HAMM: Roy James Frank Hamm of Livelong passed away on Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at the age of 74 years. Roy James Frank Hamm was born March 21, 1937. He was the youngest son of Paul and Julianna Hamm. Dad grew up on the family farm in the Dexter Area. He attended Dexter School until the completion of grade 8. Dad's Dad, Paul passed away suddenly in December 1947. A special bond developed between the children as a result of this. They had to work together to make ends meet and get everything done on the farm. Uncle Wilfred tried hard to be the older brother and the father figure to Dad. One day while Uncle Wilfred was fencing he left Dad in charge of bringing home the 6 or 7 milk cows. Dad asked if he could take Uncle's gun with him to shoot rabbits. It was a 22 he had cut the barrel off and made it into a Roy Rogers pistol he could carry in a holster. Uncle said yes But Be Careful! Off Dad went proud to be trusted with the gun. He saw a rabbit and pulled the gun out, loaded it and cocked the hammer, but the rabbit ran off. Dad figured he may see it again so he left the gun loaded, uncocked the hammer and put it back in the holster. Well something happened, Dad slipped and the gun went off in the holster shooting Dad in the leg. Grandma sent Uncle Tony out to get Wilfred. Tony was shouting "Roy Shot Himself." By the time Uncle Wilfred got back to the yard Roy's leg was going numb. Wilfred hooked up the horse and took Dad to Uncle Joe Heisler's because he had a car. However for some reason they could not take the car and had to continue with a tractor to Dan Carter's where they changed vehicles to go the rest of the way to Livelong where they switched again and Gilbert Hicks took them the rest of the way to Turtleford. When they reached the hospital Dr. Yahger removed the bullet but kept Dad in the hospital. It was suppose to be for just a couple of days but Dad contracted Scarlet Fever while there and had to stay for a month. Meanwhile Grandma and Uncle Wilfred were up at the farm wondering what is going on, no phones at that time, so Uncle decided he was going to check on his little brother. He left home with 3 dollars in his pocket and his horse. He rode the horse to Livelong and left his horse in the livery there. He was lucky the livery stable was being run by a family friend, Ed Williams and he told him to use his money for the train, he would care for his horse. He bought a return ticket to Turtleford. He got to the hospital and could not even see Dad as he was in quarantine. Dad put his head around the door and waved but that is all Wilfred got to see of him but the train did not return to Livelong until the next day. The people who ran the rooming house were very good to Uncle and let him stay for free. He went up to his room and set the alarm. He was so scared he would miss his alarm he did not sleep all night. He was probably pretty hungry as well because he had no money for food. He got up the next day, took the train back to Livelong and was feed by the Williams and rode his horse home. This was the type of loving bond that helped this family make it through the hard times. Grandma always told him he was in charge of getting his younger sisters, Marie and Helen safely to school. Auntie Marie tells a story of what it was like with a brother as tall as Dad holding her hand and trying to speed her up. Her feet only touched the ground every second or third step. But they always made it to school safely and usually on time. Dad's older sister Jennie was married and left home when Dad was very young, however he still found ways to bond with her. Many times after school Dad would walk to Aunt Jennie's and help out. Sometimes it was just watching Aunt Jennie's children and other times it was helping Uncle Martin with something. They could never afford to pay him cash but he received many items for his efforts. One time he brought home an orphan lamb from their place and raised it. Another time it was a quarter of land for helping with field work. Dad started his working life early having to help Wilfred and Grandma with the farm after his dad passed away. He got his first job off the farm as a farm labourer in 1954 and worked for various farmers in the area as well as relatives in Allan. In 1957 Dad found the job he loved, driving caterpillar. He worked for Ferguson Construction in the summer months. As children we would be driving down a highway and he would proudly say he helped build this road and tell a story or two about that stretch of road. For 2 winters Dad worked at Fort St. John for Tompkins Construction building seismic lines. He really enjoyed his time in the mountains. He told one story about how he was working one dark night when he felt the blade of his cat drop suddenly, he stopped the cat and waited for daylight. Once daylight came he explored the situation and the cat was sitting at the edge of a cliff. While Dad was away working he did what he could to help out his family back on the farm. He sent money and gifts back home whenever he could. One gift aunt Helen remembers very fondly was her guitar. He went shopping and bought the guitar and then took it to Calgary for her. She says she will never forget that feeling when he presented her with the guitar. She is still using that guitar today. She had it rebuilt a few years ago, and was told it was a very valuable instrument. Dad bought the best for his little sister because he felt she deserved the best. One summer weekend Dad's Friend Norman Colley took him home to Jackfish Lake to spend some time. Dad met Norman's younger sister Dorothy and the rest is history. Mom and Dad were married on July 6, 1961 in Fairholme SK. Dad continued to work for Ferguson's in the summer but now spent his winters back at the farm logging, hunting and trapping with his brothers. During this time Mom and Dad lived in a trailer, not a house trailer like you see today but a tiny trailer, smaller that most campers people haul around today. On June 15, 1963 their first daughter, Anita was born. September 2, 1964 they had a son, Victor and the family was completed January30, 1967 when their daughter Karen was born. As a father Dad was strict but loving, his word was final, but we always knew he just wanted what was best for us. Dad worked long hard hours on the farm so meal times were special because it was a time when we sat as a family around the kitchen table. In the fall of 1966 Dad quit the construction work and moved back to the farm full time. He went into partnership with his brother, Wilfred and his mother. At one point his sister Helen and her husband Alvin also moved to the farm but eventually it became his brother Wilfred and him, "Hamm Bros." They worked together long hard hours of farming, logging and trapping to build up a beautiful farm that we are all proud of. They accomplished this by working together, what one brother couldn't do the other could. Dad was the mechanic and welder. He could fix anything he set his mind too. If he could not find or buy a part he would build one. He took uncle Wilfred's dreams of upgrading their sawmill and spent hours in the shop with it. The mill is still working today. Neighbors were often seen at our shop getting a shaft built or just getting Dad's advice on something mechanical. In 1981 Wilfred and Dad decided it was time to do it on their own and they dissolved the partnership. Dad and Mom were now farming on their own. There was one more change to the farm when my brother Victor moved home in 1989 and became Dad's partner. They continued to farm and log together. As Dad's health became an issue Victor and his wife, Tanya have continued to run the farm. It continues to grow and change with the times. Dad loved working in the shop, he could fix anything. He built numerous pieces of equipment to make jobs on the farm easier. His backwards tractor has become a symbol of all these to his children and grandchildren. His son Victor has inherited this ability and has worked along side Dad to build a one man sawmill and many other big and small projects. Dad loved knowledge and always was interested in world events and learning. He loved school and excelled when there. I think this desire to learn is part of what made me become a teacher. Dad was very proud the day I started University and was always there when I needed help, financial or otherwise. Dad has friends scattered through out America. Anyone who met Dad always found someone who would take them at face value and always respected the differences between them, even if he did not always agree or believe the same thing as them. This trait is reflected in my sisiter Karen. Friends and aquaintences are always welcome in her home and at her campsite. This campsite has become the gathering site for our family in the past years and Dad looked forward to the times he could go for coffee there. Dad loved to hear what his nieces and nephews were up to. Each and everyone of them be they Hamm or Colley were special to him. Whether it was playing music with them, discussing world events or farming or hunting he always tried to make time for them. Dad never traveled a lot but one highlight of his life was his trip to Ontario and Quebec with a forestry group SCIFI. Dad had one more role to play in his life and it began on November 28, 1988 when he became a grandfather. Blair was his first grandson. His first granddaughter, Heather arrived on June 23, 1990. Shelby arrived on August 30, 1991, Levi December 23, 1992, Blayne December 23, 1996 and last but certainly not least, Kaitlin August 27, 1998.. These grandchildren became a big part of Dad's life. They all spent a lot of their time in the summer at Grandma and Grandpa's. He enjoyed seeing them enjoy the lake and every time they left to go to the lake, he would say, "Have fun, but don't get wet!" The grandchildren always felt special when Grandpa would let them "help" him with some small chore on the farm. As hard as Dad worked he also spent time enjoying life. He loved hunting and fishing. It was a challenge to him to out smart pickerel or the moose. Uncle Wilfred said Dad was usually always the first one to get his moose in camp, maybe because his legs were so long he could move like a moose in the bush. In 1988 - 2001 every Father's day weekend would find Dad, Mom and all their offspring off on their annual fishing trip to Canoe Lake or Lac D'isle. In 2002 we had to discontinue the trip due to Dad's health. Winter month's would find Dad at the curling rink or Bowling Alley a couple nights a week. Dad was a good athlete and enjoyed doing his best every time he competed. In the past few years Dad looked forward to his 4-H boys coming to the shop. His grandson, Levi would bring his fellow members with him to either learn about a motor or how to weld. He was always proud of what his boys had to show off on Achievement Day. Music was always a big part of Dad's life. He loved to play his guitar and sing his old time country songs. When family got together the instruments were always brought out, whether it was the Hamm family or the Colley family. The Silvertone Rangers played at 100's of wedding, Anniversary's and gatherings in towns all around north west Saskatchewan. Dad's most loyal and loving audiences was always his grandchildren. It was a special treat for Grandpa to bring out his guitar and let them sing "Digging Up Bones" with him. His love of music has been passed on down to them. Dad was predeceased by his parents Paul and Julianna Hamm, sister Jennie (Martin) Kahtava, brothers Leander and Edward, father and mother in-law Nelson and Mary Colley, brothers in-law Alvin Pruden, and Glen Bekolay, nephews Roy Kahtava and Fred Brendle. Dad leaves to mourn his loving wife of fifty years, Dorothy, his children Anita Hamm, Victor (Tanya) Hamm, Karen Hamm (Ed Norman), his grandchildren Blair Leonard (Michelle McAleer), Heather, Shelby, Levi, Blayne and Kaitlin Nichol, his brothers Wilfred (Darlene) Hamm, Tony Hamm, his sisters Helen (Ray) Brotzel, Marie Bekolay - Henning, His sister in law Louise (Eric) Haubold, his brothers in law George (Vivian) Norman (Doris) Colley. Numerous nieces, Nephews and cousins. The Funeral Service was conducted from the Livelong Community Hall, Livelong Saskatchewan on Monday August 29, 2011 at 2:00pm with Reverend Father Richard Doll O.M.I. officiating. The pallbearers were: Dave Hiebert, Brian Henry, Kevin Glenn, Julian Kerr, Vern Millard, Kevin Wilkinson. The Honorary bearers were: All of Roy's Friends & Family. The Eulogy was given by Shirley Kahtava & Keith Mitchell. The readers were Dianne Lauritzen, Tracey Martens and Susan Hamm. The music was provided by Bernice Andres and Bernice Edwards. The ushers were Harold Kivimaa and Garry Kaplar. Interment followed in the Livelong Cemetery. Donations in memory of Roy can be made to the Riverside Health Complex. MARSHALL'S FUNERAL HOME LTD., of St. Walburg, Saskatchewan administered the funeral arrangements. CARD OF THANKS The family of Roy would like to thank Dr. Shoaib, the nurses and staff for the excellent care and compassion that Roy received from the Riverside Medical Hospital. Thanks to family, neighbors and friends for food, flowers, visit, phone calls, donations and cards. Thanks to Gordon Marshall and staff at Marshall's Funeral Home for the care and services provided. Father Doll the pall bearers, Bernice Edwards, Darwin Pruden and Kathie Nansel for the lovely song. The organist Bernice Andres and the Livelong Ladies for the lunch. Dorothy, Anita, Victor, Tanya, Karen, Ed, Blair, Michelle, Heather, Shelby, Levi, Blayne Katlin. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
