Obituary of Norman Tessier

Norman Harry Lewellyn Tessier of Vanguard, SK passed away on January 25, 2016, at the age of 83. He was born in Shaunavon, SK on September 4, 1932, to Antoine and Marguerite (nee Jacques) Tessier. Two years later the family moved from Dollard to the farm at Scotsguard, SK. Growing up Norman rode his horse to school, carried buckets of water from the spring to feed his mother’s chickens and turkeys, and milked cows. Norman attended school until part way through grade 8, when he began to help on the farm. He later began his career as a mechanic at Wilton Motors in Shaunavon. He was working there when he married Lillian Jean Meek of Shaunavon on Jan. 28 1954. They were blessed with five children, Rosemary, Deborah, Joyce, Judy and Ron. Norman worked at Christofferson’s for a short time, before moving to Ponteix to work at the Ford dealership. After about six months Norman decided to switch employers and went to work for Marcel Carigan. Before long Norman became a papered mechanic and Carigan’s took over the Ford dealership, so he was a Case and Ford Mechanic! In the spring of 1964 the family moved to the Louis Briand farm southwest of Vanguard, and in the fall of 1971 they family moved to Vanguard. Norman bought many a piece of equipment, forever upgrading and getting bigger with every trade! He started with a WD9 International, then replaced it with a 97 Massey with a hand clutch, next was an 806 International, and then his first of many new tractors. In 1978, Norman and Jean toured the GM plant in Oshawa. Norman, with Jean as co-pilot, drove home his new grain truck. Norman opened Tessier Service, where he sold tires, fixed exhaust, and did repairs. Norman continued to farm and did some custom grain hauling. At the age of 74 he retired from farming, but continued custom grain hauling for two more years. Norman continued to work in his shop until 2013, when he sold the shop and fully retired. Norman enjoyed travelling to visit his friends and relatives. He liked to watch TV programs such as the Price is Right, Let’s make a Deal, Wheel of Fortune, Judge Judy, Judge Marion Millan, Hot Bench, and in the evening he watch NCIS, Blue Bloods and Hawaii Five-O! He also enjoyed reading and playing cards, such games as cribbage, whist and Smear, and playing games especially Tile Rummy, Chicken Foot or what you may know it as Domino’s! In past years Norman and Jean enjoyed old time dancing, such as the waltz, two step, and square dancing. Norman’s family would like to thank the entire community and everyone for your acts of kindness at this most difficult time! The food and expressions of sympathy is quite over whelming and greatly appreciated! Norman’s family is truly thankful for the 80 good years he had, and are very grateful that even in his last days he said he wasn’t in any pain. Norman was a proud, strong man who worked hard all his life and lived a good life his way! Norman is survived by his loving family, wife Jean (Meek) Tessier; daughter Rosemary (Walter) Wall, granddaughter Cora (Sheldon) Rood, great grandchildren Carson, Jessie, granddaughter Jolene (Trevor) Isaac, great grandchildren Kade, Hunter, Rian, granddaughter Amanda (Jeremy) Doerkson, great grandchildren Logan, Peyton; daughter Deborah (Ken) Scheller, granddaughter Michelle (Kevin) Kelner, great grandchildren Ashton, Kayden, grandson Kristin (Stephanie) Scheller, great grandchildren Kian, Ethan, Kai; daughter Joyce (Butch) Evans, grandson Mitchel (Janina) Evans, great grandchildren Alyssa, Ryder, grandson Curtus (Jennifer) Evans, great grandchildren Corben, Carter, grandson Lee Evans; daughter Judy Brenholen (Daryl Irwin), grandson Murray (Darla) Brenholen, great grandchildren Brayden, Bailey, Shayla, Peyton; son Ron (Lynn) Tessier, granddaughter Dana (Dale) Johnston, great grandson Taden, granddaughter Stephanie Tessier, great grandchildren Zoey and Scarlet; siblings Isobel (Bernie) Heinrichs, David (Colleen) Tessier; sisters-in-law Dorothy (Lawrence) Scott, Elsie McLean; brothers-in-law Jack Meek, Bill (Connie) Meek, Bob (Janet) Meek. Predeceased by his parents Antoine and Marguerite Tessier; brother Emile Tessier; great-grandson Bryson Johnston; brothers-in-law Alfred (Mary) (Pat) Meek, Tom McLean; sisters-in-law Bea Meek, Irene Meek. Funeral Service was held on Saturday, January 30th, 2016, at 2:00 p.m., at the Vanguard Community School, Vanguard, SK. Officiant was Laura Balas. The eulogy was shared by Ron Tessier. Music by Lynn Tessier, Dana Johnston, and Stephanie Tessier. Urn bearer was Ron Tessier. Memorial donations in memory of Norman to the Heart & Stroke Foundation, 279 3 Avenue North, Saskatoon, SK S7K 2H8 were greatly appreciated. Eulogy Shared by Ron Tessier: Our dad was born in Shaunavon,Sk and lived in Dollard until age 2 when they moved to the farm at Scotsguard,Sk! Some of our Dad’s memories included freezing his wrists while riding his horse to school! His favourite horses name was Silver and his favourite dog’s name was Chang! I remember him telling of the day he rode his horse into the school thinking he had time before the teacher showed up but got caught and said he lost recess for two weeks! Other memories included carrying buckets of water from the spring to feed his mother’s chickens and turkeys and of milking cows! His younger sister, our Aunt Isobel tells that when she was a young girl and their mother was in the hospital our dad would put a towel on like an apron and made her pancakes! Anyone who knew our dad, might have problems visualizing him making pancake batter! Not sure what it would have tasted like but since Aunt Isobel is here today so I guess it wasn’t that bad! Mom said that one time when dad was taking care of Aunt Isobel he cooked lettuce thinking it was cabbage! Dad quit school part way through grade 8 to help on the farm until he started his career as a mechanic at Wilton Motors in Shaunavon! He was working there when he married our mother Lillian Jean Meek of Shaunavon on Jan.28 1954! The first of four daughters was born in Shaunavon and when Wilton’s refused to grant an increase in pay, dad switched employers and went to work for Christofferson’s for a short time, but after a couple months or so they were unable to pay dad but knew of a Ford dealership in Ponteix that were looking for a mechanic so Norman, Jean and Rosemary moved to Ponteix where dad went to work for Les Graitrix, after about six months dad decided to switch employers and went to work for Marcel Carigan before long dad became a papered mechanic and Carigan’s took over the Ford dealership so dad was a Case and Ford Mechanic! Dad worked for Carigan’s for about 8 years and in that time 3 more daughters Deborah, Joyce and Judy were born! In the spring of 1964 the family moved to the Louis Briand farm southwest of Vanguard! Shortly after moving there, dad added onto the house so it would accommodate the whole family, a couple more bedrooms were needed! In May of 1965 the last child was born and as dad used to joke, when they told me it was a boy, I said, are you sure? After having four daughters I guess he expected a fifth! While living on the Briand farm our family had milked cows, raised pigs and chickens! In the fall of 1971 we moved to Vanguard and dad rented a 30 acre pasture where we kept our milk cows, pigs and chickens! We called it the feedlot and for a few years until the RM built us an all, weather road, when the snow got too deep and we couldn’t make it with a four wheel drive pickup, we used a snow mobile with an insulated trailer on skis, that dad had built, to transport the pails of milk from the feedlot down to the highway where would leave our truck! The year the dam went dry we had Barbier’s bombardier and twice a day we filled it with pails of water to water the stock! The house that we moved into is the one they still call home! Once again the house was not big enough to accommodate our family so it was added onto in about 1974/75! After going on his own dad was struck by what Louis Briand referred to as the trading fever! Dad bought many a piece of equipment forever upgrading and getting bigger with every trade! There was a time when I could remember every tractor and combine but after a while I couldn’t! He started with a WD9 International, then replaced it with a 97 Massey with a hand clutch, next was an 806 International and then his first of many new tractors a 1066 and then a 1466 and then our first four wheel drive a 4186 and then a 4386 next was my favourite, the ST 270 Steiger then we got 2 -2+2 Internationals next was a 5488 I’ll stop there because I’m only getting started and I know it used to upset our mom all the trading dad did! I have to admit I quite enjoyed the many different tractors, trucks and combines we had! One thing we always had was good equipment! Dad was never much for taking holidays or going on vacation! Since we always had 5 or 6 cows to milk twice a day and then there was the cream separator to wash and sterilize you couldn’t be away for long because, who do you find to milk cows and even a bigger problem was the cream separator washing and sterilizing! But in 1978 mom and dad flew from Regina to Toronto, then were bused to Oshawa where they toured the GM plant! That’s the picture on the board with a whole parking lot filled with trucks, many piggy backed for transport to there, final destination! If you look in the picture you can pick out dad in the back row in between the second and third truck from the left and mom in her kerchief! Dad with mom as co-pilot drove home his new grain truck with another piggy backed and a half ton strapped on to it! When they got back to Vanguard that truck went to Swift Current where the frame was stretched, and a tag axle and Cancade box and hoist were added! Dad and I used to setup equipment for R&R Motors in the winter! Mostly discers but the odd cultivator, which were probably our own but purchased from R&R! In 1981 we built a 40x48 slant wall shop in the back yard! A project Henry Barbier will never forget and neither will I! What a helpless feeling to watch the ladder slip out from underneath Henry and watch him land on the concrete floor breaking both his arm and his leg! Butch drove him by car to Swift Current and then onto Regina where he required surgery to repair his injuries! This cut the crew by two and that’s when dad and I decided we should finish the job ourselves and I took a week off of school so we could get the shop up before winter! We spent many an hour working in the shop and we always wondered how we had managed without it? After the shop was completed dad got back into the mechanic mode and opened up Tessier Service! He sold tires fixed exhaust and did the repairs that he could without getting into the more complex diagnostic equipment required for todays, vehicles! Dad continued to farm and after buying a tandem axle grain truck with a triaxle pony pup he did some custom grain hauling! At age 74 he retired from farming but continued custom grain hauling until age 76 when he sold his day cab Freightliner and his triaxle Doepker to me! He continued to work some in his shop until his heart started acting up and was no longer able to! He sold the shop in 2013 and at last was fully retired! He still had his little front wheel assist McCormick with front end loader and three point hitch snow blower because when you’ve been a farmer you always need to have a tractor around! Not many can say they never spent a night in the hospital until after their 80th birthday! Something our dad was quite proud of and enjoyed telling people! Dad enjoyed visiting friends and relatives when he was still well enough to travel! Trips out west stopping in Medicine Hat to visit Helen and Willard Richards then carrying on to his sister and brother in laws Aunt Isobel and Uncle Bernie’s at Nanaimo and then over to mom’s sister and brother in law Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Lawrence at Kelowna! They also enjoyed their trips out to Deborah and Kens stopping at Judy and Daryl’s overnight on the way out and usually on the way home as well with a stop at Joyce and Butch’s for a washroom break! Trips to the ranch to visit Rosemary and Walter where they would play chicken foot, which is more commonly known as dominos! Just before dad turned 80 he started having heart trouble but he wasn’t admitted to the hospital until probably a month after his 80th Birthday! Not from a lack of trying by Joyce to convince him to try a different doctor! After many a phone call and visit dad finally gave in and went to the walk in clinic in Swift Current! They did blood work and X-Rays and dad was admitted to the hospital! After a short stay in the hospital, and they were able to remove some of the fluid he had retained, he was sent home! Not long after he was sent home he got the call Dr. Savoy had referred him to Dr. Booker the heart specialist in Regina! After about a week in the Regina hospital they were able to get the fluid that dad had been retaining drained off of him! He was sent home and the 6 month interval appointments with Dr. Booker began! Joyce and Butch, Rosemary and Walter and I took turns driving mom and dad to his appointments! The only time I took him I have to admit I was quite impressed with how Dr. Booker let his patient choose his own destiny! He said well Norm what you think? Dad said well it depends on how much risk? Booker said lots, you’re not strong enough to handle the surgery! He told dad what he needed was a valve repaired and another replaced and a triple bypass! Dad told him he could carry on the way he was and Booker said he would regulate him with medication! Even though he accepted that his heart was no longer able supply even blood so he could bend over to do such tasks as removing the snow blower off of his little McCormick front wheel assist tractor! On one such occasion when he started feeling light headed he sat on the front wheel of the tractor, but either didn’t sit down soon enough or didn’t sit long enough and passed out falling face first on the cement and bruising himself in the process! After Joyce called telling me all about it I decide to give them a call to see how he was doing! Mom answered the phone and said he was alright so I suggested that in the future if she was going to beat him that she should use a phone book because they don’t leave bruises! Refusing to see any humour in what I had just told her I got the disgusted response, I never laid a hand on him! For the past three falls Butch and Joyce, Mitch and Lee have taken a day to help with the fall cleanup of mom and dad’s garden and yard! Of course if you know our parents they are so used to doing for themselves, having someone else do their work goes against what they are used to! More than once dad had said to me I can’t do anything anymore! At which point I would have to remind him of the 80 years of good health he’d had! I just found a buyer for that front wheel assist McCormick tractor this fall and had to laugh at him because he was thinking since he no longer had a front end loader sure wished he had one on the Kubota but they cost about $4500 and that is a lot for such a small loader! Part of dads daily routine included watching such TV programs as Price is Right, Let’s make a Deal, Wheel of Fortune, Judge Judy, Judge Marion Millan, Hot Bench, in the evening he watch NCIS, Blue Bloods and Hawaii Five-O! Dad also enjoyed playing cards, such games as cribbage, whist and Smear, and playing games especially Tile Rummy, Chicken Foot or what you may know it as Domino’s! In past years mom and dad enjoyed old time dancing such as the waltz, two step and square dancing! Dad enjoyed visiting with close friends and relatives! Some people who were special to dad were, John Barbier; Jeff Talbot; Evelyn Krushelniski neighbours Cliff and May Carey and Bart and Priscilla Dykema! Dad enjoyed reading and did so up until he was too weak to hold a book! On behalf of our mother and our families we would like to thank the entire community and everyone for your acts of kindness at this most difficult time! For the food and expressions of sympathy is quite over whelming and greatly appreciated! We would like to celebrate our dad’s life more than mourn his passing though we are sad to say good bye we are thank full for the 80 good years and even the last three plus years with his heart condition were not that bad! We are very grateful that even in his last days he said he wasn’t in any pain! Our dad was a proud strong man who worked hard all his life and lived a good life his way!