Obituary of Skuli Franklin Thorsteinson

Skuli, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Friday, March 12, 2021 at the Regina Pasqua Hospital. Left to honour and remember his love are his children, Lynne (Dale) McHarg, Terry Thorsteinson (Vi Deters), Laurie (Sandy) Rutherford, Bonnie (Ron) Cherkas, Tim Thorsteinson (Wanda Currie), Brenda (Glen) Fekula; grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Darren (Jackie) McHarg (Payton, Preston, Paisley), David (Amy) McHarg (Taylor, Jack, Evan), Carrie (Ryan) Rempel (Kayne), Christopher (Tristal) Thorsteinson (Venezya, Svea, Soren), Garry Rutherford, Lee (Natasha) Cherkas (Bailey, Gabriel), Matthew (Laken) Cherkas (Quinn, Ella), Megan Cherkas, Kylee Thorsteinson, Adam Thorsteinson (Fiancée Venus Le), Jonathan Kearney, Madison (Deanne) Kearney (Kali), Garrett Kearney, Bradley Fekula (Fiancée Lacey Mercer), Ashley Fekula; sister, Elva Fiessel; sister- in-law Phyllis Sigurdson; numerous nieces and nephews, cousins Paul (Bev) Johnson, Vera Johnson, Jim (Judy) Thorsteinson. He was predeceased by his wife Hulda; son Darren Thomas; daughter-in-law Susan Thorsteinson; brother Lawrence; sisters Yvonne Moore, Gwen Kerr and Ivy Brasseur. Skuli was born on a farm near Pleasantdale, Saskatchewan. His family moved to Leslie, SK where Skuli spent his formative years.  At age 19 in 1943, he joined the World War II effort by enlisting in the Navy, where he served until the end of the war in 1945.  Prior to his death, he was one of a small group of surviving WWII veterans in Saskatchewan, and remained very proud of his time spent in the Navy.  After the war he returned to Leslie to work for the Leslie Coop, as the manager of their bulk fuel station. It was during this time that he met the love of his life Hulda. In 1948 they were married, and together raised seven children, enjoying a marriage that lasted 69 years until Hulda’s death in 2017.  In 1961, they moved the family from Leslie to Wynyard, where he managed the Canadian Coop Implement dealership. (CCIL). In 1967 Skuli moved the family to Regina, when he was offered the CCIL manager position. In 1970 Skuli decided on a career change, wanting to own his own business, he purchased the Golden Mile Bakery. From 1970 to 1976 in what became a family business, Hulda and Skuli involved their children, and many of their children’s friends, resulting in a very successful bakery operation.  After the bakery was sold, Skuli ventured into Regina Real Estate, becoming a successful agent until his retirement in 1986. During their retirement years he and Hulda loved to visit and support their children’s families in any way that they could. They loved their 12 grandchildren and later 14 great-grandchildren with all of their hearts. This included attending and supporting the participation of all of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren, in the many sports that they were involved in. In 1986 Skuli and Hulda began travelling to Mesa, Arizona, where they eventually purchased a property, and looked forward to visiting with their snowbird friends from across the continent. Dinners, card playing, community improvement projects, occasional golf, harvesting oranges, and hosting family, were just some of their winter activities. Back in Regina in the summer season, Skuli enjoyed helping his oldest son Terry owner of Bregg Cleaners. One of his favourite weekly initiatives was to drive the company van, making deliveries to affiliated stores outside of Regina.  Hulda would often join him as they both looked forward to their weekly drives away from the city.  Skuli was a great lover of sports, especially baseball which he played for many years, and in his retirement, he followed the Blue Jays on a daily basis. Hulda and Skuli were also members of the Scandinavian Club, supporting the club’s efforts toward the annual Mosaic festival, and making many more lifelong friends during the process. He loved to visit with people of all ages. Skuli was very personable, witty, and always enjoyed discussing the news stories of the day. In addition to his many lifelong experiences, he was well read, and was a thoughtful decision maker, and consequently many people requested his opinion on issues that affected their own lives. For this reason, as well as the love and support he gave to his family, everyone that had the pleasure of knowing Skuli over the past 96 years, will miss him greatly. The family would like to thank all of the staff, as well as friends residing at Wintergreene Estates, for all the support they provided for Mom and Dad while they lived there. The family would also like to thank the staff at the Pasqua Hospital for their excellent care and compassion. A special thank you to DR. CHERYL ZAGOZESKI for being Mom and Dad’s family doctor for many years.  Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Leslie Cemetery, P. O. Box 35, Leslie, Sask. S0A 2E0.