Joseph Carl Menz

Joseph Carl Menz, age 80, of Humboldt, SK passed away peacefully on February 24, 2020 with family by his side. Joe was born July 17, 1939 to Anton and Anna (Thiel) Menz. He grew up on the family farm 7 1/2 miles north of Muenster and attended Ives school. He went on to SIAST in Moose Jaw and received his Journeyman in carpentry. He was employed at Graham Construction and in 1957 helped to build the Estevan Boundary Dam and assisted in the addition to St. Peter’s College, Muenster in 1959 and the building of St. Mary’s Villa, Humboldt in 1963. In 1968/69 he was employed with Monarch Construction and was self-employed in 1970-1971. In 1971 he joined Willie and Evelyn Sarauer to start Western Industries in St. Gregor where they manufactured fifth wheel camper trailers and eventually grain boxes and other farm equipment. In 1981 Joe and his brother in law Pat purchased the business. Western Industries was sold in 1994 to C.I.M. of Humboldt. Joe continued to operate his other business, Jopa Industries in Humboldt, which was formed in 1988.  He manufactured his patented, Alumi-Tech Cover for the bed of pick-up trucks.  Jopa Industries was sold in 2014.           

Joe was a very modest person, with a strong sense of humour. His interests were camping, fishing, time with the grand kids, coffee with friends and quiet times in nature. And oh, how he loved his great-granddaughters Stella and Sienna.        

When Joe semi-retired he was given the privilege of looking after Frank Poelking’s miniature horses. He also re-kindled his love for carpentry by building infrared saunas with his brother Leo and building and renovating houses for his children. A lifelong learner, Joe continued to hone his ability to dowse throughout the years.  This was a stepping point to creating his life energy pyramids and developing his spirituality.  

Joe served on the Muenster Community Hall Board, the Wolverine Housing Authority and was a member of the Elks.     

Joe married the love of his life, Anne Blanch in 1961. They lived in Muenster, SK where they raised their four children (3 daughters and a son) and moved to Humboldt in 1989.         

He is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Anne, and their children and families, Lorie Menz and Glenn Wildeman of Humboldt, Donna and Rob Muench of Humboldt and their children Hayley Muench and Chad Lummerding and daughters Stella and Sienna of Saskatoon, Josh (Erin) of Calgary, AB, Zach (Kianna) of Calgary, AB, Sandy and Ken Angelstad of Camrose, AB and children Carley and Jackson of Edmonton, AB, Darryl and Niamh and their son Seamus of Humboldt.     

Joe is also survived by his siblings and their families, Paula Kuemper of Terrace, BC,  Irene Kuemper of Surrey, BC, Loretta and Fred Kuemper of Terrace, BC, Leo and Carol Menz Humboldt, and Leona and Murray Schemenauer of Lake Lenore, his in-laws Murray and Steph Blanch, Maggie Blanch, Karen and Alan Korte, Mary and Roger Hofmann, Pat and Sharon Blanch, George and Dawn Blanch, and Colleen and Tom Gray.      

Joe was predeceased by his parents, Anton and Anna Menz, Anne’s parents Leo and Cecelia (Saretsky) Blanch, his sister Antoinette (Menz) and husband Irvin Duerr, brothers-in-law Art Kuemper and Norbert Kuemper, nephews Mark Kuemper, Kim Duerr, and Murray Kuemper, sister-in-law Bernie (Blanch) and her husband Don Danchilla, and brother-in-law, Bill Blanch. 

Joe was featured in Jacqueline Moore’s book entitled "The Saskatchewan Secret: Folk Healers, Diviners, and Mystics of the Prairies." She interviewed Joe in 2005, and the following are some excerpts from the book and some quotes from Joe:

""Then I spot Joe Menz; wearing a black CAT jacket and blue jeans, he’s walking over to meet me. He’s tall and lean, probably in his mid-60s. In fact, he looks like a handsomely-aged James Garner. He has the large, well-worn hands (minus one fingertip) of a hard-working fellow who knows his way around heavy machinery and construction sites. Joe quietly nods a greeting to me with deep brown eyes unwavering and honest… set in whites stained by a lot of life experience."

He is ready to talk publicly about his real passion, his life’s purpose; and he’s prepared for the inevitable skepticism. You see, this man’s man is actually a rhabdomancer, a bio-locater, a water witch… a dowser. Dowsing is a form of divining, and divining is the art of accessing information not available to the five senses.

"I dowsed when I was a kid. I helped people find water on their land… but I quit doing it. Then in ’71, we bought a property and needed a well. I shouldn’t even tell you how I dowsed for that one," he laughs. "Do you know what a crowbar is?" I nod. "Well, I held a crowbar balanced in my hand, and walked. When the crowbar went down, I dug there!" He shakes his head. "But there is still water there to this day."

However, he again quit dowsing after that episode. I get the impression that Joe is a solid type of guy who is not comfortable with anything that might be considered New Age or flaky. And although he has occasionally pulled out his dowsing rods when it was essential to find water – a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do – he hasn’t spent a lot of time musing about the mysteries of dowsing. Until the day he found something with his rods that resonated with him personally and changed his life; geopathic lines. Joe had located earth energy.

"… dowsing, you can’t do it for greed. You must do it to help others, not to gain personally."

"I really have gained from it personally. Since I started working with this, it has changed me big time", he says. "Working with this energy, I learned that we are all energy-based. And it’s important that we think positive thoughts."

"I am much more spiritual now", says Joe quietly. "I come from the old school, where you had to go to church every Sunday." He grins. "Now I find I can talk to God just going out to the backyard!""

Joey Korn, a dowser and author wrote: "Dowsing gives us the ability to explore the unseen world of the subtle but powerful energies that are hidden behind all of life."

A Funeral Mass for Joe was held on Friday, February 28, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. from St. Augustine R.C. Church, celebrated by Fr. Joseph Salihu. Memorial Donations in Joe’s memory may be directed to St. Mary’s Villa Foundation: New Building Fund. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Malinoski & Danyluik Funeral Home, Humboldt (306-682-1622).