3 minute read
Life-long Learner—Gordon Friedrick
ordon’s eldest grand-
Gson just completed his Master’s Thesis and wrote a dedication to his grandfather, whom he referred to as a lifelong learner. Born on September 20, 1926, Gordon, at the age of 95, is still curious about the world. In 2017, he was the oldest living member of the International Wood Collectors Society and was known as “Mr. Tree Man” for his work with the Living Legacy Program donating Colorado Blue Spruce trees for 15 years to school children.
Born on his parent’s homestead farm, he continued to live there until age 92. During that time, he attended one year of Agricultural School at the University of Saskatchewan but needed help on the farm and so he never completed a degree. That didn’t stop Gordon from pursuing a life of learning. Not only did he labour on the farm, but worked other jobs including working in the Rural Telephone Company as a repairman. He loved trees, wood, cooking and became an instructor at Lakeland College in his 40’s and 50’s. He loved collecting antiques, travelling, bird watching and photography. Gordon loves trees and everything to do with nature, especially making a sanctuary for birds. Later in life, as his mobility decreased, he took up writing cookbooks, testing recipes and trying to replicate his mother’s cooking.
What kept Gordon young all those years was keeping busy. He had more hobbies than most people and he enjoyed each one of them. After he moved to the border town of Lloydminster in his 90’s, he called his daughter one day to see where would be the best place to buy peaches. He needed to get some as he had just baked some bread and wanted some peach jam. He was going to make some from scratch!
His favorite memories about growing up included his first toy which was a wooden wagon, playing “Aunty I Over” with the softball thrown over the barn, and starting school only speaking German. There were plenty of Halloween pranks over the years. Some of them included mailboxes in the middle of the road, helping try to find the pigs that got let out, driving with soaped up windows on the car and firing shots into the air to scare off pranksters.
Gordon lived through floods, Devil Dusters, WWII, stone boats, prairie fires, drought and party-line phones. He farmed acres of land, hunted ducks, deer and coyotes. His first job was helping with the hay for 50 cents a day. Later he would work 9 hour days for a dollar.
Gordon finished high school in 1944, even though he missed many days due to farming. His father decided that was enough education and even when he got accepted into the RCMP program, his father once again decided that Gordon and his brother needed to take over the family farm. Gordon, his father and brothers all married women with the name “Dorothy.”
Gordon loved “Dixieland music”. He also loved his wife and married her in Calgary in 1961 and their daughter Donalda was born in 1964. Gordon has seen much change in his lifetime and says there is so much to remember. He reveals that he didn’t think he would live this long, but his advice to others is to live life to the fullest because when you are older, when you are not as mobile, you will be able to sit and recall all the wonderful times you experienced over a life-time.
Gordon passed away peacefully this month with his daughter by his side. He was 97.
