Obituary of Garry Bradshaw

Garry Hamilton Bradshaw was born July 17, 1917 in Unity, Saskatchewan. He was the third of four children born to Max and Ruby Bradshaw. Garry passed away peacefully in the Dr. Cooke nursing home on Wednesday December 9 at the age of 92 years. Garry was survived by sister Joyce Reid, her family Maureen Reid and Rowena Reid, all of Saskatoon and Ian and (Susan) Reid of Edmonton. Nephew Brian and (Renee) Wells of Calgary and niece Marilyn and (George) Mann of Lloydminster. 8 great nieces and nephews and 10 great-great nieces and nephews. Predeceased by father, MacNevin Bradshaw in 1942, mother, Ruby Bradshaw (Neiley) in 1959, brother Wallace Bradshaw in 1966, brother-in-laws' Marshall Wells in 1989, and Eric Reid in 2000, sister Holly Wells in 2006. As a child Garry attended the Airdale School until Grade 9. He then finished his schooling in Senlac where he completed his Grade 11, which not many young men of that era achieved. It was a 7 mile ride to Senlac and Joyce said those boys would do chores until the last minute and then tear out of there on their saddle horses to reach school on time. Of his school years his greatest enjoyment came from reading, which continued right through his passing, and his sports primarily baseball and to a lesser degree curling. For as long as I can remember Senlac residents have raved at Garry’s prowess as a baseball player, especially his glove at first base. Garry was nicknamed ‘slippery’ for his tremendous base running ability. As recently as his 92nd birthday party Garry recalls his best day - a baseball match with an adjacent school. The whole community was there and after the game Garry recalls his father telling him “You played very well Garry.” After school, they played baseball in a seventeen-team league for more than ten years until well into the 1950’s. Garry had a picture of himself in his ball uniform in his late 20’s. A young lady caregiver at The Hemstock was teasing Garry about who was that handsome young athlete and where can I meet him. Garry got that well known silly grin on his face and looked sideways at the ground and said,“ That’s me.” Garry’s only bad memory of baseball was the day coach Ed Shapka pulled him off first base and put him into left field. I assume to get a better glove in that position. As Garry tells it, “the first ball hit came to me and that ball did funny things in the air-I dropped it.” It still bothered Garry in later years. Garry and brother Wad farmed together until Wad’s passing in 1966. Garry then farmed with brother-in-law Curly Wells and in later years with Derry Wells. At the height of their farming Garry and Wad farmed seven quarters with horses and had three more quarters of grass and a grazing allotment in Airdale pasture. Garry always wondered how they got their work done and still never missed a ball game or sports day. It amazed Garry at how far farming had advanced in his life, from horses and disc to 50-foot airseeders and GPS steering systems. When introduced to a farmer in later years, Garry always wanted to know? I. Do you have an airseeder? II. And how many feet is it? In 2001, Garry and I drove to Czar feed yards to see the steers weigh. In our conversation I told him these steers were bringing over $1200/ per head. He recalled the year of foot and mouth outbreak in the 50’s, where his cattle were worth $0 shipped to Winnipeg. Garry was an integral member of the Senlac community. His sister Joyce wrote in the Senlac community book, and I quote “Garry forms a vital link in the community life chain in that he is the man about town who quietly does the jobs that keep things running. He helps tend to the ice for winter games, helps the shut -ins and supports every good cause to the best of his ability. Small prairie towns are dependent on such people for their very survival. “ Joyce well said- this is Garry’s life to a T! I am sure all of those in attendance here today from Senlac would agree. I don’t believe I have ever walked in the Senlac café that somebody didn’t ask, “how is Garry doing?” He certainly left a lasting impression in his community. Being a bachelor you would have thought Garry might have missed out on some special occasions-not so. As long as I can remember, he always had a place to go. Sharon Whitney had Garry over for his birthday as it coincided with her husband Gordon’s. Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and New Year’s were spent with the Long, Reid, Wells and Mann families of which Garry always supplied the farm fresh turkey from friend Ken and Mary Warriner. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1993, Garry moved to Lloydminster into Hallshome- a senior complex in the downtown area. Not long after moving into this facility Garry started experiencing some health issues – shortness of breath – loss of energy and it got to the point that he could not climb the stairs to his apartment. On November 12 of 1993 he under went successful heart surgery. Garry said shortly after, if he had known it was going to hurt that much he would never have went through with it. After some recuperation time at Eric and Joyce’s – Gary was back at Hallshome on Dec. 3rd. Garry began taking long walks and made a conscious effort to watch his diet. His favorite restaurant at the time was the Venice House - right next door to him. Garry became friendly with the owner – John and his staff. The waitresses had a real soft spot for Garry, they knew John was strict with Garry’s diet allowing him only heart healthy dishes, but if Garry came in when John was out they served Garry the baked cheese lasagna as a treat. Heavy in cholesterol but so tasty – it was a favorite. With improved health Garry enjoyed an active lifestyle during his time in Hallshome. He took bus trips from Drumheller to Alaska. He drove back and forth to Senlac and area visiting his many friends and keeping up with the happenings in the community. Garry developed a keen interest in community history. He would read about a particular area and then jump in his car and survey the community first hand. At Hallshome, Garry assumed the role of ‘in house chauffeur’. Garry would load up his car with fellow residents and drive them to church, Smitty’s, or other activities. It was not in Garry’s nature to turn down a request from anybody and I am sure he enjoyed escorting friends around. His first commitment however during his time at Hallshome was his sister Holly, who only lived a couple of blocks away. As you all would know Garry and his brother and sisters were extraordinarily close. Garry had a strong faith, he seldom shared his thoughts on religion but we know he read the Bible cover to cover at least three times. I heard him say a couple of times over the last few years, “I have just read again about the greatest man who ever lived – Jesus Christ.” When Garry was a young man farming he had an experience that would stick with him forever - he was convinced he had experienced divine intervention. He was pulling a disc with four horses – a couple of them were quite green - for some reason they spooked and took off on a flat out run throwing Garry from his perch. He landed between the four horses and the front of the disc. He knew this was it; it would slice him to pieces. Suddenly the disc bounced into the air flying over him – being sprung from the only one rock that was in that field. He walked away without a scratch. It was a miracle. Garry thought of that experience often. To me what defined Garry the most was what he gave of himself to other people – he always put others before himself. I think at times it was hard on him worrying about others and their well being and the role he played in their lives. He saw the best in people and truly felt pride and joy in seeing his friends, neighbors and family succeed. He was proud of the success of Senlac products Curtis Brown and Ash Cooper. I am sure he owned as many Ash Cooper prints as anybody. He spoke often of nieces and nephews accomplishments. For example, Ian’s rise to CEO of Finning Corporation Garry would say,” He is in charge of the whole thing – I don’t know how he does it.” He thought nobody could make a round bale like Frank and nobody could rope a steer like George. And his nieces and nephews spoke highly of him. Brian remembers when he was 10 deciding to take a break from life at home and walk eight miles to move in with Garry and Wad. Learning of this, Garry met Brian three miles into his trek and loaded him up behind him on his horse for the remainder of the journey. Garry gave to people in anyway that he could – financially or with his time. He was truly a very considerate and caring man who saw the best in people. When Garry moved to The Hemstock, happy hour on Friday afternoons became a gathering place for our family. Garry would reserve a table and in his abrupt manner you could count on his first response “Don’t put any money in, I’ve got it!” Garry would count all the drinks and pay the tab. Seeing our kids was a highlight for Garry and was a highlight for us seeing the enjoyment Garry found in having our kids around. Every visit ended with a ride on Garry’s automated wheelchair. Garry would load them up on his knee and turn over the controls and away they would go. It did create some excitement. I am sure that some residents were envious of Garry with his grandnieces and nephews and others were hoping the noise would drive on out the door. All of our kids had a special bond with Garry. On George’s third birthday, we asked him who he wanted to invite to his party. He asked for only one person “Uncle Garry”. At that time Garry was not getting out as much, but he did not hesitate to make the party. This past spring in April, Garry suffered a stroke that was the beginning of a turn for the worse with his health. Fortunately, this summer we were able to celebrate Garry’s 92nd birthday with a picnic at Bud Miller. Many of his very goods friends and family were able to attend. A highlight was when friend Verna, former caregiver from The Hemstock, surprised him with a rendition of his favorite song “Danny Boy”. This fall Melissa had Garry out to take in some of the combining and have a meal in the field. He really enjoyed it. The next day at dinner, he was recalling the trip with his dinner mates when he suffered another stroke. Garry never recovered from it. In final, I would like to make mention of my Mom’s relationship with Garry. Mom assumed the role of primary caregiver for Garry. At home we often teased her how she loved to get to town. The truth of it is she was often going to town to look in on Garry and take care of whatever needs he might have. Although this could be busy at times, being there for her Uncle Garry was the only way she would have it. I know how much Garry appreciated Mom’s loyalty. Garry, we will miss you. On behalf of Garry- thanks to the communities of Senlac, Hallshome and The Dr. Hemstock residence for many happy memories. To Dr. Sayeed for many years of medical care and friendship. To the Lloydminster Hospital nurses and staff, especially PT and OT for their effort to rehab. To Dr. Cavanagh, nurses and staff at the Dr. Cooke for their excellent care and for providing dignity and compassion through those last five difficult months. The family thanks Glenn and Joel McCaw for your guidance and service – you are truly professionals! Thanks to Rev. Lyn Lamers, Grace United Church Choir, organist Irene Knowlson and the U.C. ladies for the after service lunch. Thanks to Morgan and Merv. Mann for preparing and delivering the eulogy, Ian Reid for reading the scriptures, and Melissa Wright for creating the photo power-point presentation. Thanks for the memorial donations, flowers, cards, phone calls and visits. Thank you to all who braved the weather to say good-bye to Garry and truly celebrate a life well lived! The Garry Bradshaw Family Donations in memory of Garry may be made to the Senlac Community Hall, Lloydminster Region Health Foundation or to the Heart & Stroke Foundation.