| FLEWELLING - Gordon passed away Friday, February 20, 2004. Gordon is survived by his wife of 61 years, Winnie, and his children: Glenn (Marsha) Flewelling of Three Hills, and their children Mike Flewelling, Mary Lou (Gord) Kinniburgh, Marsha Lyn Flewelling, Monica Lee Ketler, Eva (Karl) Grantmyre of Sherwood Park, and their children Roseanna Grantmyre (Larry), Gloria Grantmyre, Ian Dean (Willena) Flewelling of Pickardville, AB. and their children Irene, James, Raewyn, Vicki, Andrew, Timothy and Nathaniel Flewelling, and Brenda Lynn (Martin) Friesen of Warman, SK., Jenice (Jim) George and their daughter Mikayla, Kim (Amanda) Friesen, Todd Friesen (Amanda) and their son Tanner, Cavan Friesen, Martina Friesen and Natasha Friesen. He also leaves to mourn his sister-in-law June Flewelling of Grande Cache, Alberta, as well as 6 nieces and nephews and their families. Gordon was predeceased by his parents as well as his siblings Ina Campbell, Dorena Flewelling, Roy Flewelling and Hazel Simpson. Funeral services were held at Evangelical Free Church in Coronation on Thursday, February 26, 2004 at 2:00 p.m. with Pastor Wade Hammond and Pastor Abe Rempel officiating. Glenn Flewelling gave a loving tribute in memory of his dad. Pianist Barbie Evans and organist Margaret Evans played for the congregational hymns “Under His Wings”, “In The Garden” and “Softly & Tenderly”. Soloist Tracey Twa sang a special song in memory of Gordon. Interment will take place in the spring at the Lakeroad Cemetery, Consort, AB. Honorary Pallbearers were “All of Gordon’s Church Family & Community Friends” and the Active Pallbearers were Michael Hadwin, Todd Friesen, Cavan Friesen, Kim Friesen, Mike Flewelling and Calvin Wadstein. Following the funeral service family and friends gathered in the lower hall of the Evangelical Free Church for a time of fellowship and refreshments prepared and served by the Evangelical Free Church Women. If friends desire memorial donations may be made to Alberta Cancer Foundation, Research Department, Cross Cancer Institute, Consort Health Care Complex Foundation, Palliative Care Room, or to a charity of the donor’s choice. Parkview Funeral Chapels (1985) Ltd. or Castor and Coronation, Alberta, were entrusted with the care and funeral arrangements. For further information please contact 403-578-3777. Tribute Reminiscences of Gordon….this afternoon we are seeing the body we recognize as that of Gordon Flewelling for the last time. His soul and spirit, which we mortals cannot see, departed at the instant of death. The moment of his departure, 12:20 on Friday, February 20, was precious to Glenn, Marsha and to me. That memory will remain with each of us. Gordon John Flewelling was the first son and third child born to John and Mae Flewelling. Sisters Ina and Dorena came before and brother Roy and sister Hazel followed. He was born April 6, 1911 at his Grandmother Stewart’s home in Lacombe. At the age of four months, he travelled by train to Castor - the end of the line at that time - with his mother and sisters. His Dad met them and brought the family by horse and buggy to their new home on the farm six miles south of Consort. So Gordon grew up on his father’s farm and was a farmer until his retirement in 1978 although he was solicited from time to time to lend a hand on the old homestead. Many times he referred to skiing down ‘Old Baldy’ just south of town with his friends, and later wondered why young people didn’t avail themselves of a good ride. In their late teens, Graham Campbell and Gordon entered a grain-judging contest, winning it and going on to the Dominion finals held in Toronto. Their rewards were a silver cup and a trip to Niagara Falls. Gordon’s mechanical skills were honed at SAIT. He inherited his father’s carpentry skills, building granaries and making things for the house, always quite inventively. Sixty one years ago, on August 26, 1942, Gordon married Winnifred Hennan, taking her home to his father’s homestead to a rather unwelcome reception from the master of the house, Duffy, the bachelor cat. Later, Duffy had to make room for further invasion of his domain as a baby appeared on the scene. Gordon was ever proud of his Hereford cattle, ‘tho he never owned a large herd. His father and a group of neighbours (and later Gordon and the neighbour’s sons) shared summer pastures in the coulees, just a couple of miles east of home. Checks were made routinely throughout the summer on the welfare of the herd. Of course down in the coulees the berries ‘needed’ checking too! Countless persons from miles around came to the coulees to pick saskatoons. Later in the season, chokecherries produced in abundance. Pincherries, ‘tho less prolific, were a real delicacy. On the second season after our marriage, we picked 128 quarts of saskatoons. Many were baked in pies or pudding and many were eaten with cream and sugar. Gordon prided himself in finding the choicest berries. Berry picking in the coulees was always a time for picnics with family and friends. There were deer, beaver, coyotes and many songbirds to capture Gordon’s attention. Flowers grew in abundance (prickly pear cactus, violets, crocuses, shooting stars) and, as evening approached, a bouquet of them always accompanied us to our home. There, invariably, as we finished the chores and had supper, ‘tho weary and exhausted, we were totally relaxed and every care and problem vanished. Gordon’s love of the coulees rubbed off on each of his offspring. I remember countless gallons of homemade ‘real’ ice cream that were cranked out by hand in a multitude of flavours or full of fresh berries. At the time of the cattle round-up in the fall, it was not unusual to see a maroon Chevy half-ton standing atop a coulee bank (or careening straight down it!) and Gordon on foot moving up and down the banks after the cattle. He was never involved in sports but was always a great walker. Roy once commented that he would not have relished it (or even survived) had Gordon been his captain, issuing the marching orders. Often times the rocks Gordon picked up accompanied him home. Eva persuaded him to invest in a rock tumbler, which stood unused in the upstairs hall for some time. Then one day, he read an announcement in the paper that there would be classes offered for instruction in the ‘working of rocks’, one day a week for seven weeks. The optional eighth week was to be spent in fitting the rocks in settings of one’s choice. After the first day of instruction it was not the semi-gemstones that captured his artistic bent, but rather those stones that were underfoot and so much a part of the prairie farmer’s life. His interest grew as he and Ian installed a fireplace and finished it with cut and polished rock, mostly from home rocks, some from as much as thirty miles away. He worked another one for Karl and Eva; rockwork panels—alternating with mirrors—to grace Martin and Brenda’s walls; and a hearth for Bob and Barb Campbell of granite type rocks which he and I found. Wanting a church sign, the Evangelical Free Church group took Gordon up on his offer to work their sign. Those who knew Gordon were impressed by his ever-present sense of humor. I smiled at a few of the witticisms he pulled on some of his nurses and other attendants these last days, stopping them short. On an evening, not so long ago, as we sat side-by-side on his hospital bed facing the west just at twilight, a song came to mind: Just a song at twilight, When the lights are low, And the flickering shadows, Softly come and go. ‘Tho the heart be weary, Sad the day and long, Still to us at twilight Comes love’s old song, Comes love’s old, sweet song. — Winnifred Flewelling Card of Thanks We wish to thank Pastor and Mrs. Hammond for your kindness and help Barbie and Margaret Evans, Pianist and Organist and Tracey Twa for your music. Pastor Abe Rempel for leading the hymns. The Ladies of the Coronation Evangelical Free Church for taking care of lunch, and he Parkview Funeral Chapel. Winnie Flewelling, Glenn and Marsha Flewelling, Eva and Karl Grantmyre Ian and Willena Flewelling, Brenda and Martin Friesen |