James Dennis Townsend of Mazenod, SK. passed away March 14, 2014 at the age of 89 years. Jim was born on the home quarter near Mazenod on October 24, 1924. He was the youngest of 5 children born to Denny and Marguerite (Jenson) Townsend. Jim attended Ford School and completed grade 11 in Assiniboia. Jim went to BC to work at construction, mining and logging. He then started driving for Greyhound from 1947 to 1952, driving out of Fort MacLeod and Calgary to Revelstoke. While working there he met his future wife, Olga Bodnaruk, who also worked at Greyhound, and they were married June 4, 1948, beginning a marriage that last 65 ½ years. In 1952 Jim and Olga began farming with his dad, returning to Calgary in the winter, where he drove semi. He never lost his love for driving and would travel in the worst weather to make an appointment. In 1952 they returned to the farm permanently, bringing with them their 10 day old daughter, the first of three girls to arrive over the next 6 years. Jim loved grain farming but early on in his career, started feeding cattle. That grew into a small feedlot operation, with a lot of the work being done by hand for many years. He raised chickens, geese, turkeys and pigs as well. Later on when he no longer farmed his own land, he took up gardening. He planted a huge garden and a lot of it was “mudded in” because he couldn’t wait to get out there and he wanted to have early potatoes. He gave a lot of the produce away but they always had a good winter supply, with garlic being his “specialty”. He always kept up on the latest advances in agriculture and faithfully listened to the news for current and world events. Jim and Olga played crib every morning for the last few years with Olga beating him most of the time. Over the last five years Jim struggled with the pain of shingles and osteoporosis but he didn’t let his affliction get in the way of much. He did much of the work around the yard in spite of the pain and was always doing things he knew we’d think he shouldn’t be just to see what we would say. Jim and Olga lived on the farm up until the last three weeks when he went into the hospital for pain control. He did not want to go into a nursing home but agreed to do so and he went in on March 14 only to pass away that evening. Jim is survived by his wife Olga, daughter Valerie (Eric Fraser), grandsons Ryan and Logan, granddaughters Skylar and Kaitlyn; daughter Dianne (David Acaster), grandson Bryan (Erin) and great-granddaughter Mia, granddaughter Shauntel (Ogee Logan), great-grandson Deacon, grandson Tyler, granddaughter Randi Acaster (Jaret Piller), granddaughter Jacquelyn; daughter Lorraine (Dale Raiwet), granddaughter Reydean Rivey (Waldo Baeza), great-granddaughter Elora and great-grandson Mateo and grandson Lee Rivey; sister Ruth Hutchinson and sister-in-law Dorothy Townsend, nephews Alfred and Harvey Eason, Sydney, David and Dennis Webb, Walter and Bob Hutchinson, Dennis Townsend, nieces Thyra Nagel, Patricia Thomson-Turner, Marian Hutchinson. He was predeceased by sisters Laura (Aubrey Eason) and Mary (Jim Webb), brother Bill, brother-in-law Gerald Hutchinson, nephews Jimmy Townsend and Billy Townsend. Funeral Service was held Friday, March 21, 2014 in Ross Funeral Chapel. The eulogy was given by daughter Dianne. Stories of Jim’s life were shared by many of Jim’s close friends. Honorary pallbearers were Lester Morvik, John Waronek, Earl Willer, Wayne Smith, Blaine Rust, Bernie Willer, Alfred Eason. Pallbearers were Walter Hutchinson, Ron Smith, Bryan Acaster, Tyler Acaster, Lee Rivey and Ryan Fraser. Donations in Memory of Jim may be made to STARS (Air Ambulance), an organization Jim thought highly of. Arrangements entrusted to Ross Funeral Service, Assiniboia, SK. An online book of condolences may be signed at www.rossfuneralservice.com
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