LAUGHLIN, PATRICK HERELD “PAT” PASSED AWAY JANUARY 30, 1997 AT CALGARY, ALBERTA AT THE AGE OF 88 YEARS.
PAT WAS BORN MARCH 7, 1908 AT GRASSY LAKE, ALBERTA. IN 1919 HE MOVED WITH HIS PARENTS DAVID AND ISABELLA LAUGHLIN TO KENTUCKY THEN TO EDEN, MARYLAND WHERE THEY OPERATED A MARKET GARDEN . IN 1924 THEY MOVED TO CHICAGO WHERE PAT APPRENTICED IN THE PRINTING TRADE WHILE WORKING IN A PAPER WAREHOUSE UNTIL MOVING BACK TO MILO IN JULY I928, WITH A SHORT WORK STAY IN MONTANA. HE STAYED WITH HIS HALF BROTHER TOM WEBBER AND HIS WIFE CECILIA. HE BEGAN WORKING FOR JOE MARSHALL DRIVING TRANSPORT AND AS FARM HELP UNTIL I935 WHEN HE RENTED THE MARSHALL FARM, WHO HAD BEEN GOOD FRIENDS AS WELL AS EMPLOYERS FOR SEVEN YEARS. THAT YEAR THE CROP WAS HAILED OUT AND PAT WENT TO WORK AT HIS PARENTS AT BRETON, ALBERTA, WORKING IN THE BUSH FOR TWO YEARS.
HE STILL ENJOYED FARMING SO HE RETURNED TO MILO AND WORKED FOR JOE AGAIN. AS IT HAPPENED JOE HAD PURCHASED A HART—PARR TRACTOR , HE PUT PAT IN IT AND SAID “GO AHEAD AND FARM”. PAT HAD NEVER RUN A TRACTOR BEFORE, WHICH MADE JOE’S STATEMENT RATHER HARD TO CARRY OUT UNTIL HE GOT THE HANG OF IT.
HE MARRIED ANNA MARIE HELLEVANG IN DECEMBER 1939 AND TOGETHER THEY STARTED FARMING THE McGUIRE QUARTER THEN RENTED LAND NEAR UNION JACK SCHOOL. IN 1947 PAT BOUGHT A COMBINE AND WENT TO TEXAS WITH A HARVESTING CREW, THEY COMBINED ALL THE WAY BACK TO ALBERTA IN TIME TO DO HIS OWN HARVESTING. IN THE SPRING OF 1948 HE RENTED LAND FROM BILLY PETERSON AT MOSSLEIGH AND THAT FALL HE HEADED TO SOUTH DAKOTA TO DO SOME HARVESTING WITH ANOTHER CREW, RETURNING HOME TO DO HIS OWN. FARMING WAS QUITE FAVORABLE AND PAT DECIDED TO ADD CATTLE TO HIS OPERATION. IN 1955 ANNA HAD A STROKE AND PASSED AWAY . IN 1956 HE PURCHASED LAND NEAR CARSELAND AND CONTINUED TO FARM UNTIL I961 WHEN HIS HEALTH WOULD NOT ALLOW HIM TO KEEP FARMING. HE MOVED TO CALGARY AND HELPED OPERATE THE COFFEE SHOP AT THE EMPIRE HOTEL AND LATER WORKED THE FRONT DESK AT BOTH THE EMPIRE AND VICTORIA HOTELS.
PAT MARRIED HIS SECOND WIFE ETTA IN 1979 TOGETHER THEY RETURNED TO THE FARM NORTH OF CARSELAND. ETTA PASSED AWAY IN 1996 AND PAT MOVED TO STRATHMORE WHERE HE HAS RESIDED SINCE.
PAT WAS A PAST MEMBER OF THE I.0.0.F. LODGE AT LANGDON AND THE ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION # 10, STRATHMORE BRANCH.
LOVING FATHER OF A DAUGHTER PAT ( LORNE) MILLER OF DALEMEAD, A SON DARREL OF CALGARY, FOUR GRANDCHILDREN REID (BECKY) MILLER OF LANGDON, SANDRA MILLER AND HER SPECIAL FRIEND DAVID OF CALGARY, SHANE (MICHELLE) LAUGHLIN, CHAD LAUGHLIN AND HIS SPECIAL FRIEND SARAH, ALL OF CALGARY, GREAT GRANDSON KYLE AND PAT’S CARE GIVER/FRIEND BERTHA (KEN) WALKER OF CALGARY.
PAT WAS PREDECEASED BY HIS FIRST WIFE ANNA IN 1955, SECOND WIFE ETTA IN 1996, BROTHER ELMER, SISTER MARGARET, HALF BROTHER TOM “TOTT” WEBBER, HALF SISTER ELIZABETH MILLS AND HIS PARENTS.
FUNERAL SERVICE TUESDAY FEBRUARY 4, 1997 AT 1:30 P.M. AT MILO COMMUNITY HALL WITH REV. GIL ARTHUR OFFICIATING.
INTERMENT HOPE LUTHERAN CEMETERY, MILO.
HONORARY BEARERS WERE GEORGE GOOCH, RALPH MACKENZIE, HAROLD HELLEVANG, MARVIN PETERSON, JACK SUTHERLAND AND GERALD VANDER VELDE.
CASKET BEARERS WERE EDDY MACKENZIE, DENNIS GOOCH, DALE WYATT, SYD HELLEVANG, SHELDON WEBBER AND WARREN WEBBER.
IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, MEMORIAL TRIBUTES IN MEMORY OF PAT COULD BE MADE TO THE STRATHMORE AND DISTRICT HEALTH CENTRE , PALLIATIVE CARE UNIT # 200 BRENT BLVD., STRATHMORE TIP 1J9.
FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS IN CARE OF VULCAN FUNERAL HOME, DIRECTORS. TELEPHONE 1-403-485-2633.