Obituary of Kasper Sowa

Kasper( Kazimierz) Sowa was born on August 15, 1930 to Phyllis and John Sowa in Mosciska, Poland. There he lived the first 7 years of his life until he immigrated to Canada with his Mother and older brother Chester in 1937. His Dad had previously immigrated in 1930. The family settled in the Hodgeville area. Kasper was very involved with farming as a youngster and it became his way of life right up until his passing on July 9th 2017. He did leave it for short periods of time when he worked in Brooks, Alberta and at the Hodgeville Co-op in the early 50’s. On April 18, 1955 he married Lillian Huber and moved to the newly purchased Lorenz farm, where he continued to farm alongside his Mom & Dad. The Sowa family farming operation also included the Scottsburg farm. Kasper & Lillian raised 3 girls in the Hodgeville community. In the early 60’s they moved to the Scottsburg farm until 1970 when they purchased their present home in Hodgeville. In the early 1980s Kasper rented out the Lorenz farm. Eventually he rented it out to family who farmed with Kasper, which helped him actively farm until he retired at the age of 80. Kasper & Lillian enjoyed their retirement in Hodgeville, visiting with family and friends, helping each other with their garden where apparently Kasper emptied pails of Miracle Grow every summer. They would play cards together at all hours of the day, sometimes as early as 5:00am or as late as midnight. Many days were spent at the Hodgeville Rink watching their grandsons play hockey. Curling was also a past time but mostly as a spectator at the rink or watching it on TV. Shopping trips to Swift Current and Moose Jaw often included Bingo and then the new attraction, Casinos. They played Bingo twice a week at the Hodgeville Community Hall. Kasper will be remembered by all of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren by all of the fishing trips, camping trips, learning lots on the farm, carpentry skills, trips to Swift Current and Moose Jaw to play Bingo and always wanting to have one more game of cards. His family and friends will also have fond memories of his dry sense of humour, as someone who enjoyed a drink of rye and water and who was a fixture of the community for 80 years. He often joked that all he ever did was pick hundreds of rocks on the farm and in that regard he was solid as a rock. Determination and stubbornness went hand in hand, at times a private person who loved being on the land. He was a strong, hardworking man who enjoyed his yearly trips with Lillian every June after the seeding was completed to Radium Hot Springs and surrounding area to relax and soak in the hot mineral waters. Kasper loved and cared for many animals both domestic and wild. He built bird houses and kept his bird feeders well supplied so that he could enjoy the many birds that visited throughout each season. His other past times included reading Archie Book Comics, watching game shows on TV, sewing, doodling and drawing especially one of his favourite animals, horses and doing Word Search puzzles. Kasper leaves to celebrate his many healthy years, his wife Lillian of 62 years, his children Deby Beckett, Bev (Ross) Turnbull and Arleen (Wayne) Bochek. His 6 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren; Malcolm Goebel and Bonnie, Ryan(Alicia) Beckett and Colten, Melanie Beckett and Kalen, Dustin(Karen) Zoey and Emily Turnbull and Megan (Landis)Turnbull, Jordan (Jillian) Bochek and Brylee and Lacey ( Mike) Bochek , his sisters Mary (Ivan) Muri, Dianne (Bernd) Gruetzner, his sister-in-law Doris Sowa, his sister-in-law Lorraine Aasen and numerous nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his father, John, his mother Phyllis, his brother Chester, his granddaughter Natasha (nee Beckett) Goebel, his father-in-law Karl Huber, his mother-in-law Lena ( nee Fischer) Huber, his sister-in-law Ruby (nee Huber) Funk, brother-in-law Gilbert Huber and his brother-in-law Jim Aasen. The family thanks all those who knew Kasper for their expressions of kindness and many years of friendship.