Obituary of Leonard Lafoy

LAFOY ~ Leonard Earl Lafoy passed away in the Lloydminster Hospital, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan on Wednesday, December 29, 2010 at the age of 85. Len will be sadly missed by his loving wife Esther; daughter Evelyn and Don Lampitt; daughter-in-law Rose Lafoy and Stan Hamernyk; nine grandchildren; eight great grandchildren; one brother; three sisters as well as numerous other relatives. Predeceased by his son Victor; parents: Clair and Elizabeth Lafoy; three brothers and a sister. The funeral service for Len was conducted from the Lloydminster Gospel Fellowship, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan on Tuesday, January 4 at 2:00 P.M. with Pastor Lyle Berg officiating. A eulogy was given by Bernard Goodbourn. Hymns sung were "Just As I Am", "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" and "Onward Christian Soldiers" accompanied on the piano by Irene Knowlson and church singers. Honorary pallbearers were All Those Who Knew And Shared In His Life. Active pallbearers were his grandchildren and great grandchildren: Dan Lampitt, Jeremy and Trish Lampitt (James and Emily), Gianna and Shawn Halbert (Aiden and Donovan), Darwin and Marnie Lafoy (Erin and Torie) and Kevin and Sarah Lafoy (Ashton and Lexxus). Interment was held at the Lloydminster City Cemetery. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster, Alberta administered the funeral arrangements. EULOGY Len was a man who liked to get things done, never wanted to be a bother to anyone. Some of this eulogy is in his own words. Len Lafoy was born in Dummer, Saskatchewan, south of Regina on July 10, 1925. He was the middle child of nine born to Clair and Elizabeth Lafoy. It was the depression years and his parents were having a hard time of making a go of it, so in 1936 they moved to Hewitts Landing in the Rex District, where they operated the post office for several years. Len and his dad hauled lumber from across the river, when Len was 13, on one of these runs his dad broke his leg, so Len had to drive the team and logs home. As a child, Len loved to play ball. He even played in a town named Rouleau, which became famous for the TV program "Corner Gas". He also played ball in the service whenever possible. At 16, he went to work as a hired hand doing odd jobs, mostly threshing and other farming tasks. When WW2 broke out, Len tried to enlist in the Army, but was turned down for a while as he was too young for service. However, he finally did manage to join the Calgary Highlanders in 1943, and after basic and other training he was shipped overseas where he saw action in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. Recalling a story of the food served, Len's reply was "Once we were served hard boiled eggs, when we broke them open they were almost chick stage..." Len was wounded three times. Len's army chums teased him and said "There goes Len back to the hospital to check out the pretty nurses." During a stay at a Canadian hospital in the UK, he had the pleasure of meeting the Queen Mother, who showed such great compassion for the wounded. On his last patrol he was escorting prisoners when a snipers bullet went through his arm and came to rest 1 inch from his heart, the prisoners helped him get back to his platoon. He still has the bullet that took him down. You put your life on the line and received $1.50 a day. Upon returning to Edmonton, Len spent eight months in the hospital recovering. He was given $100.00 when he was discharged; so him and two brothers decided to do the town. Only thing was, no one in town could cash the $100.00 so everything was free. In 1947, Len met Esther at the Marwayne café and on December 10 they were married. Len had the chance to back out of the arrangement when a blizzard developed and the minister was one hour late. They spent their honeymoon playing cards. Len even won first prize in more than one way, Esther being the top prize. Len farmed for one year and hired out for four. Their son Victor and Evelyn were born during this time making their family complete. In 1953, they moved to the Southminster District where Len worked in the oil patch as a pumper. When needed he would haul oil or water. He was called on many times in the middle of the night when the gas lines froze up. In 1956, there was a terrible snow storm. Len had to abandon his ½ ton and walk three miles home. Since the Southminster curling rink was almost next door, Len, Esther, Victor and Evelyn took up curling. They won many prizes and trophies. The family took up square dancing which they enjoyed very much. Len was a dedicated member of the Royal Canadian Legion. In 1969, he was president of the Legion and Esther as president of the Ladies Auxiliary. During this period they burned the mortgage for the hall. Len was on many of the committee. He also helped out at the summer and winter games. Len was an intelligent but determined man. He could fix or make almost anything. The family vacationed to many places. They started out with a tent and when the children left home they bought a boler trailer and updated to a van. One night before leaving for a holiday, Len decided to build a folding table so they could stop anywhere for meals. While building the table the power went off, but he carried on with Esther holding a flashlight until it was finished. They always left early, most times having breakfast somewhere down the road. Len's motto was "get going early and stop early". In 1967, the family loved to Lloydminster where Len became caretaker of the E.S. Laird school for 23 years until his retirement in 1990. Len and Esther travelled to Europe visiting nine countries. They also travelled Canada from coast to coast, also to Alaska, California and Yuma - to which Len said, nothing but cactus to see for miles and miles. In 1995, they returned to Holland for the 50th Anniversary of the Liberation. Len loved having his grandchildren and great grandchildren come for a visit and would always have popcorn on hand on these occasions. Everyone went home with a bag of popcorn. Even children from the neighbourhood would get in on the action. Victor and Evelyn always tried to get Len to go fishing. After they both left home, Len bought a boat and loved to fish with family and friends. The grandchildren could recall many of the times Grandpa took them fishing and caught a big one. Fishing came to an abrupt halt when someone stole the motor from the back yard. Len took this in stride and said "Well, might as well sell the boat before they come back and steal it too". In 1990, Len had hip surgery which made it better for getting around and this began his walking around days in the mall and soon after he became a fixture at "coffee row". Len loved gardening and seemed to have a green thumb. Everything seemed to flourish and his garden became the envy of neighbours. He grew an abundance of beans, carrots, rhubarb which he was kind enough to share with his friends at the mall. Grandchildren were very happy when Grandpa bought Grandma a riding lawn tractor, which meant for them cutting the lawn was now fun. Len was a very affectionate man. It never mattered where you were, he always had a hug and a kiss for you. Remembrance Day was an emotional time for him. He would be asked to go to the schools and answer questions about his WW2 experiences. He would always leave one with a tear in one's eye. He was a very kind and generous man, always there with a helping hand. Len was very proud of his family and his grandchildren and great grandchildren were a joy in his life. In 2002, Len had another hip replacement. In 2003, sadness overtook the family when son Vic succumbed to a lengthy illness. Len and Esther celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary on December of this year. While it is hard to understand the magnitude of the emotions he felt, Len did it with a gentle persona. Despite all the hardships he faced, Len still had a sense of humour about it all. Len had a great life and he will leave his mark on everyone who knew him. And now - family and friends, the time has come to bid farewell, adieu to Len. So long old soldier and rest well. You have earned this. I like to think that you are now reunited with many of your army buddies. What stories you will have to tell one another. And as the words in the great Edith Piaf song say - NO REGRETS! CARD OF THANKS Our sincere appreciation to McCaw Funeral Service for handling everything in such a thoughtful, caring and professional manner. Thank you to Pastor Lyle Berg for the lovely service, the use of his church and to the ladies for doing the lunch. Thank you to Bernard Goodbourn for giving the eulogy. Thank you to the grandchildren and great grandchildren for being pallbearers. Thank you to Irene Knowlson for playing the piano and to the singers. Thank you to the doctors and nurses and staff at the Lloydminster Hospital and the ambulance attendants. Our thanks to all who attended and those who gave donations, food, flowers, cards and phone calls. The Len Lafoy Family