Obituary of James Joseph Scarfe

Please click here to view the livestream of the service

Our beloved James "Jim" Scarfe passed away on March 27, 2022 at the age of 87.   He was predeceased by his parents George and Isobel; and his siblings Jack (Shirley), Albert (Hazel), and Sharon (Joe) Prpick.  Jim is survived by his wife Donna; daughter Jeanne (Darcy); granddaughter Grace; and a large extended family.

Jim was born at Grey Nuns' Hospital on March 18, 1935 and spent most of his life in Regina, attending Holy Rosary and Campion High School.  He completed high school at St. Peter’s in Muenster, SK, and then attended the University of Saskatchewan.  He continued his studies at the University of Iowa, earning a Master of Arts in Counselling and pursued doctoral studies at UBC in Adult Education.   Jim’s love of learning continued through his life as an armchair scholar and amateur philosopher. 

He married Donna Hedlund in 1973.  They spent the early years of their marriage in La Ronge, where they purchased a cabin on Camp Island.  Jim loved his cabin and would happily putter away on small projects and “supervise” the larger ones.  After moving to Regina, Jim, Donna, and daughter Jeanne spent many summers enjoying the northern wilderness. 

Jim worked for a variety of organizations, including Social Services, La Ronge Region Community College and SIAST.  His expertise was in helping people use their own skills, intelligence, and abilities to improve their personal and work lives. 

Jim took great delight in his family.  He had the best wife, a splendid daughter, and the most beautiful granddaughter.  He was exceptionally funny with a fine-tuned love of comedy.  Although Alzheimer’s robbed him and us of much, his ability to make others laugh never left him.

We are very thankful for the staff at Extendicare Parkside, who cared for Jim so well for so long.  We saw your kindness and dedication to him daily. 

In lieu of flowers, we ask that you honour Jim’s memory by slipping a child $5 for ice cream, giving your dog an extra treat, or voting in a provincial government who enriches the lives of the people who live here.

A private memorial service will be held on Friday, April 1, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. To view the livestream of the service, please click on the link above.