Earl was born on January 30, 1925 to Manasseh and Olive Cressman in Wilmot Center, Ontario. He was the oldest of four children and grew up on several farms in the Mannheim, Ontario area. The 1930’s were a very difficult time for Earl’s family, as his father lost his farm in the depression. When he was 9 years old his father taught him how to plow a field with a team of horses. When he was 14 years old, Earl quit school to help his father on the farm to be able to better support the family.
In 1943, when Earl turned 18, he was drafted by the Army. He was to serve in the war that was ongoing in Europe. On Earl’s behalf, the elders of the Mannheim Mennonite Church went to the Draft Board in Toronto, Ontario to petition the board for a “Conscientious Objector” and “Farm Deferment” exemption from military service since he was a member of the Mennonite Church. The exemption was granted, but he was required to donate his pay for two years to the Red Cross. Years later, after coming back from a trip to Europe, he expressed that he felt he should have served in the military as the war was justified to stop the evil that Hitler spread across the European continent.
Earl met Edith Milne in 1944 at church and they were married on June 12, 1948. They bought a farm in 1950 near Alma, Ontario and began attending Berea Mennonite Church. While on the farm in Alma, all six of his children were born. During the late 1960’s, Earl had several difficult years farming and in 1970 he sold the farm and moved the family to St. Thomas, Ontario. There was no Mennonite Church in the St. Thomas area, so they became members of Faith Baptist Church and made many friends within that church. Earl began working with his brother-in-law Don Feick in landscaping and then he worked in the insulation business for Neil Wright until 1985. Earl & Edith then moved to Cobourg, Ontario where he worked for his son Del, in his tree maintenance/landscaping business along with his sons Dwight and Don. In Cobourg, Earl & Edith became members of Fellowship Baptist Church and have been faithful members and had wonderful friendships with many people as well.
Beginning in 1989 and continuing for 20 years Earl & Edith spent their winter months in Sebring, FL where Earl was the shuffleboard park champion and the neighborhood handyman. They enjoyed their winters all those years in Florida and made many friends at the retirement park. But they looked forward to returning to Cobourg, Ontario every spring.
Earl had 6 children, Nancy (Wyn) Prior Houston, TX; Delbert (Leslie Garrod) Cobourg, ON; Dale (Carol Martin) Zurich, ON; Dwight, Colborne, ON; Charles (Diane Naman) Miami, FL and Donald (Becky Bailey) Cobourg, ON; with 15 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. He was predeceased, first by his sister Reta Ramseyer (Kitchener, ON) and then his brothers James Cressman (Laguna Nigel, CA), Clare Cressman (Kitchener, ON) and then by his wife Edith. Earl had many first cousins along with many nieces and nephews and always enjoyed the family gatherings, especially the dinners and celebrations. Being able to work late into his life gave him great satisfaction. Earl’s faith in our Lord was very important to him and he lived his life in a manner that honored his wife, family and friends. He will be missed and forever loved by all who knew him.
Donations in Earl’s memory can be made to Gideon’s International.
A Private funeral service will be held on Tuesday January 12th at 1pm. To view the service please click on ‘View Video Service’ to the left when available.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Earl Henry
Cressman 2021..
Death notice for the town of: Colborne, Province: Ontario