Obituary of Edward Wesson

WESSON ~ Edward "Ted" James Wesson passed away at the Maidstone Health Complex, Maidstone, Saskatchewan on Monday, January 19, 2015 at the age of 67 years. Ted leaves to mourn his passing five children: Tanya (Jason) Ankney, Guy (Robyn) Wesson, Bryan Wesson (fiancé Melissa Newsted), Clinton (Caitlin) Wesson and Marilyn Wesson (fiancé Carl Krankowsky); eight grandchildren: Shelby Huxley (Jason Tuplin), Cassie Huxley, Dallyn Huxley, Haydee Huxley, Ryder Wesson, Keaton Wesson, Gavin Wesson and Kahlaya Wesson; three sisters: Thelma (Val) Clancy, Vivian (Ian) Squair and Shirley (Don) Young; one brother, David Wesson; mother-in-law, Johanna Kuntz; brother-in-law, Rodney (Karen) Kuntz; sister-in-law, Joanne (Jim) Boutkan as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Ted was predeceased by: his wife, Shirley Wesson; his parents: James and Avis Wesson; infant twin brother and sister: John and Elsie Wesson; and sisters-in-law: Marilyn Adams, Aileen Sommerfeld and Sharon Jacula. The Funeral Service was conducted from Maidstone Legion Hall, Maidstone, Saskatchewan on Monday, January 26, 2015 at 2:00 P.M. with Reverend Jessie Pei officiating. Howie Smith gave the eulogy. The hymns sung were, "In the Garden" and "Amazing Grace" accompanied by pianist, Eileen Evans. The active pallbearers were Darren Young, Keith Olson, Dalton Young, Chris Olson, Jason Kuntz and Travis Hutchison. A private family interment was held in the Forest Bank Cemetery. Donations in memory of Ted may be made to Maidstone Health Complex Palliative Care. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster, Alberta administered the funeral arrangements. CARD OF THANKS We would like to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who sent flowers, cards, dropped off food and gave donations. Thank you to those who stopped in to visit and for those who sent prayers during the time of Dad's illness. Thank you to Jessie Pei for your prayers and for the beautiful service. To Eileen Evans for playing the piano, Howie Smith for his comforting words and to Joan Smith and Shawna Olson for doing the readings. Thank you to the Active Pallbearers: Darren Young, Dalton Young, Keith Olson, Chris Olson, Jason Kuntz and Travis Hutchison. To the Larriette Caterers for the wonderful lunch. A very big Thank you to Shirley and Don Young, Howie and Joan Smith, Jim and Cheryl Johnston, Mac and Frances McMillan, Keith and Eileen Evans and Dewayne Wiltermuth for taking the time to check in on Dad and for lifting his spirits after one of your visits. Thank you to McCaw Funeral Service Ltd. for your compassion and professionalism. We are so fortunate that our parents had such great friends that helped us so much during this difficult time. The Wesson Family Tanya, Guy, Bryan, Clinton, Marilyn and Families EULOGY I am honored to pay tribute to my friend Ted Wesson. Let me begin by giving you a few details about Ted's life. James and Avis Wesson, along with daughters Thelma, Vivian and Shirley, welcomed brother Ted to the world on June 6th, 1947. David Wesson arrived a couple of years later. Ted attended school in Maidstone. After high school Ted and several friends worked during the next two winters at a lumber camp in Swan Hills, Alberta. In 1967, Ted spent the winter with Ian and Vivian in Prince Albert. In 1969 - 1970, Ted and friends Mac McMillan and Robert Lundquist attended SIAST, studying farm mechanics and welding. He returned to farming in 1971. Ted married the love of his life Shirley Kuntz on July 7, 1973. Together, Ted and Shirley raised five children: Tanya, Guy, Bryan, Clinton and Marilyn. Sadly, Shirley passed away on February 4th 2012. My friend Ted was most of all a family man. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather. It is impossible to talk about Ted without including Shirley. They were a duet - sole mates. They complimented each other in their likes, differences and personalities. They focused their lives on the farm, their home, the yard, the garden and greenhouses and most of all on their sons and daughters and their partners and grandchildren. They were immensely proud of each and every one of you. As anyone who visited the Wesson home will attest, you were greeted with warmth and affection and always treated to coffee and great food. You would soon be involved in a conversation filled with laughter. They were hosts like no other. My friend Ted was a"Mr. Fix It." He was an accomplished mechanic, welder, electrician, carpenter and plumber. He could fix almost anything that the farm hand arena could throw at him. His favorite shopping trips were to stores that sold tools like Keranda, Princess Auto and Home Depot. He was always looking to update his vast array of tools. I remember how excited he was to try out his new electric grease gun which one of the boys bought for him. Ted's new shop is incredible- like everything he did. It was planned to the"nth" detail. Ted and his boys now had a second home. On any given day at least one of them would be working on some implement or project. Usually they were all there. My friend Ted was a thinker and a perfectionist. Every job he undertook had to have a plan and had to be done well. Daily maintenance on machinery and equipment was mandatory before use. The tougher the repair job the better and taking the time to do it properly was a must. Anyone in a hurry and wanting to take short cuts at a task, had in Ted's words"no moxy." His family says they weren't sure what "moxy" meant, but they knew they were in trouble if they didn't have it. My friend Ted was strong- both physically and mentally. I had always found Ted to be a quiet and gentle person. Another side of Ted emerged on the football field during his high school years. He loved to play center where he would face the biggest and strongest opposition players. They soon learned to respect and fear the tenacious Ted who invariably powered his way to the quarterback. He loved football! Ted's mental strength was taxed to the limit with his recent illness. The discomfort and worry about his health coupled with the long wait times for test results and treatment was formidable. Ted handled this admirably. My friend Ted was pessimistic at times. At seeding time, he was sure the ground was too cold or too wet or too dry or they seeded too shallow or too deep for a decent crop. According to him, his crops grew slower than most; were patchy or diseased and probably wouldn't produce well. It was amazing that this farmer who predicted such poor yields never had enough bin space to handle his crop in the fall. My friend Ted was a very soft spoken. So soft that much of the time all I would hear was a mumble. It was amazing to me that his family knew what he was saying. I missed Shirley telling Ted to"speak up Ted- you're mumbling….as usual." My friend Ted was very well liked. I asked friends to relate a story about him. Here are a few of the responses. From his sister Shirley Young: Ted and Shirley accompanied Don and herself on a road trip holiday to Jasper. They arrived later in the day and found most hotels and motels were full. The only rooms they could find were luxury suites costing at least $300 and up. With no other choice, they stayed. The next morning Ted wanted to call the Credit Union back home. He was sure that they would think that his interact card was stolen and would be cancelled. He thought for sure that anyone who knew him would be certain he would never pay that amount for a nights lodging. From Keith and Eileen Evans: Back when the Wesson kids were younger, Ted and Shirley would take the family for a ride in their extended cab Ford truck. What made the visit unique was all seven Wesson's were in the front seat. Keith thought that no one wanted to ride in the back. The kids said it was more likely the back seat was clean and they weren't allowed back there. Ted spent sixteen years working at the arena. Both he and Shirley spent countless hours making that facility the pride of Maidstone. The next story comes from his arena partner, Cal Donald. When he came to work with Ted at the arena, he informed Ted that he knew nothing about cleaning the facility. Ted said he would show him the right and only way to clean - Shirley's way! From Jane Hutchinson: Jane worked as a Department of Transport officer in Alberta. Clint and Travis asked her to do a quick inspection on one of Ted's trucks. It was an old red 3-ton Chev with a large tank on the back. It was used to haul water from the dugout to Shirley's garden. They questioned her on the legality of using bucket seats in that old truck. Upon opening the driver door, there sat a 5-gallon pail. "A bucket seat - literally!" From Robert Lundquist and Don Young Ted had purchased a young workhorse and had trained it to pull a stone boat. He used this combination to haul barn waste to dump area a ¼ mile away. On this particular day a Canadian Force Base fighter jet buzzed the Wesson farm, which spooked the horse who bolted through a fence and raced to a nearby bush. The harness and stone boat were destroyed. Trigger was OK! Don arrived to find a very angry Ted sitting on the porch fuming. Don dialed the base, got the commanding officer and handed the phone to Ted. Needless to say, the officer got an earful. To this day- the Wesson Farm is a NO FLY ZONE! My friend Ted had a guardian angel for sure. Ted had no fear of heights. I can remember stopping in to see him at the arena one winter morning. He had this huge stepladder out on the ice surface and was standing on the top of it changing a bulb ora ballast. I asked if he thought that might be a bit dangerous. He said you get used to it when you do it all the time. Or - the day the Wesson's were changing the yard light. In order to reach it they placed the extension ladder in the bucket of the front-end loader. Shirley raised the bucket and Ted - who proceeded to climb the ladder. One of the kids hopped in the tractor with Shirley and accidently touched the hydraulic lever which lowered the bucked significantly. Luckily Ted clung to the pole and lived to laugh about the incident. And then there was the day all four tractor tires went flat all at once. He initially thought he'd run over something. Luckily the auger he was pulling shorted out the transformer at the end of the power line. Life after Shirley's passing changed for Ted. He told me of the loneliness and devastation he felt without her. Thankfully his family was there for him. He faced new challenges - cooking, cleaning, laundry and so on. His family did everything possible to help him cope and to keep him active and involved. They showed him how much he was loved and needed. A few days after Clint and Caitlin's wedding, we spent the morning reminiscing. He spoke of how lucky he was to have a wonderful wife and family. He was so proud of his sons and daughters, their partners and his grandchildren. I mentioned that I thought Clint's best man (Hutchy) did an amazing job of describing what a great friend Clint was. One who would help out anytime and anyplace without hesitation. Ted said "That's right about Clint, but it is equally true of each of my sons and daughters. They would be there for anyone who needed their help in a time of need." I know how they learned the importance of caring for friends and neighbors. They learned from the example Ted and Shirley practiced throughout their lives. Joan and I are so fortunate and proud to have had Ted and Shirley as friends. I am certain Ted and Shirley are watching over all of us now!