Raymond Wayne Eremenko

Lovingly remembered and missed by his wife of 60 years Donna Rae, son Shane (Gracie) and his children Sandra Ann, Brett (Nicol) and Rayla, daughter Rachel (Rick) and their children Cassie (Michael) and Leslie (Dalton), and daughter Jillian (Lane). Two great grandsons Saylem and Bowen.

Raymond is predeceased by his parents Paul P. and Hazel Eremenko, in-laws Casper and Irene Materi and daughter-in-law Carmen Eremenko. 

Raymond Eremenko was born November 5, 1945 in Maple Creek Saskatchewan to Paul P. and Hazel Eremenko. He grew up an only child on the family homestead just south of Downie Lake and attended the Downey Lake School and later was bussed to Maple Creek.

Upon finishing his schooling, he ventured onto the oil fields of Alberta and Saskatchewan. While working in the Fox Valley area, he met his future bride Donna Rae and they were married on February 27,1965. Their adventures following the oil rigs through small Saskatchewan communities continued until 1967, when they purchased the Henry Sandau place just a couple miles cross country from where he had grown up. 

They were home.

Ray was never afraid of hard work. He also worked at Humphries Hatchery, the Research Station at One Four, Fort Walsh and was pasture rider for the Downey Lake Grazing Coop for over 20 years. 

From childhood, he developed a love of horses and was always at home in the saddle and behind his team in the winter months. They started small, but together Ray and Donna Rae built a sizable herd for themselves with the help (sometimes reluctantly) of their three children.

He taught his children to work hard and to do it right the first time (some tough lessons here).

Around 2003 they made the hard decision to retire and to let the next generation take over. At first, Ray was stubborn about moving into Maple Creek, going back and forth for three years, but when he finally did he enjoyed it more than he thought he would.

He was often seen on his daily walks or bike rides depending on the season. He would stop at the ball diamonds and the skating rink to check out all the local teams. He loved his sports. He loved to learn. Newspapers and books were always in close reach of his chair or the kitchen table. Donna Rae often said he could almost have a separate room just for his books. He had an appreciation of local history and liked to share his knowledge and to learn from others what he did not already know. He also enjoyed his Bell TV as he would say, he could travel anywhere in the world without having to leave home.

So the family of Raymond Wayne Eremenko would like to thank all who shared a part of his life, be you family or friend. We hope you will sometimes think of him and remember him fondly.

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