Bob Klassen That's Life

By Arlene Lynchuk-Klassen

After rummaging through some old things, Arlene Lynchuk-Klassen came across her late husband's handwritten memoir, which she has decided to share with the world. 

Life can have many twists and turns, and Bob Klassen's was no exception. From growing up in the 1930s, to joining the Air F

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arlene Klassen
• Release date: Apr 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781989840504

Book preview

1

ARLENE’S FIRST NOTE

bob

Bob Klassen April 21,1930 - October 8, 2019 Rest in peace.

While going through some of Bob’s stuff in a cupboard February of 2021, to my surprise, I found his memoir. Underneath other items was a well-worn envelope with his handwritten notes. Bob documented his life story while on his many business trips. It took me two days to read and was overwhelming. He had written it for his children so that they could understand him better. Since there was a lot of history in it, I felt that his children were not the only people who may be interested in reading Bob’s memoir.

Bob had managed to save many pictures from his life, his children, his businesses, and many from his musical life.

I have tried to incorporate his many pictures throughout this book which are only a fraction of all that he had stashed in various places in the house.

As Bob states at the beginning of his memoir, I left the juicy spots out, otherwise, this memoir might take a couple of volumes. There were many times Bob had met with difficulties to deal with in his life but somehow managed to think things through and kept a positive outlook going forward.

Rest in peace, my love.

Arlene

2

THE BEGINNING

handwriting

Journal entry of Bob’s in his own handwriting. Transcription on next page.

"B ack in February 1996, on a business trip to Toronto (by myself as having 2 people on a buying trip was a luxury we could not afford) it was around the time of my late father’s 100th birthday, February 18, 1896. It struck me that I knew almost nothing of his life, especially prior to my birth, when he would have been 34 years old. And precious little thereafter. And if I don’t know much, certainly my children and grandchildren know next to nothing. Not even his birthday, I’m sure.

With that in mind, I thought maybe I would just jot down the few facts of my life that I can recall, for example my birthday, April 21, 1930... in case anyone is disposed to send me a card and a gift.

The few facts kept expanding and expanding over the years that today (February, 2013), some 17 years later, it looks like a formidable job ahead trying to type my scribbling into a somewhat readable form.

For the sake of brevity, I have left out all the juicy spots that you see in many autobiographies. Otherwise this short memoir might take a couple of volumes.

I do hope that I can complete all the typing before me and the Lord (or devil) meet face-to-face. So here goes."

3

EARLY FAMILY LIFE

baby

Bob as a baby

April 21, 1930. A great day in my life, a poor day in the economic life of the world. Though not many people were as yet ever aware of it. The great depression was just underway, an event that would shape my life as well as the lives of millions.

Bradwell, Saskatchewan was our home on that day. Dad was a ‘grain buyer’ or an elevator agent. I was the third child (the third boy), and probably a big disappointment because I’m sure Mom was hoping for a girl. Elmer about 2-1/2 years old and Frank almost 9.

bob and elmer

Bob and Elmer

The family moved to Saskatoon in 1932, living first in Nutana near University Drive just being developed. Then, we moved to a rented house, 1413 Avenue C North, where my first memories begin. By this time my sister Lil was born. Now a family of six were in that small, 2 bedroom house on the outskirts of town. We don’t have ‘outskirts’ of town anymore. We now have ‘developments’, and the edge of town comes to an abrupt end, like the edge of the lake. But then we had outskirts.

As you left the built up portion of the residential area, houses became farther and farther apart, and more decrepit, especially after the residential area, after the end of the water and sewer line. Cement sidewalks were replaced by cinder sidewalks. Of course, there was almost no pavement, except downtown. We lived a couple blocks from where the city gave way to prairie. Sewer, water and cement sidewalks ended about 34th Street, two blocks before our house. Many houses had not ‘modernized’ to sewer and water, though it was available to them. We did have electricity, though it would have to be almost dark before Mom would allow us to turn on the lights. A coal and wood furnace provided heat in the winter, and cooking was done with wood and coal.

Water in the summer came from a tap, located a block away on Avenue B. But in the winter, drinking water would be delivered by the ‘water man’ who had a large wooden tank on a wagon, pulled by a team of horses. He filled a galvanized barrel inside the back door (and for which there was a cost). But water for washing clothes and bathing was made by melting snow on the stove. Bath time Saturday night, we all shared the same tub of water, and took our turn.

One of my earliest memories was having a bath with Lil, both in the same galvanized metal bathtub. But this time Mom had put it on only one chair instead of two. When she took me out, down went Lil and tub and water all over the floor.

bob and lil

Bob and Lil

Outhouses were, of course, located next to the back alley and were cleaned out (winter and summer) by a couple of men with shovels and a wagon and team. How and where did they dump that load? While we did have water and sewer later at 923 C North, when we moved to 1506 E North in 1946 we were back to delivered water and the outhouse. It wasn’t until 1949 that most of the city was finally modernized. In winter we used our indoor toilet, which was a toilet seat over a large pail in the basement. Of course, the pail never got emptied until the contents were within 1" of the top. Then the trick was to get the pail out to the outhouse without spilling any of the load. Nobody ever emptied a half a pail!

No doubt that the lack of conveniences was hard on Mom, bringing up four young kids in difficult times. We kids were not hard done by though. We didn’t know any better, and didn’t miss what we knew little about.

Sometimes in the early thirties, Dad and a gentleman by the name of Denison, formed a company, The KD Collieries. They had an interest in a coal mine somewhere in Alberta, and were selling shares in the company. I am not at all familiar with any of the details, but do recall that 1) it was a poor grade of coal, 2) whoever was unlucky enough to have purchased shares in their venture lost their money, as did Dad and Mr. Denison.

By 1934 money was very scarce at our house. Mom was too proud to go on relief, as they called social welfare in those days. Some days meals were pretty thin. One such meal was a slice of bread covered by hot milk, and maybe a bit of sugar. Mom called it a meal fit for a king. And so we believed. Or in the winter, a special treat was a milkshake, cold milk with jam stirred into it. Obesity was not a problem with kids those days!

We seemed to have had a lot of snow in the wintertime. Us kids would pile up the snow into a big mound (seemed high to me in those days) and we’d pour the slop water from the house on top of it to make a hill. Later, I recall hollowing out our hill to make a snow house. One time, I guess I was playing with