Obituary of Noel Light

Noel Gordon Light passed away at Lloydminster Hospital, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, April 11, 2021 at the age of 92 years.

Noel is survived by: sons, Stephen (Carol) of Lloydminster, John (Brenda) of Lloydminster, Brett (Denise) of Calgary, Lorne of Lloydminster and Lyle (Tracy) of Lloydminster; grandchildren, Stuart (Janilee), Marie (Rico), Nathan (Mandy) Adrian, Shannon (Mike), Sarah, Sheldon, Gage, Ries, Luke, Chloe; 14 great-grandchildren; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Noel is predeceased by: his wife, Simone Light; daughter, Annette; son, Richard; grandson, Tristan; parents, William & Agnes; brother, Ted; sisters, Joan, Betty and Mary.

Noel's memorial card can be viewed or downloaded from the link below.

https://indd.adobe.com/view/ac40b126-af71-4be8-89a0-5f71ff7869b3

~ Eulogy by Earl Dodsworth ~

Noel Gordon Light was born December 21, 1928 to Agnes and William Light in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan – the fourth of five children. Growing up on the farm in the Rex district, he was homeschooled by his teacher mother. Stories from his childhood portray a busy fellow that was often making things, like the time he constructed a set of stilts that left large tracks right through the garden, giving his mother a fright!

In those days children grew up quickly and on one occasion - at sixteen years of age – Noel volunteered to travel solo by train and bus to Cabri, Saskatchewan to finalize the purchase of a tractor for his father. He drove this tractor onto the recently frozen South Saskatchewan River by travelling the shoreline until he found a likely spot that was safe to cross then had to travel back on the other shore to the ferry crossing so he could get back on the road, then continued on with his December trek home.

Learning to play music by ear, Noel taught himself how to play the guitar and violin, but really had a lifelong enjoyment from playing the piano.

He acquired jobs in carpentry, working on construction of the Pool grain elevator at Rex and school maintenance, along with his farm work.

In 1953, he went on an adventure to England to see a bit of the world. During this trip, he met Simone, a nurse from Holland, working in England. After some long distance correspondence, Simone came to Canada and they were married in 1957 at St. Luke’s Anglican Church, Northminster. They began their life together building their home and farm in the Rex district. They raised their family of six children – Stephen, John, Richard, Annette, Brett and Lorne – creating many fond memories for all. Sadly, Simone passed away in 1972.

These were trying times for Noel and were a testament to his strength and quality as a father to his children. Even during these times he found ways to show his talents of ingenuity. His boys discovered they had probably the fastest garden tractor in the area with the home-built model that Noel had created from an old Anglia automobile. He later built a motorboat complete with inboard Datsun engine which provided years of enjoyment for all on Greenstreet Lake; unfortunately, he was the only one who didn’t learn to waterski behind the boat!

Nieces Dawn, Wendy and Kathy have fond memories of visiting the Light family. Kathy found her Uncle Noel patient and kind and remembers thinking he knew everything. Wendy enjoyed his dry sense of humour and was honoured when Noel named a cow after her. Also enjoying his humour, Dawn looked forward to Noel’s visits in later years, enjoying his perspective.

Noel remarried to Margaret and they had one son, Lyle. A few years later Noel and Margaret parted ways.

Noel was a councilor for the Rural Municipality of Britannia for five years in the 1960’s and drove school bus for a few years, in the 1970’s.

Noel lost his teenage children, Richard, in a car accident and Annette, in a fall from a horse a few years later. These were tragic events for Noel and recovery was slow and difficult…but once again he managed to soldier through and regain his creativity.

In the early 80’s he, along with help from his boys tore down one of the Rex elevators and built a smaller version on his farm.

Noel managed to do some travelling: visiting the Maritimes, Yellowstone, and even Texas at the age of 75.

Finding companionship once again, Noel shared his life with Dorothy, for many years.

As he got older, he reduced his farm practice letting his son, John, assume the farm work. Even then, he would always stop whatever he was doing to help John out with the farming operation and enjoyed riding around in the equipment at seeding and harvest.

Turning his talents to his hobbies, he took up wheelwrighting with one project being the Red River Cart at the entrance to Paradise Hill. He was an active volunteer with two local museums - Lloydminster and Frenchman Butte.

He turned wood on the lathe and created many beautiful wooden vases, bowls and model steam engines. Other hobbies included the restoration and rebuilding of vehicles and Massey Harris tractors. His creativity carried him through to his final days. He grew, dug, and delivered six to seven tons of potatoes annually for friends, family, and charitable organizations, in recent years.

While sometimes the world roared around him, he managed to lead a simple life filled with curiosity and creativity; he loved and was loved by many.

The thing I appreciated most about Noel was his sense of humour, his wit, and his ingenuity to build things with very few of the proper tools.

~Service~

The Memorial Service for Noel will be conducted from St. John's Anglican Church, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan on Monday, April 19, 2021 at 11:00 AM. Due to the current restrictions the service will be by invitation only. The service will be live streamed and posted on McCaw Funeral Service website under Noel's obituary at the time of service.

Donations in memory of Noel may be made to The Olive Tree Food Bank or Salvation Army Food Bank.