GESSLEMAN Harvey Edward Gessleman Jan. 23rd, 1917-Mar. 28th, 2006 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." (II Timothy 4:7-8) Harvey has gone to his heavenly home at 89 years of age. Pre- deceased by Muriel, his wife of 54 years, on April 1st, 2000, his family remains. Children: Betty (Henning) Steffensen of Valleyview; John (Diane) Gessleman of Alix; Shirley (David) Jorgensen of Leduc. Grandchildren: Serena (Wesley) Burdick of Grimshaw; Kerena (Jordan) Letcher of Victoria; Lerena (Aaron) Kelly of Edmonton; Merena (Kyle) Johnson of Lethbridge; Terena Steffensen of Valleyview. Jeremy (Susan) Gessleman of Red Deer; James (Angela) Gessleman of Alix; Janine Gessleman of Red Deer. Kaleigh Jorgensen of Calgary; Tess Jorgensen of Leduc. Great-grandchildren: Bailey, Dawson, and Brinay Burdick; Caynan and Dryden Letcher. Sisters: Pearl McDermand of Alix and Shirley Ryan of Red Deer. Harvey was predeceased by his parents Jeremiah and Inez (Mills) Gessleman, his brother Billie Gessleman, nephew William (Bill) Boulton and niece Cathy (Gessleman) McEachern. On a cold, snowy January 23rd in 1917, Harvey came crying into this world into a small wooden house on a hill that overlooked the Stanton district near Alix, Alberta. This spot is where he would till the earth producing the grain that would feed and sustain us all. His work brought bread to our tables and feed for our cattle; his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ brought us also to the Lord's table where our souls were fed. The Gessleman family made a home at Artesia Farms down in the hollow next to Stanton Creek - or "crick" as the Gesslemans would say. To sustain the family through the long winter months, the family farm provided an endless cycle of chores for the kids who had to slop the pigs, feed the chickens, gather the eggs, feed the cows, fix the fences, harness and groom the horses, hunt for ducks and geese, and snare gophers and shoot magpies for nickels. Harvey daily walked the mile to Stanton, the one-room schoolhouse on the hill east of the farm and by nine years of age, he was expected to join the threshing crews in the fields at harvest time. Harvey learned early the work ethic that grounded him for the rest of his life. A mixed farm offers no off- season, yet Harvey loved playing ball with the Haynes men's baseball team, even though his heel had been damaged by polio when he was a child. Yet as an 86-year-old, he stepped up to the plate at the annual summer family ball game and hit the ball with one of his grandchildren running for him. When the handsome and eligible bachelor got a glimpse of the beautiful young new schoolteacher at Stanton School, he married Muriel Boulton on March 27th, 1946 in Delburne. Over the years of raising a family and farming, with Muriel at his side, Harvey, though a quiet man contributed much to his community and church. In 1947 he became a Registered Canadian Seed Grower and raised pedigreed seed grain for over 40 years. He was president of the Stanton Mutual Telephone Company, a member of the Order of Foresters, maintained Stanton Community Centre, and was leader of the Alix Multi 4-H Club in addition to raising purebred Herefords on the family H-7 Ranch. Harvey served as elder, chairman, and charter member at the Alix Evangelical Free Church. He had to learn many skills and over the years, becoming a mechanic, a welder, a veterinarian, a cattle and horse breeder, a biblical scholar, a singer, an electrician, a horticulturalist and a water diviner. Above all, Harvey cared deeply for his most valued gift - his family, all whom have learned also to trust in the Lord. Grandpa Za thank you for the Godly inheritance and the example of a life lived through faith. We look forward with hope to our reunion. Funeral Services will be held on Monday, April 3, 2006 at 1:00 pm at the Alix Community Centre. Internment will follow at the Fairview-Stone Cemetery. Donations to the Alix Evangelical Free Church or the Lacombe Evangelical Free Church Building Fund are welcomed. PERSONAL ALTERNATIVE FUNERAL SERVICES 4779-49th Street, Red Deer 341-5181 and Calgary 216-5111 entrusted with arrangements.