Edward Kaglea

Edward Kaglea was born at the family farmhouse (Northridge School District near Piapot, SK) on Christmas Day, Dec 25, 1922 and passed away Dec 9, 2021 at Maple Creek Hospital, with his daughter by his side.

Predeceased by an infant son, Douglas; his parents Jacob and Louise (Pfeifer) Kaglea; sister Edna (age 2 from flu), and brothers Lloyd and Ivan (Elaine); nephew Brent Kaglea; Brothers-in-law Rolland Olsen, Harold ‘Buddy’ Hanson, Edward Nuttall, Henry Filthaut and Ray Reider; Sister-in-law June Filthaut; parents-in-law John and Victoria Kobitz.

Ed is loving remembered by his wife (of 69 years) Violet (Kobitz); son Clayton (Debbie) of Calgary, AB; daughter Eloise (Cliff) Jacobson. Granddaughters Lisa, Vanessa, Angela (Kaglea); Kerisse Jacobson; grandsons Shaun and Tyson Jacobson; great-grandsons Lane, Landan, William ‘Liam’ MacKay (Kerisse Jacobson). Also remembered by sisters Irene Olsen and Bertha (Hanson) Nuttall. Sister-in-law Dolores (Kobitz) Duncan (Derryl) of Calgary, AB. A total of 10 nephews and 3 nieces with extended families, making many relatives.

Ed was called into the army on Jan 6, 1942, first stationed in Regina with the Regina Rifles; later shipped to BC stationed at Prince George, Langley, and Chilliwack. A very good friend from Piapot, Violet Lieshner, lived in BC. She had a car and took Ed on tours when on weekend leave.

Overseas he served in England, Scotland, Holland and Belgium with Royal Canadian Engineers. Engineers put up booby traps, built bridges over rivers, dismantled traps and mines. He came home on the Queen Mary celebrating his 23rd birthday, and Christmas Dinner, on the ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Ed landed in Halifax, NS, and he was put on guard duty guarding the war brides and their children when disembarking safely into Canada. He was discharged from the army on April 9, 1946.

After discharge, Ed worked with his uncle, Dan Pfeifer, building houses for 2 yrs in Medicine Hat, AB., returning to Piapot, SK, to farm and worked as a mechanic in Saynor’s Purity 99 Service.

He married Violet Kobitz on April 10, 1953, and had 3 children: an infant son, Douglas, (deceased at 1 day old in November 1953, miscarriage); son Clayton, born Dec 1954; daughter Eloise, born May 1956. He built a house and they lived in Maple Creek ‘til 1968. During the 1960’s, Ed drove a 3 tonne grain truck and trailer for Steve Schaefer and hauled grain from all over Saskatchewan, to the Schaefer Feedlot 1 1/2 miles south of Maple Creek. He also delivered new vehicles, from origin, back to Glascock Garage customers. Within days before his death Ed could still back up precisely to hook up a hitch to his trailer!

Then Ed bought the Eugene Scherck farm and the Arthur Kaul farm and added to his existing farm making it into a 3 1/2 section farm, all in one piece. A new house was built and moving day was July 4, 1968. Over time, 80 cows plus one horse (Peaches), guinea fowl, chickens, and a dog (Chip) came to live on the Prairie Star district farm. Arthur and Alice Kaul purchased our Maple Creek house in 1970, and Ed bought it back in 1999.

Time to retire! Farm was sold in part to Michael Kreutzer and Graham Markert in 1988. Moving day, again, out to the new house on the hill one mile south of Maple Creek. Ed enjoyed his last years immensely looking out the big windows, with his favourite furry friend/dog, Mojo; watching as the trains got longer; the planes got bigger; deer, coyotes, and foxes wandered his fields; if he noticed a gopher, it didn’t stand a chance!; but, best of all, the crops growing…farmland was taken care of by David N. Drever and now by Harvey and Debbie Bauer. Loving to drive, Ed took great pleasure and pride driving DAILY into town in his Terrain Van to visit with his coffee friends, get the mail, banking, and groceries. At 98 yrs old he drove himself extensively around the country checking crops and visiting, especially the Downey Lake Hutterite friends.

Ed loved to dance! His favourite was old-time waltz and he was the BEST polka dancer in the area! At country dances, about age 14, transportation being horseback, he sat and watched the dancers to learn the steps then the next day at home, they turned the gramophone on and practiced with his younger sister Bertha, dancing around the dining room table! His love of dancing lasted all his life; while waiting for Violet to get dressed to go out driving (on a date), he taught Dolores (age 6) to dance standing on his shoes listening to the gramophone. Both Ed and Violet taught their 2 children to dance at an early age down the hall and around the living room to Don Messer. Eloise’s greatest joy growing up was going to the many dances and dancing the polka, old time waltz, Schottische and 7-step with her dad!

Ed’s memory of his wedding day was ‘lucky they found the ring’ as it fell off the cushion into the snow, making him wait 10 extra minutes for the Bride to show! Wedding night, brother-in-law Henry Filthaut and his 2 friends, crawled into the house thru a window and bedding was tied in knots and the whole house was in shambles! Their wedding dance was so full that there were people standing outside (Old Legion Hall) waiting to get in.

Reading was a favourite pastime - the Western Producer, Senior Paper, local newspaper, and local Piapot history books. Ed loved food! Violet never had to worry what to cook as Ed would eat anything with a hearty appetite! Ed’s shoes were always polished, like a mirror; he was always dressed in clean clothes and dressed to go to town; and til the day he died he had to have a clean shaven face! Ed refused to wear a wedding ring for fear of it getting caught and ripping his finger off.

Ed attended school til half way thru Grade 9 (15 yrs old); then had to work at farming at home. His first ‘job’ was with George Sanderson cutting ice for the Piapot Ice House. He then worked for the CPR at Piapot, by the crossing, where when digging a trench, he was buried with only his head and right arm sticking out and the crew had to dig him out! That was the end of working for CPR! Ed liked working for Arthur ‘Shorty’ Kaul, at harvest time. The families became life-long friends to this day. He also worked on thrashing crews in the fall. He had a natural ability to fix or build anything; at 98 he fixed Violet’s stove! In younger years Ed enjoyed playing hardball (fielder), riding his horse Beauty; breaking horses (with his dad, about 8/year for neighbors), and DANCING! Friends of all ages were important to him. During his long life, people who were special to Ed were Steve Kruzko, George Hok, Louis Ternes, George Sanderson, and Bel Aire Staff. Ed’s honesty of his word and a handshake was known by people far and wide.

Donations may be made in Ed’s memory to the Salvation Army, Maple Creek.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Edward Kaglea, please visit our floral store.