Obituary
Douglas Arnold Morken
It is with sadness to announce the passing of Douglas Arnold Morken on Monday, October 24,2022 at the age of 73 years.
He is survived by his two sons: Ian and Crystal Morken and their children: Keegan, Skylar, Macy and Wyatt; Travis and Shelly Morken and their children: Aiden and Kaelyn.
He is also survived by his sister Phyllis Jacobsen, brother Lloyd (Diane) Morken and sister Eunice (Brian) Richter as well as many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
He was predeceased by the Father, Carsten and Mother Myrna Morken, sister Lois Morken, his ex-wife Gayle Morken and brother-in-law Ken Jacobsen.0
Douglas Arnold Morken was born January 26, 1949 in Outlook, Saskatchewan to Carsten and Myrna Morken. At the age of 2 the family moved to Killam in 1951 As a Boy he had a knack for picking up wild animals such as baby birds and crow eggs to name a few. When climbing trees to retrieve these animals he would almost always end up falling out of said tree and breaking one or more bones in the process. I do Believe that Grandma had stated after MANY summers tending to him with broken bones that she was going to tie him to the bed and NOT let him outside. Doug enjoyed hunting and being outdoors with family and friends. He was quite talented when it came to carving antlers and working with leather. Doug also had a passion for horses. Breaking colts was a regular occurrence around the farm for neighbors, family and friends.
He married Barb Hanson in 1973 and had 2 boys Ian in 1974 and Travis in 1977. He started Autobody Mechanics at NAIT just after getting married and finished in 1976. He worked at Raydons Autobody in Vegerville and was commissioned to fix up a car to drive the queen around at the Vegerville fair in 1978 where his brother-in-law Kenny Jacobsen was announcing the races and ceremonies that year.
They wanted Doug to drive that car with the Queen in it and he refused – for what reason we will never Know ? He also worked at many autobody shops over the years Viking, Killam, Lougheed, and Edmonton. He also worked at Crystal Glass in Edmonton where he found his knack for glass art and sand blasting which led him to make many mirror glass etched pieces for almost everyone.
Doug also worked in the oil patch over the years in survey, pipelining working for Mac Mckie ( Bradnor ) GCS in Hardisty and Other Pipeline Contractors as well.
He loved to race horses with his brother Butch at local events such as Bruce Stampede, Sedgewick, and at Gymkhana events.This seemed to be the pattern from early days when Butch, Doug and cousin Ralph Bernsen would ride horses bareback out in the pasture to bring in the cows for milking under strict orders from Grandpa NOT to chase the milk cows or the milkwould start running out – so of course when the cows hit thebarn the milk would be streaming out of those old girls and Grandpa knew. Ralph Bernsen shared one of many stories when he was down staying at Grandma and Grandpa’s one summer they were asked to do the evening milking for Grandpa who was gone for the day. Once the milking was done, Butch was the ringleader and he would have the bright ideas and Ralph and Doug would carry out the task. This particular time Butch would release the head gate and the milk cows with either Ralph or Doug on their back would charge out the back door and give a big jump as they cleared the door. This was great fun even though the roof of the barn was low and you could hit your head on the way out adding a degree of difficulty. I do believe this was the start of their love of Rodeo and riding anything that would stand long enough to get on. Ralph added when you get 3 or 4 boys which included Bruce Harray at different times you can get into a lot of trouble, and they would come up with some hair brained ideas…. Some of which included riding the pigs, racing horses across the pasture or roping calves and riding them. Another time he had a horse go over backwards and got the saddle horn in his belly. They Packed him off to the hospital and when they got there, he could not move so they carried him in a chair into the hospital and found he had a hernia from this particular accident.
In the 70’s and early 80’s Doug competed in the rodeo events bareback and bull riding and attended many local rodeos such as Goose Berry lake, Killam and Clover Lodge. He loved to help run chutes or be the track judge at Bruce stampede, the Sedgewick races, and Killam Rodeo. This was something he enjoyed very much. He seamed to bounce back from these like an old tom cat and not look back, then on to the next wreck on horses or Ski-doo’s. His Love of horses and hunting was passed down through his boys and then to his grandchildren. He was proud of his boys and their accomplishments, careers and the lives and families they have built. Doug liked seeing the grand kids and hearing their stories about hunting, fishing, 4-H and sports activities that they all participated in.
These past few years he was a resident of the Vialita Lodge and lastly Viking Extendicare, where he enjoyed his snacks and trips to Camrose for new Jeans. Even though he complained about the food there and said it was soo terrible he still managed to go up 7 sizes of Jeans, and his grandkids teased him that he took like Santa with the white Beard, which he would laugh at. He made miles walking up town regularly and stopping at Butch’s for a coffee and a visit. Phyllis often stopped by and delivered old western books and appropriate snacks such as lefsa, black licorice and dads cookies.
At the age of seventy he was diagnosed with cancer and lost his battle on Oct 24,2022 at the age of 73..
A Graveside will be held on Friday, October 28, 2022 at 1:00 P.M. at Bethania Lutheran Cemetery, County of Flagstaff. Following the inurnment, the family invite you to join them at the Golden Valley Lutheran Church, Viking, Alberta for lunch and a time of fellowship.
Donations in memory of Doug may be made to the Bethania Lutheran Cemetery.
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Douglas Arnold Morken October 24 2022 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
Death notice for the town of: VIKING, Province: Alberta