EDWIN BALDUR THORKELSSON

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EDWIN BALDUR THORKELSSON Beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend, passed away in Grace Hospital on September 22, 2003. Ed was born on Red Deer Island, Lake Manitoba Narrows in 1914. His early years were spent driving for the family business, Ashern Freighters. He drove a highway bus with Clark Transportation, and later with Greyhound. In 1946, he returned to Ashern to take over the GM dealership and establish Thorkelssons Garage. Later he went into heavy equipment working on many road projects in the Interlake and the family moved to Thompson where he worked on its first streets. In 1962, the family moved to Winnipeg and he returned to the road. He travelled Manitoba and northwestern Ontario as an auto parts sales representative. His happiest and most satisfying years were spent travelling for James Alexander - Piston Ring from which he retired at age 72. He was a story teller, and many people heard about driving the first snowplough into Saskatchewan, dodging cracks in the ice on Lake Manitoba while freighting fish and the skills needed to drive buses through miles of rutted mud and snow on early roads. His love of the open road and his pride and devotion to his wife, children and grandchildren were his life. Surviving are his wife Margaret (of 58 years), whom he first noticed when he saw her skinny legs up a tree; daughters, Lynne (Ron Peter), Port Perry, ON, Ione (David Arnott), Roseisle, Anne (Jim Gregorchuk), Winnipeg; grandsons, John Arnott and Charles Arnott; and granddaughter Maggie Gregorchuk; brothers, Ray (Marie), Ashern, Conrad, (Janet) Neepawa; and sisters, Viola Paulson, Fae Frohwerk (Albert) Winnipeg; sister-in-law Dorothy Lyons; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his daughter Jean in February 2003; sisters, Helen and Myrtle; and brother Hauker and his brother Harold overseas in 1944. The memorial service will be held on Friday, September 26 at 2:00 p.m. in St. Chads Anglican Church, Assiniboia Christian Centre, 3390 Portage Ave. A private interment will be held at a later date. We wish to thank the medical and nursing staffs for their professional and compassionate care throughout the years. Thank you as well to friends old and new for their many acts of kindness. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Palliative Care, Grace Hospital Foundation 300 Booth Dr., Winnipeg, MB R3J 3M7.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 24, 2003