Elbow, Obituary

Obituary: O’Brien, Patrick

O’Brien, Patrick
March 19, 1930 — Sept. 27, 2017

Pat passed away peacefully in Moose Jaw with his family by his side.

Pat was born at Elbow on the family farm in the Harley District. He lived there his entire life, farming and raising cattle. He loved his animals, family and friends. He enjoyed playing cards with everyone.

Pat was predeceased by his parents, Lanora and Charles O’Brien; one brother Thomas; and one sister Ivy; two brothers-in-law Fred and Les Stevens; and one sister-in-law Florence.

He is survived by his sister Kay (Eric) of Maple Creek and his brother Donald (Sandra) of Elbow. Also, many nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews.

A private family interment will take place at a later date.

He will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Donald, Sandra and all family members.

Hawarden, Obituary

Obituary: Pederson, Elaine

Elaine Pederson (Hansen)
1944 — 2017

She was a 60-yard dash runner, figure skater, nurse, curler, gardener, reader and traveller. She was a small-town girl — helpful and involved, always trying to make things better for everyone and finding every opportunity to learn something new. She grew up in Rouleau, Sask., and knew she wanted to be a nurse from the time she was a little girl. She moved to Saskatoon in 1962 to attend the College of Nursing at the University of Saskatchewan where she earned her degree and RN designation, met lifelong friends, and in spite of a girlhood pledge to never marry a farmer, caught the eye of an Agro who was in her English, Chemistry and Biology classes.

After convocation and getting married, Elaine worked as a public health nurse for the Victorian Order of Nurses, driving to her patients’ homes to administer medications, making sure they were safe and well, and being a friendly and professional face at the door, providing a human connection that was at the heart of the kind of nursing she always wanted to do. They moved to the farm northeast of Hawarden in 1969, built a home and were part of the community for over 40 years.

Elaine was stylish, practical and no-nonsense. She had a strong sense of fairness and justice, which she practised in her 18 years as a member and then Chair of the Saskatchewan Social Services Appeal Board, and as a mother — her daughters were always to be kind, treat everyone equally, speak out against wrongs, and step up in defense of others.

Elaine was predeceased by her parents Marvin and Olive Hansen, and will live on through her family: David, her husband of 50 years, cared for her every day with love, tenderness, good humour, and grace. She was deeply loved and will be remembered by her daughters Susan, Sandy, and Jen, her sons-in-law James and Doug, her grandchildren, John and Lucy, and Owyn, Milo and Dawson, and her younger brothers Gordon and Alan, sisters-in-law Fran and Kathy, and their families.

Our family is deeply grateful to those who cared for her after a diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia. From the home care nurses who drove to the farm every day, to the Saskatchewan Abilities Council for providing essential equipment, to Jamie Pfeifer, who moved mountains to keep Mom and Dad together at Parkville Manor and helped navigate the long-term care system, to the Direct Client Funding program, and to Parkridge Centre East 2, who provided close and compassionate care for all of us in her last days. Most of all, we thank Dale Natowcappo, who came twice daily to care for Elaine seven days a week for nearly four years. She has been a strong, sweet, and steady force in our lives and it is because of her that Elaine and David were able to live together at home for as long as they did.

A service to celebrate Elaine’s life was held at Park Funeral Home on Thursday, October 5, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. Donations in her memory can be made to Alzheimer Society Saskatchewan (alzheimer.ca/Saskatchewan), Saskatchewan Abilities Council (abilitiescouncil.sk.ca), and The Lighthouse Supported Living (lighthousesaskatoon.org).

To share memories and condolences, visit www.parkfuneral.ca “Obituaries-Guestbook.” Arrangements are entrusted to Derryl Hildebrandt, Park Funeral Home (306-244-2103).

Elbow, featured

Sun sets on a tragic summer on Lake Diefenbaker

By Joel van der Veen

ELBOW — Peace pervades Lake Diefenbaker on a late September evening.

Few are out on the water, though a sharp eye can spot the odd boat far in the distance.

A lone paddleboarder makes his way across the horizon. From this vantage point, he is just a silhouette on the brilliant light painting that fills the sky — wispy, orange-tinted clouds against a pale blue backdrop.

The lake is calm and serene, almost deceptively so.

A sudden storm can catch boaters by surprise, and sometimes with fatal consequences.

The sun has set on another summer on Lake Diefenbaker — the deadliest one in recent memory.

Between late July and early September, four people drowned on the lake in three separate incidents.

Of those people, two lived in Loreburn and one was a Saskatoon resident. The fourth was an adult male whose place of residence was not made public.

Only one of the deceased — Ken Houben, 61, of Loreburn — was identified publicly.

After years without a drowning on the lake, local officials say this year’s death toll took them and other residents by surprise.

“We’ve never experienced a summer like this,” said Elbow mayor Rob Hundeby, a lifelong resident of the village. “Obviously, the (village) grieves with them . . . It’s a devastating loss.”

Cpl. Doug Gardiner, commanding officer for the Elbow RCMP detachment, acknowledged that the year had been “extremely unusual.”

Gardiner said he has worked in the region for five-and-a-half years. During that time, he said, there had been no drownings reported on the lake until this summer.

The corporal said he could not comment on the individual incidents as they remained under investigation.

Continue reading Sun sets on a tragic summer on Lake Diefenbaker →

Davidson

Staffing increase at health centre made permanent

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Increased staffing levels at the Davidson Health Centre are here to stay.

Three new positions added last year on a temporary basis have been made permanent, management confirmed to the Leader recently.

Gayle Riendeau, acting president and CEO of Heartland Health Region, said that the trial period for those positions was extended in the summer.

Ultimately, she added, “we came to the conclusion that the enhancements we had made were meeting the needs at the site.”

The “staffing enhancements” were among the measures introduced by the health region last year with the goal of improving the centre’s efficiency, safety and quality of care.

The three additions included a licensed practical nurse (LPN) working on the night shift — 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

The region also created an assistant head nurse position, working three eight-hour shifts per week, or a total of 24 hours each week.

Finally, a combined lab/X-ray technician joined the staff for eight hours per week.

The three positions were announced in October of 2016, when they were filled on a temporary basis.

In the months that followed, the region continued to hold regular meetings between staff and management to discuss and address concerns.

“We’ve found it to be beneficial . . . in helping to resolve issues,” Riendeau said, adding that the meetings would continue, as would the strive to keep improving service and outcomes at the facility. “You’re never done making quality improvements.”

This past August, management again met with staff and the union local representative to inform them that the positions would be made permanent.

Riendeau said the positions were reposted with the new terms and it was her understanding as of mid-September that “they’ve all been filled.”

Local nurses went public with their concerns over staffing levels at the centre in August 2016, after the region chose not to fill a vacant relief nursing position there.

In a visit to Davidson town council, several nurses reported that the situation at the centre had become unsafe, posing a risk to the safety and health of both patients and staff.

In the weeks that followed, several patients also spoke out, describing how service interruptions at the centre resulted in them being sent home or transferred to other facilities.

In September, local staff met with rural and remote health minister Greg Ottenbreit in Davidson. The three temporary positions were announced the following month. Continue reading Staffing increase at health centre made permanent →

Craik, featured

Craik kids blown away by Tornado Hunter

Connor Watt and Jaden Wall get a close-up look at the truck used by Chris Chittick and the Tornado Hunters crew.

By Joel van der Veen

CRAIK — For Chris Chittick, following his dream has taken him to some close calls.

On May 31, 2013, he and his crew were tracking a pair of tornadoes near El Reno, Okla., when the two twisters merged into one.

The resulting storm was two-and-a-half miles wide, the widest ever recorded.

With their camera still running and thousands of people watching the live stream online, driver Ricky Forbes steered their truck into the ditch — their best hope of avoiding the storm.

The truck continued rolling with debris flying all around them, including a two-and-a-half tonne farm truck.

Chittick caught some air as the truck went over a bump, inadvertently closing his laptop computer and cutting off the stream suddenly.

His mom, who was watching online, called him moments later: “I think it’s time for you to grow up, get a real job, become a teacher, baker, whatever.”

But he said he has no plans to give up the life of a full-time storm chaser, saying that even near-misses like the El Reno storm have only served to increase his curiosity and passion.

Chittick, a member of the team from TV’s Tornado Hunters, visited Craik School on Monday morning.

Students, staff and visitors got to see video footage of some extreme storms, along with firsthand stories from Chittick’s unusual career.

They also got to check out one of the two trucks used by Chittick and his team — outfitted with custom equipment and covered with a bulletproof Kevlar composite material.

Chittick, a native of Michigan who now lives in Regina, has been observing nature’s might up-close for nearly 20 years.

He began chasing storms in 1998 while still a university student, driving west during his summer breaks. He spotted his first tornado in southeast Wyoming in 2000.

“I’ve been hooked ever since,” he said. “I’m a big believer in following your dreams, following your passions.”

Continue reading Craik kids blown away by Tornado Hunter →

Davidson, Obituary

Obituary: Kenny, Paula

Paula Susanna Kenny

Paula Susanna Kenny was born on June 4, 1916 to Jules and Marie LePoudre, and passed away peacefully on Sept. 7, 2017 at the age of 101. S

he was predeceased by her husband Harold; grandson Lyndon; great-grandson Hayden; sisters Mary, Andrea and Susan; brothers Andre, Paul, Octave and Clifford; and young brothers Andre and Octave in Belgium.

Paula will be lovingly remembered by her children Jean (Bob) Wilson, Gerald (Pat) Kenny, Marlene Chanski and Roy (Corinne) Kenny, 14 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, sister Leona Gartner and many nieces and nephews.

Paula loved working in her yard and won awards for her beautiful flowers. She planted a garden every year until the age of 99, and many friends and relatives enjoyed her fresh vegetables. Gramma was a cheerleader at many of her grandchildren’s sporting events, and she had a never-ending supply of ice cream, pizza pops and toonies for them. Your memory will live forever in our hearts.

We will dearly miss you, Mother, Gramma and Great-Gramma.

The Davidson Leader, Davidson, Saskatchewan