Ralph Tys Feenstra

Ralph lived, loved and laughed for 75 years and eleven months.  He passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 6th in the Mazankowski Heart Institute in Edmonton with his wife of 50 years, Pat, by his side. 

Ralph will be lovingly remembered and sadly missed by Pat, his daughters, Janice and son-in-law Howard Jackson of Vermilion and Lori and son-in-law Travis Bowman of Streamstown. He was so happy and proud to be “Bopa” to Cody, Kent, Colt and Khye Jackson and Eric, Rylan and Kason Bowman.

Ralph was the oldest of five children. He has four loving sisters who will miss their big brother deeply: Judy (David) Lloyd of Kelowna, BC, Linda (Gregg Sams) Feenstra of Red Deer, AB, Bev Lievers of Cache Creek, BC, and Fay (Darrell) May of Elk Point, AB.  He will also be missed by his brother-in-law, Ken (Shirley) Halliday of Victoria, BC and Uncle John (Dora) Feenstra of Camrose, AB, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. 

Ralph was predeceased by his parents, Wilbur and Sophie (Semeniuk) Feenstra, twin grandsons Colson and Kaden Bowman, brother-in-law Stan Lievers and numerous Feenstra and Semeniuk relatives.

Ralph was born in Vermilion and was raised on a farm north of Vermilion. He went to grade one at Queenie Creek School and grades two thru twelve at the school in Derwent, AB. 

Ralph worked off-farm during the winter of 1964 at Sherritt Gordon fertilizer plant in Fort Saskatchewan and then at IBM in Edmonton from 1965 to 1969. He then left IBM and purchased his home 400 acres in 1969. In the winter of 1969-1970, IBM called him to return to work.  Ralph worked full-time from February, 1970 until April, 1973, using vacation time for seeding and harvest.

In June, 1970, Ralph met Pat (nee Halliday) in Leduc and they were married on May 1, 1971. They bought a small mobile home and moved it to Leduc. Ralph worked for IBM and Pat  worked as a Clerk Stenographer for the Department of Education until 1973.  Ralph and Pat moved to Vermilion to farm full-time and Pat transferred to the Department of Agriculture.

In addition to full-time farming, Ralph supplemented their income as a backhoe operator, installing water and sewer lines for other farm families and digging graves in over 30 small country cemeteries and he considered it an honor to do so. 

Their family grew with the addition of two daughters, Janice Marie (1975) and Lori Ann (1977).  He loved “his” girls beyond belief as they did him! Ralph was a very supportive Dad in his girls’ activities whether it was to chauffeur them to skating, volleyball, and basketball or to clean highways and attend every 4-H public speaking and achievement day event, to name a few.

In 1991, Ralph started working for Alberta Agriculture, Irrigation Division, as a Pump Supervisor, delivering pumps and pipe to farmers to fill their dugouts. 

Ralph was a member, and later President, of the Derwent and Area Rural Crime Watch, starting in 1986. He was also a member and President of the Clandonald Promenaders Square Dance Club for over 20 years. He met hundreds of dancers from every small town within a four hour radius and they all became his friends. 

Ralph was always a strong and active member of the United Church, first at Rusylvia, AB and then at Clandonald, AB until the congregation moved to the First United Church in Vermilion.  Ralph taught Sunday school, was a board member, Treasurer, Chairman of the Board and the Coordinator of the United Church food booth at the Vermilion fair for over 30 years.  He was actively involved in his church right up until December 19, 2021.

Ralph, also known as “Bopa Ralph” or “Bops”, loved to attend anything grandson or family related.  He followed the boys to hockey, karate, fastball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, curling, bowling, badminton and Christmas concerts. Anything they were involved in, he was there! 

Life was good to Ralph.  He had an unbelievable sense of humor, quick wit and endless one-liners.  He loved to socialize, square dance, travel, camp, play cards, joke, tease, go “touring”, and frequent casinos with family and friends!  He packed a lot of living, loving and laughing into his 75 years!

Thank you to all hospital staff at the Mazankowski Heart Institute for their kindness, compassion, and professionalism. 

A Celebration of Life was held on Saturday, January 15, 2022 at 1:00 pm at the First United Church, Vermilion.

Video of the service is available at https://youtu.be/dqNvLZdNq3M

Memorial donations may be made to the First United Church, 4918 52 Ave, Vermilion, AB. T9X 1S6  or a charity of one’s choice.  

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