IN LOVING MEMORY OF GORDON JOHN MEADEN
MARCH 2, 1929 – SEPTEMBER 24, 2012
Gordon John Meaden was born on the family farm near Beechy SK & passed away peacefully with his family by his side after a brief stay in the Lucky Lake Health Centre. His family & community laid him to rest on October 1, 2012 with Rev. Cindy Gossling officiating.
Gordon was the second son of Bert Meaden, who emigrated from England to homestead a farm near Beechy SK, & Lydia (nee Robertson), who came from Scotland to visit relatives, but upon meeting & marrying Bert, never returned home again. Dad loved learning & was a good student. He attended Jonesville School 1 ½ miles from the family farm, up to the highest grade taught, Gr.10. He always said he regretted not being able to go on to high school. However he did go on to graduate from the School of Agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. He always cherished his university experiences.
Gordon married Eloise Knutson on June 21, 1955. Dad often mentioned the first time he saw mom at the local fair. A lanky 14 year old with long auburn braids flying behind her as she flew around riding her horse bareback, competing against mainly boys, flinging herself off her horse to land closest to the centre of a circle then would remount by running beside her horse, grabbing its mane & flipping herself up onto its back as seen in the popular “cowboy” movies of the time. Once he caught sight of her, he never let her out of it again. Through 57 years of married life, they raised a family of three on the Meaden farm, fondly named Eastview Farms because the family house, built by his parents in 1929, is on a hillside where one can see for miles “down on the flat” towards town.
Mom gave Dad the best possible care up until the last day of his life, which we, their children & grandchildren, are so thankful for. As Dad’s health deteriorated, he had to have more help than Mom could provide alone. He so appreciated his home caregivers, especially Sheryn Flynn who went the extra mile for him.
During their dating years & early married life, Gordon enjoyed Eloise’s parents, Don & Lillie Knutson, & her siblings. Helen, Donna & Mavis were the younger sisters he never had. He suffered the Elvis Presley pictures stuck all over the walls, loud music & the screaming at the concerts that came through town. Aaron & Clarence were the younger brothers he never had who got their fingers in the wrong places & dented the vehicles. Gordon & Eloise were well practiced when they had their own teen-agers to raise!
Gordon’s love affair with the beef industry started in 1946 when he became a founding member of the first Beechy 4-H Beef Club. His older brother, Albert, bought Gordon his first club calf from Davy Gray for $45. That was a lot of money for a calf in those days & Gordon went on to win Reserve Grand Champion trophy with it. Gordon believed strongly in the 4-H movement for young people & was involved for almost thirty years, first as a member & then as a leader. Due to his School of Agriculture training he judged many beef & grain clubs in the province.
After many years of raising purebred Polled Herefords, Gordon & Eloise decided to try the new so-called “exotic” cattle breeds that were being introduced from Europe. In 1971 they purchased their first French purebred Limousin cattle. Eastview Farms won the Grand Champion Carcass steer at Agribition in Regina in 1979. Gordon served as President of the Saskatchewan Limousin Association for three years & was one of the first breeders to enter the purebred calf embryo transplant program in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. The Meadens’ held the first Limousin production sale in the province. Gordon & Eloise retired to town life in 1983. In 2009 the SK Limousin Association honoured Gordon with the Canadian Limousin Association-Breeder Award of Distinction 2006. Although his health was deteriorating by then he was very proud to be recognized by his fellow breeders.
Gordon loved his home community & believed in working for it. He served as a counselor for the R.M. of Victory for eight years & was involved in the Victory Agriculture Society. He was a lifetime member of the SK Stock Growers Association & of the Beechy Elks. Although his older brother, Albert, was the “athlete” in the family, Gordon was always in the background playing his defense position on the Senior Beechy Bomber’s hockey team &, even more senior, Demaine Loggers! He coached local minor hockey & was a great fan of the Saturday Night NHL hockey games on TV; however in later years he preferred sitting with mom watching the Toronto Blue Jays & cheered along with her for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Gordon so loved his family; if they were coming for a visit, he needed no one else. In these later years, he loved going for drives in Sandra & Lyle’s truck out in the country to check the cattle & crops. As long as he was able, he enjoyed a weekend visit to Christine’s apartment in Saskatoon. He was so proud of Christine (born 1956) becoming a nurse & whatever advice she gave him about medicine was the gospel! Monty (born 1959) was his Dad’s hero when he came home after graduating from his alma mater, the School of Agriculture, married Heather (nee Petkau) & fought to save the family farm in a time of high interest & low grain prices. Youngest daughter, Sandra (born 1961), was the apple of his eye & she married a young local rancher, Lyle Slater, who took his father-in-law’s advice & raised the red Limousin cattle. And when they switched to black Angus, it was all right, as long as Gordon could sneak the odd red bull into their pasture!
Gordon was a proud grandfather to Monty & Heather’s daughter, Rebecca, & their son, Justin; & to Sandra & Lyle’s sons, Bryan & Brant. All four came for, what was to be their last visit, with him in the Outlook Hospital in August 2012; he was quite ill. When they all left, he later said, “That was a real nice party.” You will always be in our hearts, Dad. Rest easy.
Gordon was predeceased by: his parents, Bert & Lydia Meaden, older brother, Albert, who passed away May 2012; two brothers in infancy, his only Meaden relative in Canada, his cousin, Maureen Robberstad (nee Meaden) who passed away March 2012; father & mother in law, Don & Lillie (nee Hagemeister) Knutson, & sister in law, Mavis (nee Knutson) Covey.