Ross lived in this district from his first breath on March 31, 1927, to his last breath on March 31, 2011. For the 84 years between those breaths, he enjoyed his family, his farming and his friends. He passed away peacefully, in his own home.
He grew up on the farm his grandfather homesteaded in 1904. He loved the farm. We often talked about farming with horses, about the crews that would come out from Ontario in the fall to help with threshing. He told me that when he was in school, grandma and grandpa allowed him to have one day off from school to help with harvesting, so he would make sure it was a Friday, to incorporate it into the weekend. Dad had several different brands of machinery down through the years. In the later years he was driving White tractors. He often joked with his neighbours about their choices, especially John Deere. When dad finally did purchase a John Deere tractor he said he would have to drive it home after dark so no one would see him. We have reminisced on many different occasions about those years – how our farm was the meeting place of all the trails that led to Girvin, many stories about horse rides to school and sled trips to town, life on the farm, antics with his friends, and life with his four sisters. I heard a lot about my dad and grandma and grandpa Fawell. There were many laughs, but I learned to appreciate the resourcefulness of my grandparents and my dad.
In my mind – dad knew how to do everything – he had an answer for every question, he could repair anything, and if you needed a better plan he could do it. He did electrical wiring, carpentry, plumbing, mechanics and welding. If something had to be fixed or improved upon, he would have the equipment to do it. He did a lot of woodworking from horses and wagons complete with leather harness (which he also did himself), toys and creating airplanes from telephone poles. Mom and dad worked on this together…dad created, and mom did the painting and decorating.
I can not imagine how many cups of coffee were made and drunk at dad’s kitchen table – he and mom loved having company come. And if they weren’t visiting, they were playing cards. Our children remember evenings of playing cards. There were some pretty lively games of Rummy and Dutch Blitz. Dad was always there if someone needed a hand. He would see something to be done and would do it without question. He had a warm smile, a quick wit, a quiet compassion, a sense of right and wrong, pride in his family’s accomplishments.
I have been told how cozy Grandma Fawell’s room at the seniors’ home would feel when he came to visit with her. Many people have told me that they miss the visits from dad…at the hardware, the Health Centre, the Community College and many more places around town.
Mom was the love of his life – he couldn’t believe that she agreed to date him, and then to marry him. From that time on mom and dad were a duo – there wasn’t much they did apart from each other. The day God called mom home, was one of the most difficult days in my dad’s life. A part of him left that day with mom. Dad received the best birthday gift from God, last Thursday, because he not only got to go home, he got to give mom a great big hug.
Dad loved his family; they were the joy of his life. And every one of his grandchildren knew he loved them. He was so pleased to be grandpa to his six granddaughters, but there was a twinkle in his eyes when his grandson was born – after 63 years of girls only.
Ross is survived by his loving family, his daughter Colleen (Dave) Spelliscy, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Laura, Lana, Audrey (Rick Wiebe) and great-grandchild, Joanne (Mike Wiebe) and great-grandchildren, Calib, Tristan, Odessa, and Sophia, Melissa (Nathan Doerksen), Pamela, and Daniel. He is also survived by his sisters Margaret McIvor, Eileen Kodak, and Fern Nielsen, one brother-in-law Carman (Marney) Cherry and numerous nieces and nephews.
Thank you to his many friends and neighbours and to the community for being a part of his life!
Donations in memory of Ross may be directed to the Davidson and District Health Care Foundation, Canadian Food Grains Bank, Saskatoon Children’s Hospital and the Canadian Cancer Society.
Every time you recall your dad’s laughter,
Every time you find yourself doing something he taught you
Or repeating something he used to say…
Every time you think of him
You bring your dad closer to your heart.
