All posts by Tara de Ryk

Davidson, Obituary

Obituary: Hoehn, Jesse

web-obit-hoehnJesse Hoehn

Jesse Hoehn, age 25, passed away suddenly on a construction site south of Davidson, Feb. 13, 2017.

Jesse was born at Providence Hospital in Moose Jaw, Sask., on Aug. 7, 1991. He began his life in Palmer, Sask., and attended school in Gravelbourg for grades 1 and 2. In 1998 the family moved to Assiniboia where Jesse attended Grade 3. The final move to Davidson was in 2000 where Jesse completed his schooling.

Jesse’s interest in sports came at a young age, including hockey, skateboarding, volleyball and baseball. Jesse also enjoyed dirtbiking, quadding, hunting and fishing.

Snowboarding was his biggest passion. When he wasn’t snowboarding he was watching videos of snowboarding, or planning the next trip with his buddies.

After his schooling, he worked for the Town of Davidson, RM grader operator, Richardson Pioneer and finally with Russell Redi Mix.

Jesse had a talent for fixing and working with equipment and machinery. He could also fix pretty much any electronic or computer issue in minutes.

Jesse enjoyed spending time with family and friends. He was quiet, fun loving, energetic and a dedicated guy.

He was close with his sister Chelsey. On Dec. 19, he became an uncle for the first time to twin boys, Rhett and Jase Robertson. Jesse was afraid to hold the babies at first, just the week before his sudden death he finally felt confident enough to hold Rhett. He was able to feed him his bottle and Chelsey said he had the biggest grin on his face. Unfortunately, there is no picture of this precious moment and they will never get to know their Uncle Jesse.

There are so many stories to share about Jesse. Please share them with each other and don’t let his memory fade.

Jesse is survived by his parents, Mike and Carol Hoehn; sister, Chelsey (Robert) Robertson and children Rhett and Jase; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.

A celebration of Jesse’s life was held Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017 at 2 p.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Davidson, Sask.

Donations to Davidson Swimming Pool and Threads of Life (Association for workplace tragedy family support).

Arrangements in care of Hanson’s Funeral Home of Davidson, Saskatchewan.

Davidson, featured

Family, friends grieve “fun-loving kid”

 

Jesse Hoehn
Jesse Hoehn

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — As a 13-year-old, Jesse Hoehn had a vision for a project in Davidson — a skate park for kids of all ages to enjoy.

An avid skateboarder, Jesse was running out of places to enjoy his hobby in town. Locals weren’t keen having their parking lots or front steps used by skaters, so he figured a park would be the ideal solution.

“I have a lot of friends who are into it,” he said at the time. “There are no places in town to go anymore. We need stuff to do.”

The park never came to be, but the story shows a side of Jesse that held up over the years — a quiet, fun-loving kid who liked being with his friends and was passionate about the things that mattered to him.

This was the side of Jesse that came to mind last week as his parents, Mike and Carol Hoehn, grieved their son’s death.

Jesse, 25, was killed on Feb. 13 in a workplace accident along Highway 42 between Eyebrow and Keeler, where he was working in road construction.

Carol said Wednesday they were still coming to grips with the situation: “It’s like a nightmare.”

“You definitely don’t want to be making funeral arrangements for your children,” said Mike. “And here we are.”

Jesse was born in 1991 in Moose Jaw, when the family was living in Gravelbourg.

Later they moved to Assiniboia, and eventually arrived in Davidson in August of 2000, which became their permanent home.

Jesse graduated from Davidson School in 2009 and had worked for a few different employers, including the Town of Davidson and Pioneer, prior to his latest job.

He owned a house in town, and when he wasn’t working, his focus was usually on snowboarding.

“That was his best place to be,” said Carol. “When he wasn’t snowboarding, he was watching videos of snowboarding.”

For the full story, please see the Feb. 20 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

Craik, featured

Co-op asks Craik for support as grocery sales flatline

Pictured is the Co-op grocery store in Craik.
Pictured is the Co-op grocery store in Craik.

By Joel van der Veen

CRAIK — Another year of net losses for the Co-op grocery store in Craik has prompted questions about the store’s future.

Palliser Plains Co-op, which operates the store, mailed out an update to members in Craik earlier this month.

According to the update, the grocery store had $1.25 million in sales last year, a margin of $208,848, and expenses of $293,359.

The store’s net losses totaled $103,774. When patronage from Federated Co-op is factored in, net losses are reduced to $57,655.

The letter indicated that the food store “has not met expectations” for the 2016 fiscal year.

The store would not be a viable operation on its own, but Palliser Plains has sustained it by means of patronage received from Federated Co-op, according to the update.

“Over the years the sales have not changed dramatically from one year to the other,” said Mike Sigouin, general manager of Palliser Plains Co-op.

The store has reported net losses each year between 2011 and 2016, and is projected to do the same in 2017.

Sigouin said the letter was intended to present a realistic summary of the situation to Craik customers.

“It wasn’t a threat,” he said, characterizing the message as, “These are the facts. Please consider supporting your Co-op food store.”

The letter includes a couple of calls to action, including the following: “Making the majority of your grocery purchases locally will enhance our viability, support local jobs and the economy in Craik.”

Sigouin said six people are employed at the Craik grocery store at present.

Employees recently agreed to a 32-hour workweek, according to the update, but costs continue to rise and margins are declining.

“Our team is providing the very best service they can at this point,” said Sigouin.

The store faces intense competition from stores in urban centres, which can also offer a wider selection of products. The letter acknowledges that the store struggles to maintain availability of some fresh products due to low sales.

The Co-op facility is Craik’s only grocery store. Davidson’s Co-op grocery store is the next closest, about a 20-minute drive.

Sigouin declined to speculate on the store’s immediate future, but said the company would continue to monitor market trends in the year to come.

“It’s a bit premature to predict anything at this point,” he said.

For the full story, please see the Feb. 20 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

Davidson, Sports

Jr. boys take district title with win over Kindersley

Davidson's Deiondre Boychuk is seen in action during Wednesday's junior boys basketball game against Kyle.
Davidson’s Deiondre Boychuk is seen in action during Wednesday’s junior boys basketball game against Kyle.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Winning the district title was a satisfying way to finish the season for Davidson’s junior boys basketball team.

The Raiders hosted teams from Kindersley, Biggar and Kyle in district play on Wednesday.

The home team reached the final game where they enjoyed an 87-80 win over Elizabeth Middle School from Kindersley.

“It was pretty exciting all the way to the finish,” said coach Garrett Bailey. “We had to play perfectly to win, almost . . . They gave us a good run.”

For the full story and more photos, please see the Feb. 20 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

Davidson, featured

History on display at Heritage Fair

Tyler Bahnman displays a ram skull as part of his Heritage Fair project.
Tyler Bahnman displays a ram skull as part of his Heritage Fair project.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — One was a decoy bomber pilot. The other was an aero engine mechanic.

Both survived the Second World War and returned home with stories to tell.

Their stories were featured in Kelsey Riecken’s project, one of 18 entries in the Heritage Fair at Davidson School on Wednesday.

With two great-grandfathers serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the war, Riecken had a close personal connection to her project.

Norman Rhodes trained at Moose Jaw, then in Quebec and Ontario, before being posted to Dafoe, Sask., as a mechanic in 1943.

After his discharge, he returned to the farm in the Sprattsville district. He remained active in the Legion and lived to the age of 98, passing away in 2012.

Meanwhile, Robert Buchanan served as a bomber pilot. A photo shows him posing with dozens of other trainees, many of whom did not return home.

Buchanan lived until 1993, when he died at the age of 70. Though some of his medals were lost or stolen, he left behind lots of other mementos and souvenirs.

Many of these — from log books to the wartime Christmas card that was mailed by the Air Force to his parents — were part of the display for Riecken’s project.

“It took a lot of work trying to gather it all up,” she said.

Karielle Willner said this was the second year her Grade 8 history students have completed Heritage Fair projects.

Students were allowed to work independently or in pairs and could pick any subject they wanted as long as it was connected with Canadian or Saskatchewan heritage.

If students were interested in a broad subject, Willner said she usually encouraged them to narrow it down into something more manageable.

She also asked students to explain the significance of their subject: “It’s got to be more than just giving the facts.”

For the full story, please see the Feb. 20 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

Hanley, Obituary

Obituary: Haight, Rose

Rose Haight

Rose Haight (nee Paulow), age 85, passed peacefully into glory to be with her Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Feb. 11, 2017 with family by her side at the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon.

Rose was born August 25, 1931 to her parents, John and Anna Paulow. She grew up on the family farm near Krydor, Sask. After completing school Rose moved to Saskatoon. She started work at the Saskatoon Sanatorium, then later as a telephone operator.

Rose married Glenn Haight on October 14, 1961. They settled in Hanley where they farmed together, and raised their three children (Jeff, Audrey and Lyle).

She was a strong farm girl, who worked hard her whole life. Rose enjoyed the beauty of God’s creation every day of her life. She delighted in watching baby barn swallows sticking their yellow beaks and heads over the edge of a nest for the first time, seeing young calves kicking up their heels, kittens carefully walking across the grass feeling the soft blades on their tender toes, and she loved to pet the soft heads of the baby chicks as they ran around and pecked the ground for the first time.

Rose loved to see the flowers blossoming around the house, crops growing in the fields, and the many trees growing around the yard that she and her husband, Glenn, planted. Rose enjoyed gardening, canning, quilt making, helping move farm equipment to different fields, and many other aspects of the farm life. At the end of every day she loved to read her Bible, and the Daily Bread devotional.

Rose loved and remembered the achievements of her husband, children, grandchildren, and other family members and friends. Rose is fondly remembered for the many games of checkers she played with her children and grandchildren, a cookie box that was always full, ample supplies of peppermints in the cupboard, and her famous macaroni dish made with just the right amount of Cheez Whiz in the sauce. She put others first many times saying, “Don’t worry about me. You do what has to be done first.”

Rose will be dearly missed by her family and friends. Rose is survived by: her husband, Glenn, of 55 years; children Jeff (Lana), Audrey (Nick) and Lyle (Jill); eight grandchildren (Aaron, Joel, Jared, Caleb, Bria, Kyla, Carolanna and Lydia); two great-grandchildren (Jesse and Micah); younger brother Steve (Allene), and numerous nephews and nieces.

Rose was predeceased by an older infant brother, parents John and Anna, older brother John and his wife Mary.

The family wishes to thank the staff of Prairie Spring Care Homes, the Saskatoon Cancer Center, St Paul’s Hospital, Royal University Hospital 6200 and Oncology Day Care, for their great care of Rose during her last few years. A celebration of Rose’s life will be held Monday, February 20 at 11:00 a.m. at the Hanley Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hanley, Sask. Arrangements are in the care of Hanson’s Funeral Home of Davidson, Saskatchewan. Donations in lieu of flowers can be directed to Hanley Lutheran Church, Saskatoon Cancer Center, or a charity of choice.

Though Rose’s strong heart has stopped its beating,
birds will keep on softly singing,
gentle breezes will keep on blowing,
through the yard that Glenn and Rose’s love built,
until we meet Jesus, and forever more.