December 18, 1934 - December 22, 2019
Bernhard Karl Baron von Tettenborn of Round Hill, Alberta passed away on Sunday, December 22, 2019 at the age of 85. He is survived by his loving wife of 62 years Gladys, his four children Bernhard (Cheryl) von Tettenborn, Doris von Tettenborn (Ross Vogt), Eric (Melanie) von Tettenborn, Carmine von Tettenborn, seven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, three siblings Iris (Marlin) Goebel, Elizabeth (Ian) Angus, and Linda von Tettenborn, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by an infant son Walter (1964), brother Mark (Sandy) (2013) and son-in-law Wayne Shumlich (2017).
Bernie was born on the family farm, the first of five children and the latest in a very long line of 'Bernhard Karl Baron von Tettenborns' able to trace his history back to the year of 1176. He was raised in and went to school in the Rimbey district until grade 9, then attended Concordia College for high school and Olds College to study agriculture. In 1954 he moved to Drayton Valley to work for Crown Lumber and then started a trucking company building up to 9 trucks servicing the oilfield, hauling fuel from Edmonton to Hay River, NWT and stations in between, and hauling vehicles from Oshawa, ON out west. He met Gladys in Drayton Valley and they married in 1957. In 1958 they bought three quarters east of Round Hill, renting them out while they followed business opportunities in Whitecourt and Saskatoon. In 1968 the trucking company was sold and trucks traded for farming equipment so that he could start farming. In 1973 Bernie moved his family to Round Hill to farm permanently. Dad was a very knowledgeable and industrious man; while running the trucking company he built three winch decks with disappearing fifth wheels and live rolls and three high boys using his own welder. While farming he built his own 36' tandem disc, harrow draw bars, reconstructed a Belarus tractor, and in later years restored a number of stationary engines and tractors. Bernie held a private pilot's license as well as a heavy-duty mechanics license. In 1990 the family received the Camrose County Farm Family award.
Bernie believed in giving back to the community and volunteered to numerous organizations ranging from Scouts to Church. He assisted Scout leaders, was a Sunday School teacher, and President of the Parish Council. Over the years there were attempts to mine the coal around the Round Hill area, so he became a founding member of the Round Hill-Dodds Agricultural Protective Association in 1974; this issue came up again in 2006. Some of the other organizations were Round Hill and District Agricultural Society, Unifarm, Alberta Wheat Pool, Agricore United, and Alberta Surface Rights Federation. For fun, Bernie & Gladys were members of the Rose City Swingers for 36 years and drove all over Alberta going to dances and summer campouts.
Bernie was surrounded by Gladys, their children, spouses and a few grandchildren as he 'made his passage out of this world and into the next'. Everyone had a chance to say goodbye. There were volunteer carolers in the palliative care unit singing outside his hospital door, "Oh Come All Ye Faithful"; his lips and tongue moved as he sang along in his mind. We requested his favourite carol, "Joy to the World" and his favourite hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy". The carollers sang as our dad went to be with his Lord.
A funeral service will be held on January 4, 2020 at 11 am at Messiah Lutheran Church in Camrose. Interment will follow at the Emil Bosman Cemetery at Round Hill.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are gratefully accepted to the charity of one's choice.
Weber Funeral Home
780-672-3131
Weber Funeral Home