Senior resident returns to his hometown after 70-year absence

By Joan Janzen

Elmer Finley arrived at Caleb Village in Kindersley this past summer after a 70-year absence. When asked why he decided to make Kindersley his new home, he replied, “Because this is where I grew up!”

Elmer was born in the Kindersley Hospital on November 23, 1933. He lived on the family farm located 18 miles west and 10 miles north of Kindersley, along with his parents and nine siblings. He still remembers the name of their family doctor, Dr. Hooge, who he described as “the best doctor in the world.”

Elmer Finley grew up on a farm near Kindersley in the 1930s and ’40s but spent most of his working years in Alberta. Now, 70 years later, he has returned to his hometown and resides at Caleb Village. Photo by Joan Janzen

His dad came from Ontario to his homestead in 1910. “My dad was a blacksmith by trade. So was my grandfather,” he explained. “My dad also tanned leather and made shoes and suitcases—just for our own use.”

Young Elmer grew up in a small two-room house, with a shack pulled up along the side. In 1939, their neighbour went bankrupt, and Elmer’s dad bought their log house. “It cost too much to move, so they tore it all down and rebuilt it,” he recalled. That Christmas, all the neighbours came to the Finley home to celebrate!

His childhood fun consisted of catching gophers and saving the gopher tails. “We played baseball at school, but just had half a team on both sides. We had to make our own baseball bat at home,” he said.

He went to Dewar Lake School, a one-room school with about 12–15 students. By the time he completed Grade 9, there were only nine students.

Everyone from the youngest to the oldest in the family had chores to do. “I remember dragging two five-gallon pails to feed the pigs after school. I could just barely clear the ground with them,” he remembered.

Throughout the years of drought, the Finley family always had a good crop of potatoes “because my dad believed in fertilizing very heavily,” he explained. They also hunted geese and antelope, which helped to supplement their meat supply. “We had goose hunters come from all over North America,” he added.

He completed three years of high school in Kindersley. There he recalled he had “one of the best teachers you’ll ever find,” who stressed that the most valuable asset a student can have is their name. This was confirmed to young Elmer when his dad went to the bank to borrow money to buy a new tractor.

“When it was all said and done for the loan, the bank manager said, ‘Give me your handshake; that’s worth more than a signature, just because of your name,’” he recalled. It was a lesson Elmer never forgot.

He also never forgot the memory of a close neighbour succumbing to cancer during Elmer’s final year of high school. “I spent 70 years researching,” he replied with tear-filled eyes. It’s obviously his passion, as he’s come to realize the importance of a healthy diet in preventing cancer. “I spent more on supplements than I did on groceries, and I’ve been a herbal fan for a long time.”

After graduating from high school, Elmer worked at a number of businesses, helping his dad on the farm, working on the rigs, as well as working in construction all over Saskatchewan. “Then my brother talked me into buying a Chrysler dealership in Watrous. It was a buyer’s market that year,” he stated. The brother’s business venture lasted two years, but it was just enough time for Elmer to meet his future spouse.

It was at Watrous that he met a widow with three young children—three-year-old twins and a five-year-old. Their dad had died in a car accident when the twins were just a year old.

“She was a waitress where we went for coffee,” he said. The couple got married on March 20, 1961, “and I adopted the three kids,” he said.

He also underwent a career change and became an electrician, apprenticing in Watrous and attending classes in Moose Jaw. After earning his journeyman status, the couple moved to several different locations where they were employed, beginning at Lanigan, then Calgary, Cranbrook, and Lethbridge. Then, after 43 years of marriage, Elmer experienced the sad passing of his wife.

Now Elmer is retired and part of the community at Caleb Village, but he still wishes he could be working. “And I wish I could win the lottery so I could help the homeless,” he added.

Thanks for sharing your story, Elmer, and welcome back to your hometown.