REDICK – William Harve Redick passed away peacefully at home in Maple Creek on Wednesday, November 4 at the age of 81 years. The funeral service was held on November 9 at the Maple Creek United Church with Eleanor Bowie officiating. Clare and Ross Pollock, Linda Udal, Pat Goldie and Peter Multon from the Diamond C Cowboy Church provided gospel hymns prior to the service. Harve’s 5 great-grandaughters each placed a single flower on the altar. Harve’s nephews Les Redick and Brad Pachal presented the eulogy on behalf of the family. Lani Thompson shared memories of her Dad. Lloyd Redick, Harve’s brother, compared the similarities between Harve’s grandfather, William Henry Redick and Harve. The Piapot Lion’s Club provided the Honour Guard. Julie Redick carried Harve’s ashes to his final resting place. The interment was in the family plot at the Maple Creek Cemetery under snowy skies. Friends and family put him to rest with soil and grain from his farm along with one final tree branch.
Harve was predeceased by his parents Cliff and Ella (Mitbo) Redick, his older brother Glen, his younger brother Roy and his grand-daughter Echo Thompson.
He will be lovingly remembered by his wife Donna Rosemary (Hildahl) Redick; eldest brother Lloyd (Verla) Redick and youngest brother Don (Ann) Redick; brother-in-law Darwin Hildahl, sister-in-laws Mary (Ramirez) Redick and Dorothy (Kynaston) Redick; daughters, Loree, Lani (Joe) Thompson and Julie Redick (Craig Pelkey); grandsons Derek, Rayn and Court (Danette) Bredesen, and Silas Thompson; great grandchildren Brooke and Skye Bredesen, and Lola, Harlow and Ella Bredesen; nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends and neighbours.
Harve was the third son of Cliff and Ella Redick born on Feb 13, 1934 at the home of Aunt Lela MacFarlane in Maple Creek. He started school at Sagathun School in 1941. If the winter weather was too extreme to make the trip by horse, the boys stayed home and were home schooled by their mother Ella. Harve spoke fondly of his childhood, growing up in the dirty 30s on a farm in Saskatchewan. He loved it. The many things he learnt from his parents helped him throughout his life as a farmer and rancher. He spent many hours learning and working alongside his Dad Cliff in the old workshop: how to weld, how to fix tractors, discers, combines, and seed drills. Ella taught him how to make Norwegian lefse. He also learned how to invent and build the things you needed that weren’t available anywhere else. Harve’s knowledge of cattle began when he started work on the Walter Melrose ranch. He maintained a cattle herd from then until present day. He knew how to fix and build almost anything and if there was something he didn’t know, he would search out the answer. He knew how to fix fences, to harvest crops and to plant trees, how to work hard, how to have fun, how to laugh, how to be a good husband, father, grandfather, mentor and best friend.
Harve attended high school in Maple Creek. Many of Harve’s stories started with “When we lived at the Dorm…” High school is where Harve met Donna Hildahl. They were high school sweet hearts. Harve and Donna were married on October 24, 1953 and were still very much in love when they celebrated their 62nd Wedding Anniversary shortly before Harve passed away.
Harve and Donna moved to Calgary after their wedding but soon knew that farming and Maple Creek was what was truly in their hearts, returning home to the ranch where Harve and his brother Lloyd had been hired hands . Donna and Harve rented the Melrose farm for eighteen years. They had three daughters: Loree, born 1954, Lani born 1957 and Julie Anne followed in 1963. Harve and Donna purchased the Melrose farm in 1968 and Harve’s parents’ homestead the following year. It was in 1968 that Harve started planting trees for shelterbelts and he continued planting trees right up to 2012. He was spraying trees the week before he passed away. He planted 144,000 trees over his lifetime. Over the course of many years, Harve would work a full day on the farm and then after supper he would start a remodeling project on his 1917 Eaton’s house. Even this summer of 2015 he took apart the pocket doors to oil the original hinges. He and Josh hammered out a portion of the field stone cistern in the basement on the hottest day of the summer. Harve thought it would be the coolest place to work that day. Besides his own work, Harve always found the time to help his friends and neighbours with their projects, sometimes even when the neighbours didn’t know they needed help.
In the early years, Harve established a water fowl sanctuary from the fresh water springs on his farm. The Canada Geese stop by in the hundreds on their yearly migrations. As you come over the last big hill south of the farm and the oasis created by the years of Harve’s work is displayed before your eyes – a sense of calm comes over you. You know you will be arriving at a place where you will be considered a friend. Harve always had a sparkle in his eye and greeted you with a warm smile and a chuckle.
Harve never faltered in serving his community. He was a faithful member of the Big Four Club and part of everything that went on there over many years. He was a member of the Wapashoe Wheat Pool committee, the I.O.O.F Lodge and both the Maple Creek and Piapot Lion’s Club. He also sat on the board of the Senior’s Centre.
Harve and Donna moved to Maple Creek in 2012. The term retired never stuck with Harve. He was always busy doing something! His last summer working on the farm was one of his happiest. A young hired man named Josh Snippa arrived in July and Harve had found a protégé to pass along his wealth of knowledge acquired over a lifetime. He was happy Julie and her husband Craig had returned to the farm after many years overseas. Maybe miraculously the last fall rye crop Harve seeded will be a bumper crop.
Harve always enjoyed attending all of the Maple Creek community events. He especially loved family gatherings with his grandchildren and great grandchildren and was always proud of his family.
His grandsons all wrote amazing tributes to their grandfather and were included in Harve’s eulogy. The words of Silas, his youngest grandson, encapsulates Harve’s life:
“Grandpa was a kind soul who reached forth with his hands to raise and protect all forms of life in these lands. From his long reaching windrows drawn across the calling plain, to his cows in the pasture, the geese in the pond, the cats in the barn and especially his beautiful wife and wonderful daughters. I remember learning how to drive trucks and combines, shoot gophers and herd cattle in the little time I spent with him. As I grew older, I saw the depth of his wisdom and patience in dealing with both people and problems. With people, smile and nod, with broken equipment, make it work and if it doesn’t work, cuss up a storm and keep trying until it does. My Grandpa beamed with the vitality and strength of the earth and the warmth and gravity of the sun. He will be deeply missed.”
Harve will long be remembered and many happy memories will be shared by his family, friends and neighbours. Memorial tributes in Harve’s name may be made to the Maple Creek Senior Citizens Centre or the Diamond C Cowboy Church.
Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Binkley’s Funeral Home, Maple Creek, SK.
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