Obituary
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Gordon Hoar, while surrounded by his family, on March 21, 2021 at the age of 87 years.
Gordon Smith Hoar was born December 05, 1933 to Cecile (Smith) and Lyle Hoar, the youngest of three siblings, arriving after older brother, Leslie, and older sister, Jean (Crawford). He was raised on his parent’s farm on Hoar Road, west of Ponoka near Crestomere. He attended school at Dakota, and then later in Ponoka. He farmed his entire childhood and early adulthood with his parents and then took over the farm in 1971. He was known for being athletic and was able to outrun and chase down any errant calves or cows that were on the loose; he could squirt milk clear across the barn into a cat’s mouth when milking cows and build or fix almost anything. Gordon also drove school bus for 23 years, retiring in 1998 at age 65 to care for Elsie and drive her to appointments for her cancer treatments.
In 1956, Gordon met Elsie Kristensen at their church youth group and they married on June 28, 1958. They welcomed three children, Barry (1959), Beth (1961), and Kristi (1965). He was a devoted husband, picking wildflower bouquets with pink shooting stars from the laneway to bring back to Elsie. Gordon was an active member of the United Church at Dakota and in the Dakota community, leading youth, young adult, and adult groups. He was also a member of Unifarm, and curled, coached hockey, and square-danced with Elsie. He farmed down the road from his brother and they, along with their sister, and their families, helped each other with planting, harvest, livestock, and raising their kids. The cousins were all raised together and there were often large family dinners at each other’s homes, frequently ending with him in wrestling matches with the older cousins.
Gordon had an unwavering faith in God and attended services each Sunday. He believed in giving back to the community and volunteered at FCSS, driving seniors to appointments and taking them out for coffee or social visits. He was a socializer and a joker and enjoyed being around people; even when visiting Beth and Donna in Prince Edward Island, he could find someone at a yard sale to have a lengthy chat with. He loved few things more than being around his family, with his hearing aids turned down so he could enjoy us without hearing the details of all our loud nonsense. Often, though, when you were sure he wasn’t listening, he would pipe up and throw in a memorable one-liner, leaving himself and us in tears of laughter and G-ma somewhat exasperated. He had a contagious smile and was loved by animals and children and he was almost impossible to make mad.
Gordon loved eating Elsie’s chocolate cake, making three-gallon buckets of buttered popcorn that he would nibble at over the course of several days, and putting too much butter on his food. He was happiest at the farm, puttering in the garden or wandering down the laneway to get the mail and to watch the ducks in the dugout, and then hitching a ride back up with whoever was mowing with the ride-on. Gordon enjoyed a good novel (which he always deemed “okay” when asked how it was), veal cutlets, word searches, and pancakes and hamburger crumbles for supper every Saturday night while watching Hockey Night in Canada.
Gordon will be lovingly remembered and missed everyday by his wife of 62 years, Elsie, his son Barry (Brenda Huslman), daughter Beth (Donna Sears), and daughter Kristi (Dean Motley). He was a wonderful G-pa and Great-G-pa to Jessica (Eric Loveseth) and their kids, Willa, Gus, and Oscar; Alyssa (Darren Prediger) and their kids, Braden and Taylor; Clinton (Kelcie Garnick); and Madison (Adam Davison). He leaves behind a large extended family and many friends who have fond memories of how calm, kind, helpful, and humble he was.
Many thanks to the staff at the Ponoka General Hospital, especially Dr. Curran and Dr. Chan, for their compassionate care of Gordon. A celebration of his life will be arranged at a later date. Should you wish, donations can be made in memory of Gordon to Ponoka FCSS or Ponoka General Hospital Palliative Care.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Gordon Smith Hoar, please visit our floral store.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Gordon Smith Hoar December 5 1933 March 21 2021 (age 87)..
Death notice for the town of: Wetaskiwin, Province: Alberta