Obituary of Harold William Prochner

Harold William Prochner passed away peacefully September 23, 2020 in Saskatoon. He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 68 years, Lella (Gaylord); children, Sharon (George) Maier, Larry (Barbara) and Ron (Carrie); grandchildren, Katrien (Greg) McFarlane, Isabel Prochner (Danny), Troy Prochner and Jordan Prochner (Kristie Langdon); great-grandchildren, Noah and Peter McFarlane; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Viola and Jack Illingworth; sisters-in-law, Myrna Sanford and Roma Gaylord; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Harold is predeceased by his parents, William and Elizabeth (Leippi) Prochner; brother, Erling; and several brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.

Harold was born November 15, 1928 in Regina. In 1932, his family moved to the small community of Blue Bell, north of Meadow Lake. He was raised on a small farm and attended a one-room school. He took an auctioneering course in Iowa that gave him skills that he used for most of his life. In 2009, the Saskatchewan Auctioneers Association inducted Harold as an auction pioneer into Auction Era, a permanent display in the Western Development Museum in North Battleford.

In 1952, Harold married Lella Gaylord in Glaslyn, SK. They set up house in Semans, SK where Harold worked as a grain elevator agent. All three of their children were born in the Semans years. After a couple of years in Regina in the early 1960s, Harold went back to working as an elevator agent and moved the family to Grande Prairie AB and later to Aberdeen SK.

In retirement, Harold and Lella settled in Saskatoon. He kept busy selling hail insurance and as a hail damage insurance adjuster for Butler Byers. Harold enjoyed eating out with Lella, visiting family and having coffee with friends. He spent hours reading history books, especially in connection with family history, and writing the history of the prairies through his eyes and the eyes of his family. He was proud to see his memoirs published in 2011. 

Sadly, dementia swallowed up his last few years. Thank you to the staff at the Temperance Munro wing of Luther Special Care Home for their care.

Harold's life will be celebrated at a memorial service at a future date. His final resting place is the North Battleford City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Society of Saskatchewan, 301-2550 12th Avenue, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4P 3X1 (alzheimer.ca/en/sk/Get-involved/Ways-to-Donate).