COOLEDGE: Frederick Thomas Cooledge of Gull Lake passed away Dec. 20 at the Gull Lake Special Care Home at the
age of 96 years. Fred was born to Johiel (Fred, Russ) & Beatrice Cooledge on March 21, 1915 on the homestead farm east of town where he spent two-thirds of his life. The other third was spent in Gull Lake after turning the farm over to his son David. The only time he was away was a winter working for relatives in Manitoba when he was fifteen. His parents moved to Swift Current in 1947 and Fred bought the farm, which he loved very much, right to the very last minute, always wanting to go back, even when he was confined to a wheelchair in the Home and his memory of the later years declining. He was very fond of the animals, telling many stories of the cows and horses, also coyotes and badgers, as he walked a trapline in his younger days. Mechanically minded, he repaired most of his own equipment
and made ingenious improvements both out and in the buildings. A major aquisition was a welder which was a great help to him and his neighbors. Outbuildings & his own little house on the farm showed his skill at carpentry. After moving to town, he found employment as a handy man and along with his wife was caretaker of the United Church for a few years. He bought a house, adding a garage and a patio. He was proud of his flowers, peonies and canterbury bells.
They travelled, mostly camping in a refitted van, visiting children in Wasa, BC., Ft. McMurray, AB., & Welland, ON., also flying to a grandson's wedding in labrador City, NFlD. & bussing to relatives in Virginia & Iowa. Fred enjoyed reading, fishing, hunting, & playing cards & crokinole. He helped start & organize the Antelope Co-op, & was a dedicated Co-op member all his life. He was a councillor for the rural municipality of Webb. He was a member of the United Church, being an elder at Antelope after helping move & remodel a house for a church, and building an altar. Fred was pre-deceased by his parents, his wife of 67 years, Ida (Hanna) in 2007; sons Lloyd & infant Roland; grandson Christopher, great-great-grandson Dayton & sons-in-Iaw, Ray Chiplin, Gordon Vance & Bruce MacPherson; his sisters & their husbands, Evelyn & Jack Hunter, Dorothy & George Hanna, Margaret & Wil Melvin, Edna (Ted) & Tony Bet tin, infants Velma, Jean & Harriet. He is survived by daughters Joan Vance & Connie MacPherson (David Henderson); sons David (Bobbie) Cooledge and Rodney (Carolyn) Cooledge; grandchildren Suszanne (Roger) Mageau, Andrew (Joyce) Chiplin, & Robert (Judy) Chiplin, Tom (Jessie) Cooledge, Morgan (Katie) Cooledge, Stephanie (Grahame) Pesklevitz, William (Kim) Cooledge, Ashley MacPherson, and Jordan MacPherson; 19 great- grandchildren & 3 great-great grandchildren.
A Memorial Tea will be held on Wed., Dec. 28 at 2 pm. in the Elk's Hall in Gull lake to celebrate his life. Interment will take place at a later date in the family plot at Memory Gardens Cemetery, Warren's Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. For further information call 1-306-773-8831 : 1-800-267-6606 or visit our website at www.warrensfuneralhome.com and express your sympathy to family members in our book of condolences.