Obituary of Conrad Alfred Romuld

The death of Conrad Romuld occurred on July 20, 2020. He was predeceased by his wife Rita in 2012 and is survived by his three daughters: Cinda (Garry) Romuldietz, Shirley (Rob) Metka and Janice (John) McBride and by three granddaughters, Austin Metka, Rachael Metka (Mike Lipton) and Lea McBride. He also leaves two great-granddaughters, Juliette and Audrey Lipton.

The ninth of ten children born to Norwegian immigrant parents, he grew up on a pioneer farm near Dunblane, SK. He attended school in Dunblane and shared fully in the vibrant community life that existed in rural Saskatchewan at that time. He began teaching in a one-room school near St. Walburg, SK in 1944 and from there proceeded to teach in various prairie towns. In 1958, Conrad accepted a position teaching English at City Park Collegiate in Saskatoon where he taught for 14 years. He forged strong friendships with many of his fellow teachers and joined them for weekly coffee sessions until just days before his death.  After retiring from City Park, he was appointed District Superintendent of Education and was subsequently involved in program development with the Department of Education in Regina.

Family was very important to Conrad. He and Rita would regularly travel to visit Shirley and Janice and enjoy meals and outings with Cinda and Garry. He immensely enjoyed spending time with his siblings and nieces and nephews and their families and was always interested in what everyone was doing. Conrad was a prolific writer and entertained many with his short stories, poems and narratives. He was an avid reader and could converse knowledgeably on just about any topic, his favourites being politics and religion. In 1967, Conrad was granted sabbatical leave and studied post-graduate English at Leeds University in England. In route to Leeds, the family spent a month touring Western Europe and used “Europe on Five Dollars a Day” as their guidebook. That trip ignited an interest in travel that took them around the globe following their retirement. Conrad and Rita loved to dance. They especially enjoyed the horse-hair lined floor at Watrous, SK and thought nothing of the 1 1/2 hour drive each way, even in the dead of winter.
Nature and the environment were issues close to Conrad and Rita. They enjoyed their time in quiet solitude at Birch Lake and were supportive of local initiatives for the conservation of the South Saskatchewan River.

Following Rita’s death, Conrad moved to Parkville Manor where he made many friends, organized monthly musical evenings and dances and continued to write. Some of his writings can be read for free on the writing.com website. Throughout his life he demonstrated a concern for social justice and the betterment of the human condition. After he became a parent, this concern led him away from religion - which he had come to see as a self-serving failure in improving the lot of mankind - and toward a rational secular humanism.

Due to current restrictions there will be a private family celebration of life. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts to the Meewasin Valley Authority, 402 Third Avenue South, Saskatoon SK S7K 3G5 would be appreciated.