Martin Lawrence Fleischhacker

It is with great sadness that the family announces the sudden and unexpected death of Mr. Martin Lawrence Fleischhacker, 98 years of Humboldt, who passed away at his residence on Sunday, October 25, 2020.  Martin was born on August 12, 1922 to Fred and Margaret (nee Poppel) Fleischhacker in the Pilger District.  He was the 2nd of 11 children, eight boys and three girls.  Martin was raised on the family farm in the Pilger district and attended St. Bernard’s rural school for grades one to eight.  After leaving school, Martin and his brother Roman worked in logging and mining camps in Ontario and Manitoba.  On October 15, 1946 Martin married Bernadine Freriks in St. Bernard’s R.C. Church in the Pilger district and together they raised their family of two girls and five boys on their farm east of Pilger.  They continued farming until 1981 and retired to Humboldt in 1982.  In his retirement, Martin worked with his brother Leo at Futuristic Industries as well as many other carpentry projects.  Martin also did some travelling to Cuba, Hawaii, Germany, and to Apetlon, Austria where he was able to visit his mother’s home where she was raised as a little girl before immigrating to the U.S.A.  Martin enjoyed playing cards late into the night especially with his brothers and he also enjoyed watching curling and baseball.  The family get-togethers were always special for Martin, good food, good eating, and a time to catch up with family. Dad will be lovingly remembered and sadly missed by his six children, seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren: CLARA Georgson (Roger Kuemper) of Humboldt and family Mary Ann Hughes (Doug Johnston) of Calgary and daughters Aimee and Amanda both of Red Deer; MYRNA Fleischhacker of Plunkett and family Natasha Innis (Richard Keane) of Legal, AB and children Martin and Isabella both of Edmonton and Ian Fleischhacker of Poland; LARRY Fleischhacker of Saskatoon and family Tyler Fleischhacker (Jackie Wishlow) and son Hayden, and Dane Fleischhacker (Jenna Bedel) all of Regina; LESLIE Fleischhacker (Lee-Ann Hoeft) of Regina; DUANE Fleischhacker and family Casey Fleischhacker (Marissa Lewis) and Madison Fleischhacker (Kurtis Mayer); all of Calgary.  ALLAN Fleischhacker of Calgary, AB; Brothers and sisters: Clara Ehalt, Leo (Peggy) Fleischhacker both of Humboldt, Helen Hamp of Hamilton, ON, Alvin (Theresa) Fleischhacker of New Market, ON, Len (Eunice) Fleischhacker of Regina and Lorne (Sherilyn) Fleischhacker of Drayton Valley, AB; two sisters-in-law:    Christina Fleischhacker of Humboldt and Bonnie Fleischhacker of  Aurora, ON;  and by numerous nieces and nephews. Martin was predeceased by his son Morris (1972); wife Bernadine (1982); parents Fred (1978) and Margaret (1982); grandson Adam Fleischhacker; daughter-in-law Brenda Fleischhacker; father and mother-in-law Wm Sr. (1952) and Bernadine (1974) Freriks; three brothers and one sister: Emil (Angie) Fleischhacker, Roman Fleischhacker, Peter Fleischhacker and  Emma (Carl) Lang; two brothers-in-law: Francis Ehalt and Art Hamp.  Dad lived a long, full, and wonderful life.  He enjoyed his family and his friends.  We have good memories of Dad and are so thankful we were part of his life.  Thank you so much for helping us celebrate Dad’s life in this ceremony.  A Private Graveside Service was held at St. Bernard’s Cemetery in the Pilger District with interment following with his six children acting as pallbearersc, celebrated by Fr. Joseph Salihu.  Memorial donations in Martin’s memory maybe directed to St. Bernard’s Cemetery Fund or Futuristic Industries Humboldt. 

What Will Matter

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.  There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours, or days.  All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten will pass to someone else.  Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.  It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.  Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.  So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.  The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.  It won’t matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.  It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.  Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.  So what will matter?  How will the value of your days be measured?  What will matter is not what you bought but what you built, not what you got but what you gave.  What will matter is not your success but your significance.  What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.  What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.  What will matter is not your competence but your character.  What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.  What will matter is not your memories but the memories that live in those who loved you.  What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.  Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident. It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice.  Choose to live a life that matters. 

(by Michael Josephson)

The Old Farmer’s Prayer

Time just keeps moving on.  Many years have come and gone

But I grow older without regret my hopes are in what may come yet.

On the farm I work each day.  This is where I wish to stay

I watch the seeds each season sprout from the soil as the plants rise out.  

I study nature and I learn.  To know the earth and feel her turn

I love her dearly and all the seasons for I have learned her secret reasons. 

All that will live is in the bosom of earth.  She is the loving mother of all birth

But all that lives must pass away and go back again to her someday.

My life too will pass from Earth, but do not grieve, I say,

there will be other birth when my body is old and all spent

And my soul to heaven went.  

Please compost and spread me on this plain.

 So my body Mother Earth can claim that is where I wish to be

Then Nature can nourish new life with me.

So do not for me grieve and weep I did not leave, I only sleep

I am with the soil here below where I can nourish life of beauty and glow.

Here I can help the falling rain. Grow golden fields of ripening grain

From here I can join the winds that blow and meet the softly falling snow. 

Here I can help the sun’s warming light. Grow food for birds of gliding flight

I can be in the beautiful flowers of spring and in every other lovely thing.

So do not for me weep and cry I am here, I do not die.

“We will miss you, Dad”

 By Malcolm Beck with Robert Tate