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Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 and
Mary Grams
April 10, 1933 ~ November 13, 2021
Mary Grams was born in Hay Lakes, Alberta on April 10, 1933, the oldest child of Carl Fuernkranz and Marie Brückner. She was followed by siblings Frances, Christine, Rudolf, Carl, Angela and Marlene. Mary was baptized and confirmed at St. Luke’s Church. She attended Swan Hills School and then went to Vermilion College to study Home Economics, graduating in 1952.
When she returned to Hay Lakes, she married Norman Grams on June 12, 1952. Norman and Mary were married 60 years. They had one son Brian.
Mary loved family and family gatherings. Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions were opportunities to gather for laughter, food, and visiting. She enjoyed going to the family reunion every summer to reminisce. She took special joy in her granddaughters and, later, her great-grandchildren. She often took care of Iva and Norma, while their parents were busy on the farm. Her granddaughters will always cherish memories spent with Grandma during the busy harvest season, working in the garden, playing cards, and eating chocolate bars for breakfast. She was very proud of their accomplishments. Right to the end of her life, she enjoyed hearing about them and seeing them at her bedside.
Mary embraced the value of hard work from her parents. Growing up, she worked on her parent’s farm, and after her marriage, she helped her husband build and maintain a successful mixed farming operation. She also maintained a big garden, pickled and canned everything, butchered and made sausage, and loved baking/cooking. People who came to the Gram’s house were treated with a smorgasbord of food. After eating their fill, there were lively card games and visiting. Mary always loved people.
Mary also loved music. She played the piano at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church from 1947 to 1957. She played at many funerals and weddings. Later in life, she played for the residents of Rosealta and Good Shepherd Homes. In speaking to the staff at Rosealta about her death, the first memory was of the music every day before lunch.
Mary also enjoyed maintaining correspondence with her friends from her college days. In 1991, Mary and Norman moved to Camrose. They made many new friends and travelled through the province with floor curling. Mary also made friends with many of her neighbours around her home. In 2017, Mary moved to Rosealta Lodge. When her health declined, she moved to the Good Shepherd Care Home in 2020. In the summer of 2021, Mary developed lymphoma and despite a hard fight, succumbed to pneumonia on November 13, 2021.
Mary is predeceased by her husband Norman; her parents Carl and Marie Fuernkranz; and her siblings Frances and Carl. She leaves to mourn her son Brian (Colleen); granddaughters Iva Harberg (Jason) and Norma Grams (Cody Hinton); greatgrandchild Kody and Kase Harberg; siblings Christine Selin (Carl), Rudolf Fuernkranz (Bonnie), Angela Berquist and Marlene Gruenberg (Dieter); sisters-in-law Sharon Fuernkranz and Margaret Grams; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Mary wanted to express a special thanks to Dale Bowal for all the help he gave her over the years.
Mary touched the lives of many people who will cherish her memory. She went out of her way to care for others and to always be kind. She will be sadly missed.
A private family service was held.
If family and friends so desire, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Mary’s memory may be made to Our Savior Lutheran Church (Hay Lakes) or to the Cross Cancer Institute.
To send condolences, please visit www.burgarfuneralhome.com.
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Frits Thygesen
Frits Thygesen, Farmer, of Hay Lakes, AB, passed away on Friday, October 15, 2021, at the age of 68 years.
Frits was predeceased by his parents Ester and Svend Aage Thygesen. He is survived by brother Erling (Angela); sisters Bodil (Orla) and Kirsten (Svend); ex-wife Ella-Lynn; son Brent (Nicole); daughters Leah, Monika (Keith), Rhonda; grandsons Ethan and Finnick; and many nieces and nephews.
Frits was born on September 4, 1953, in Linde, Denmark. He was always interested in farming and, after completing grade school, he began working on various farming operations. He immigrated to Canada in 1975, initially working on a ranch in Saskatchewan. From there, he travelled west to Alberta, securing work on a dairy farm in Hay Lakes (Darcy McGhan). Frits moved to Calgary, AB in 1978, and began work as a construction labourer, where he worked together with his brother Erling. Frits met EllaLynn in Hay Lakes and they purchased a quarter section near Armena in 1983, farming together until a sale of the farm in 2002.
New opportunities came and Frits travelled east to Czar, AB. There, he became a feedlot foreman for Sunterra Cattle Company until 2006. In 2007, Frits became a feed truck driver for the Sugarbowl feedlot. In 2009, Frits came back to the Hay Lakes area and took a role with More Trees Please until 2011, at which time he entered Our House Addiction Recovery Centre in Edmonton, AB. Frits completed this program in 2013, and became a feedlot foreman for Trenchuk Cattle Company in Smoky Lake, AB.
In 2019, Frits retired to the Camrose area to spend more time with his family. In his later years, Frits struggled with sobriety, but was a constant presence on Brent and Nicole’s farm helping with the day-to-day operations. He didn’t agree with the commercialization of corporate farming and often expressed concern for the next generation of farmers. He often talked about the fact that people “don’t start farming from nothing anymore” and he was proud to be a part of something so rare.
His knowledge, incredible work ethic and charismatic personality were the best of who he was. He was a clever, self-educated man, who enjoyed reading, negotiating, making deals, and most of all, getting things done. He will be dearly missed as those who are left behind move forward without him in their lives.
There will be a memorial for Frits on Brent and Nicole’s farm on June 4, 2022. A roast beef dinner will be served; all who wish to are welcome to attend.
The family asks that you consider a way to support Alcoholics Anonymous or Al-Anon in memory of Frits.
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