grabbing the handle and well... I think this little feud went on for a number of years and I know he enjoyed it. He played the accordion and the piano by ear, with Golden Slippers being his favorite. He enjoyed going to the casino and in later years often made the trip to North Battleford with Winston. When we were cleaning out our parent's house we came across love letters Dad wrote to Mom before they were married. Theirs was an exceptional love story, their devotion to each other constant and complete. We were lucky to grow up in such an environment. They had a very traditional marriage until my Mom's symptoms began and then slowly over time Dad began to do the cooking and cleaning and grocery shopping. But he never considered himself her care giver - just her loving husband. CARD OF THANKS The family of the late John Ramsay wish to express sincere appreciation for the messages of sympathy, phone calls, visits, food, flowers and donations. Thank you to Don Skinner for the touching service and to Bev Meikle and the United Anglican Choir for the lovely music. Thank you to the AUCW for providing the lovely lunch. A special thanks to the staff at the Riverside Health Complex for their compassionate care of Dad during his last years. Thank you also to the pallbearers and to Dave McCaw and McCaw Funeral Service. For those who wish to do so, donations may be made to the Alzheimer Society. Molly, Heather and Robert, Joni, Sandy and Marla and families