Obituary of James Lindsay

Good morning family and friends. I’m Greg Stewart. I’m Kareen Tenney. We are extremely honored to be asked by the Lindsay family to share in the celebration of Jim’s life. James Arthur Lindsay was born May 7th, 1966 in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan to Rob and Ileene Lindsay. Jim, or Jimmy, as he was called by many of his friends, passed away in the early morning on Sunday, May 2nd after a well fought battle with cancer. Jim is survived by his loving wife of 21 years, Dionne. His 2 daughters, Kali and Rikki, and his son, Cole. His parents, Rob and Ileene. His brother Bob and his wife, Wendy and their three children: Cody, Jessica, and Kyla. His sister Cathy and her husband, Tyler Heathcoate. Dionne’s parents, Barry and Brenda Stevens, Dionne’s sister, Danielle and her husband, Dan Lavoie and their three children: Brennon, Kennedi, and Jaxon. Dionne’s other sister, Janine and her husband, Jared Helmer, and baby Lucas; as well as grandparents, Ralph and Alice Anderson, Bill and Edith Stevens, Ken and Sheila Weighill. Jim was predeceased by his grandfather, Arthur Priest, nephew Kyle Lindsay, his grandparents, Bill and Eveleen Lindsay, mother-in-law, Sophie Stuparyk and Uncle Ernold Priest. As a youngster, Jim enjoyed anything he put his mind to! He was always wanting to tag along with Dad and Mom at chore time. Feeding chop in the sleigh box was the one thing that terrified him. As soon as he saw the horses, he would start screaming. Hauling bales in the big truck was a challenge as there was no such thing as car seats, so they improvised with the use of cardboard boxes. Jim was active in all school sports and in Grade 10 received an Athletic Award. As well as being a jock, academics played a part as he was awarded proficiency certificates in Grades 8, 9 and 11, and he was also school president of the SRC. Jim attended college in Vermilion between 1984 - 86 where he completed his agricultural diploma. Jim played all his minor hockey in Hillmond and had a brief stint in senior, playing for the Allstars. Later on, he played with the Mud Ducks with his friends, not so much about hockey anymore, but the socializing! Jim was very protective of his family. Cathy refers to him as a good, big brother. He was always watching over her. He wasn’t in her face, or over-protective, never following her around. He was just there, when he was needed. Cathy recalls being at Ray’s Lake...she hadn’t seen him all night - she was walking back to the campsite, and then - poof - there he was, dumping out her drink when the cops were driving by. During the 3 years when Jim and Dionne were dating, Bob was a bouncer at a bar where Wendy worked. Jim had noticed that some characters were giving Bob a hard time. So Jim drove Dionne home. Dionne, like everyone else, “assumed” that Jim had gone home afterward. He drove back to town - sat in his truck in the parking lot - to make sure Bob was safe. He never told anyone. He just did it. Bob mentioned that they didn’t camp much as kids, but he remembered one camping trip. Rob and Ileene were camped by some partiers who went skinny-dipping. Well - basically, Jim and Bob didn’t get much sleep in the tent that night. The reason they did not go camping much was because Ileene was not fond of water. The kids were water fighting at the lake. Jim ran behind Ileene, knowing full well that Cathy would throw the pail of water - and - well - that was the end of the camping trips. Bob tells us, “Mom said, ‘We’re leaving, NOW!’ Well, they left....NOW!” Bob refers to Jim as the good son. There were numerous occasions where the two boys were mischevious. Jim and Bob got BB guns, so they went and shot at the old car window. It was made out of tempered glass, so when they started up the combine - WHOOSH - the window just shattered. They looked at each other, “Dad’s gonna kill us!” So they ran to the chicken barn - grabbed a bunch of feathers and threw them into the windshield so Rob would think a bird had hit it. - They kept that secret for 20 years. Rob had the boys doing chores on the farm. He told the boys to go for a load of barley. They had to get the auger and take it across the field slowly. Bob was in the vehicle and Jim was bringing the auger. Bob was driving across the field, when, all of a sudden, Jim rips past him. The wheel on the auger falls off - so - Bob hightails it for home...Rob asks, “where’s the auger?” “Well, Jim went across the field way too fast and broke the wheel...” Rob replies, “Well, get down there and shovel it on.” (Sorry Rob - that’s Bobs side of the story!) Jim and Dionne were married on June 17, 1989. Their 1st daughter Kali was born on May 26, 1991 and their 2nd daughter, Rikki, was born on January 14, 1993. Their son, Cole was born on April 30, 1998. Jim was a loving husband and father. He loved to go camping and fishing with his family and friends. He loved watching the kids at their sports, coaching hockey, sitting on various boards, volunteering in the community, socializing and playing cards with friends. Every year, on Halloween, Jim would always come up with a new design to carve on the pumpkin. He was a master at pumpkin carving. Jim was also a good sport about being in a house full of women. He painted their toenails, did pigtails, bought items in the store that some men would not buy for their wives. This past Tuesday, Jessica was coloring Kali’s hair and Kali said, “My dad was the last one who colored my hair.” Jim and Dionne attended many events at school and in the community. Jim and Dionne were extremely proud of their children and all the recognition for their accomplishments and awards at numerous activities. Jim loved traveling with the kids. The family went to Rough Rider and NHL games. Rikki had chosen her Wish trip as a trip to Disney World and a cruise afterward. Jim said, “I don’t know what kind of fun we’ll have at an amusement park for a week.” Dionne said he had the time of his life - one of his most treasured moments. Kali fondly remembers her Dad - always at her tournaments, with school sports, and always at her ball games. He was very proud of her team, especially when they won provincials in Edmonton. She would usually call him “Dad”, but when she wanted something, he was “Daddy!” He was very proud of her at her grade 12 graduation. She was thankful that he talked her into going to Lakeland College in Vermilion this past year. In one of her classes, Kali had to do a power point presentation and a 10 minute speech on anything she wanted as a final assignment. She chose to do her Dad, her Hero. She ended up with a 98%. Kali, being the oldest, was the first to get her driver’s license, and...well...the little amount of hair Jim had...turned quite grey. Kali blessed her parents with the worry of totaling two vehicles off within 3 months of getting her license...She was able to go a year and a half before she hit a deer and totaled her 3rd vehicle. Rikki loved that Dad showed her all the aspects of working with cattle. She remembers all of the time they spent together, quality time spent, doing 4-H stuff. He showed her how to shoot a gun, how to drive the tractor and cut hay, even though she wrecked Grandpa’s brand new hay bine. She blames that on her dad because he told her to do a round - by herself, while he did his “business” in the bush. Jim was also the one who came up with Rikki’s nickname. It was Rikki-Tikki, later shortened to “Tick”. Jim always worried about Rikki’s health and was so relieved when her surgery went well last summer. Plus, Rikki has had much better luck with her driving skills. Rikki treasures one birthday. Just Dad and Rikki went up to an NHL game together. Jim always threatened Kali and Rikki about dating. He said he was going to stand at the door with a rifle to greet the boys, but, of course, he didn’t. Cole’s good memories of Dad are camping and fishing. His Dad was always on the bench, coaching his team, or building things with him. Together, they worked on putting up boards on Cole’s outdoor rink, building many birdhouses to put on fences, building a cabinet to display hockey tournament prizes for the rink. Cole fondly remembers the happy times in Disney World with his family, and, dogsleding in the mountains. Jim taught Cole to shoot a gun and how to drive the old Jimmy. Cole loved going to the World Junior Games in Saskatoon. It was just Dad and son, and, one of Jim’s best friends, David Holman, and Ryder McEwen. The 3 kids would always bug their Dad. They would call him Papa Smurf. Another favorite thing the family enjoyed was going to the lake. Often, during swimming lessons, Jim would go home to farm and return to the lake in the evening. As the kids grew older, Jim decided it was time to purchase a boat. So, he bought an older model. They guaranteed - “it runs like a charm”...Jim was so proud of his new purchase. On their first trip he hauled it up to Kimball Lake, unloaded it...wouldn’t run. He spent several days, running back and forth to Meadow Lake for parts. Finally, after several days, Jim got it running, went over to Mustus One to take the family fishing. Afterward, they go to load the boat. Dionne’s just about to holler - “STOP - it’s not on right.”...Jim pulls the trailer out of the water - and the boat is on - the sand....The kids never, spoke a word! A man comes down to help and says, “this has happened before.” Jim’s boat would continue to give him problems. During the year of the Redden Centennial Grand Opening/School Reunion, Jim was on his way to Kimball Lake, again. He got close to Paradise Hill, and a man waved him over and said, “you lost your boat and trailer back a few miles.”...So Jim went back. The boat had come unhitched and gone down into Vernon’s Priests field... - and - unfortunately - there was no damage what-so-ever! Later in the fall, it broke down when they were at the far end of Murphy Lake. ... It was definitely time to park the boat for the year. One night, Rikki heard a noise outside. She said, “I think someone’s down by the gas tank.” Jim went out to check. He came back in and said, “The boat’s running. It started all by itself!” That stupid boat. It must have been allergic to water. But, on a more serious note, the Lindsay’s would like everyone to know that the boat is for sale - runs like a charm - guaranteed! Jim’s livelihood was ranching, he loved every aspect about the cattle business. Besides his family, 4-H was a huge part of his life! Competing in 4-H as a member, where he garnered many awards, to becoming a leader later on in life. One of his biggest joys was when all 3 of his children followed in his footsteps, becoming members of the Hillmond 4-H Beef Club. Jim was known for raising some of the most sought after steers in this area, 40 plus steers that he raised competed in local interclub achievement days. The results - 2 Grand Champions, 4 Reserve Champions at 4-H Expo for 5 years running! Between Jim and his dad Rob, out of 16 steers in the championship drive, 6 came from the Lindsay’s We teased him about having to buy larger shirts! Jim was always there to lend a hand to other members, whatever they needed done. The 4-H experience soon led Jim to serve as a board member on the Lloyd Exhibition, being on numerous committees and becoming a co-chairman of the 4-H Expo Committee. He was a hard working and extremely organized individual. If he said it, he meant it, and he did it! He was a huge volunteer. There were countless years of serving on boards. - Hillmond Arena Board - Hillmond Minor Hockey Board - Hillmond Communiplex Committee that built the new Arena. Jim was given an award for his dedication to the project! Nobody can recall him missing any workbees. Rob and Jim were more like friends than father and son, farming together, with Ileene there to lend a hand whenever it was needed. 2009 saw Rob and Ileene and Jim and Dionne and their families honored with the Cattleman of the Year Award. Jim also did some off-farm work. He worked at numerous cattle sales, environmental reclamation with Nick Garnier, carpentry work under the guidance of Uncle Tom Priest, custom fencing business in the last few years with Murry Hoegl, known for building quality fences. Jim was one of those people that just had respect! When he spoke, people listened. He never had to be the center of attention! He had a lot of unique sayings. Some of his favorites: - “dumbass” - If you asked a stupid question, his reply, “it’s in the book of Common Sense, Daphne.” - Kali would often mumble and Jim would say, “Speak your Kalinese somewhere else!” He was also very patient. He repeatedly tried teaching Sandra Galambos how to do Soduko’s - she’s just not...getting it! But Jim never gave up on her. Nobody and I mean nobody was spared the wrath of Jim’s pranks or teasing, from the hired men at dinnertime to Ileene having her (speckled parks) Smurfs bashed all the time, or Cathy going into the calving barn, trying to get out, only to find a round bale blocking the door and Jim driving away in the tractor. One night after socializing in town, Jim, Dionne, and myself headed for home. After dropping Dionne off at her house, Jim and myself headed to Rob and Ileene’s place. Just west of Greenstreet by Rob’s corrals is a ravine. I called for a pit stop before arriving at the Lindsay yard. Well, Jim whips the old ranchero over and said, “have at her.” One step out the door and I was rolling to the bottom of Death Valley. There he stood laughing himself silly. Jim enjoyed traveling with friends also. He loved the Carribean Cruise and trips with the Holmans. On one trip at the Dominican, a group of 16 of us were to go to a meeting at 10 am. They tell you what to do and - what not to do. The speaker warned us not to buy cigars, “they’ll be wrapped in banana leaves and give you diarrhea”. The slideshow has a picture of Jim, standing beside David Holman, smoking a cigar, wearing these cheap, ugly sunglasses (Dionne’s words...not mine). This picture cracks her up. He had been trying to barter, paid $20 US for the glasses. Later, he would lose them in the ocean and he spent the next day on the toilet! Two years ago, Ileene had broken her elbow. Jim walked over to the house to ask her if she’d like to feed cows with him. He just wanted to give her an excuse to get out of the house. He was considerate that way. One day last fall, Ileene and Rob had gone to town, grocery shopping. When they returned home, Jim had fixed the chicken coop, built some sheep fence, and some other jobs for Ileene. She asked him what he was doing. He said, “Mom - this is for all of the meals.” In the last few months, Rob would come for coffee every morning. Ileene stopped by a lot too. Jim looked forward to that. Dionne’s parents, Barry and Brenda, remember Jim as being a strong presence. A mother always worries about whether her daughter has chosen the right man, but when Jim and Dionne got married, Brenda just knew that they never had to worry - Jim would be a perfect husband and father - a good influence. Dani, Dionne’s oldest sister, remembers babysitting Kali at the trailer. Dani was about 12 years old. Dionne had a cookie recipe out and had said Dani could bake if she wanted to. This was her first unsupervised baking experience and she was pretty proud of herself. Dionne asked Jim if he wanted to try one...He took one and ate it. Then Dani tried one, she started spitting it out, because it was disgusting. Dionne figured that she had used ½ cup baking soda, instead of a half a teaspoon. Meanwhile, Jim had eaten his whole cookie and not said a word. His only comment later, “it tasted a little off.” Dionne’s youngest sister, Janine remembers when Jim took Dani and her to the movies. Her earliest memories of Jim are of his truck. She thought it was soo cool. It was black and grey with purple or pink decals on it. She also recalls all the Christmases spent at the Stevens. She cherishes Christmas 2006. Christmas Eve was spent at the Stevens and Christmas Day at the Lindsay’s. They spent hours eating food, drinking coffee and Bailey’s and skating on the rink Jim had built. Janine had so much fun...she’ll never forget it. Dionne is so grateful to have had such a loving husband and best friend. He loved her no matter what and they always had the utmost respect for each other. She will miss being called “Babe” and that wink and his smile. His dry humor and wit will also be missed. Jim never forgot a birthday or anniversary. And, if he wasn’t well enough to shop, he made sure the girls did the shopping for him. Jim and Dionne have shared so many good times in their life: ranching, camping, fishing, playing ball, coaching kids sports, going to ball and hockey tournaments, and vacationing not only with their family, but with many of their friends. Dionne is so grateful to Rob and Ileene for bringing Jim into this world to give her her soul mate. Jim thought the world of his family, and they thought the world of him. He touched each and every one of us in his special way. Jim - you will be greatly missed! The funeral service was conducted from the Stockade Convention Centre, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan on Friday, May 7, 2010 at 10:00 A.M. with Joyce Carson officiating. The eulogy was read by Greg Stewart and Kareen Tenney. The hymn sung was “Beyond The Sunset” accompanied on the organ by Lana Johnson. The honorary pallbearers were David and Andrea Holman, Greg and Angel Stewart, Craig and Daphne Thompson, Matt and Twyla Thompson, Randy and Vanessa Noble, Kurt and Kareen Tenney, Les and Sandra Galambos and families. The active pallbearers were David Holman, Greg Stewart, Murry Hoegl, Darwin Pollard, Merv Mann and Brian Wack. Interment was held in the Lloydminster City Cemetery. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster, Alberta administered the funeral arrangements. We would like to thank Dr. Rogers, Dr. West, Dr. Venner (CCI in Edmonton) and Dr. Thomas, the 3rd floor Nursing Staff, Chemo nurses, and Brenda Servold with Home Care for your excellent care during Jim’s illness. Thank you to the Lloydminster Exhibition for the use of your facility for Jim’s service and the wonderful lunch. Thank you to Glenn and staff at McCaw Funeral Service for your professionalism and compassion during our time of sorrow. Lastly, thank you to everyone that brought food to our homes, flowers and cards, phone calls and visits, those that have helped out on the farm, and donations made in Jim’s memory. In lieu of thank you cards, a donation has been made to the Hillmond Sports Center. Dionne, Kali, Rikki & Cole The Lindsay Families The Stevens Families Donations in memory of Jim may be made to the Hillmond Arena or to a charity of the donors choice.