Obituary of Eugene Anderson

Eugene (Chipman, Chip, Eugene, Gene, Gramps, Pops) was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and a friend to many far and wide.

 

He lived his entire life on the family farm north of Perdue, with the exception of the years he attended university in Saskatoon.

 

As a child his days were spent exploring the vast Saskatchewan prairie with friends, his two sisters, and cousins Merv and Bill; it was then that he began to develop his lifelong and unbreakable connection to the land. As a teen he spent many days and weekends exploring the streets of Saskatoon with his cousin Neil.

 

After finishing high school, he graduated from the University of Saskatchewan’s School of Agriculture and then joined his dad Chipman in running the family cattle and grain farm. A few years later he married his high school sweetheart Barbara New, and they raised four children on the farm. He reveled in watching his kids enjoy the same rural upbringing that he had been privileged to experience. Some of his best memories included watching them galloping on horseback through the wheat fields, learning to drive their first snowmobile, teaching them to waterski at the lake, and coaching and cheering them on in hockey, softball, curling, and volleyball.

 

He excelled at baseball and curling, both of which took him many places throughout Saskatchewan, and in 2007 was inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame with the Asquith Braves; he continued to be active in the baseball community in many ways right up to his last years.

 

While he was most at home under the big prairie sky, he enjoyed vacationing in California and Vancouver and was always up for an adventure, including luging at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary and partaking in the New Years Day Polar Bear Swim at English Bay in Vancouver. He had an incredible love for life and people, and was a consummate story teller. He travelled every highway and road from Alberta to Manitoba in his semi delivering hay bales; he remembered each farmyard and interaction with every farmer and rancher he met, never turning down an offer of a cup of hot black coffee or a piece of fresh pie.

 

In late 2014, he had his first open heart surgery; in 2015 he was air ambulanced to Edmonton and became a rare survivor of a cardiac redo. During his recovery, he developed an even rarer form of pulmonary fibrosis. However, he did not let deteriorating health interrupt his love for life and farming, spending time with family and friends, or being active and volunteering in his community. He particularly loved spending time with his grandchildren at the family cabin and watching them at hockey, basketball and dance.

 

In December 2023, he and Barbara moved from the farm to Saskatoon. He spent the last month at Royal University Hospital and then City Hospital. On his last day, surrounded by his family, he expressed how grateful he was for the people he loved and the life he had lived.

 

He was predeceased by his parents Chipman James and Edna, sister Linda and daughter-in-law Tanys. He is survived by his wife of 59 years Barbara, children Lisa (Jim), Loral (Doug), Krista, Morgan and grandchildren Ryder, Ben, Avery and Hudson, his sister Norma and numerous nieces and nephews.

 

Sincere thanks to all the physicians, nurses and staff at Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute in Edmonton, Saskatoon Royal University Hospital, Saskatoon City Hospital, as well as his caregivers from Saskatoon Home Care - he truly appreciated all that was done for him and for the ten “extra” years. In addition, many thanks to cousins Merv, Bill, Robert and Faye Anderson, for all the help on the farm in recent years.

 

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada or the Canadian Lung Association.

 

A celebration of his life will be announced at a later date.