Obituary of Earl Walter Milton Westerlund

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Earl Westerlund on Friday, May 15, 2015, at the age of 98 years. Earl was born April 7, 1917 on the family farm near Hyas, Saskatchewan. He was predeceased by his parents, Levi and Hulda Westerlund; four sisters Amy, Violet, Florence and Elaine; three brothers Clifford, Raymond and Walter and by his beloved wife of 51 years, Carita. Earl is survived by his two sons; Murray (Judy), grandchildren Tina (Paul) and David (Nicole); Brian (Carol), grandchildren Sara (Ryan) and Jessie (Ian); five great-grandchildren Owen, Adam, Lucia, Parker and Kate; and by his wife Olive. Earl was raised on the family farm, married Carita Nystrom in 1946 and moved to Lenvale, Saskatchewan in 1947 to work as a grain buyer for Pioneer Grain Company. He and his family subsequently moved to Swift Current in 1965 after his promotion to District Superintendent with the same company. He retired in 1982 and moved with Carita to Surrey, British Columbia the following year where they were active in the Covenant Church until her death in 1998. He was remarried to Olive in 1999 and together they returned to Saskatchewan in 2011. Earl had a sharp wit and tremendous sense of humor all his life and took great delight in sharing classic one-liners whenever he could. Besides his family and his church, he followed the trials and tribulations of his three favorite sports teams, Leafs, Riders and Blue Jays with great interest. Among his most cherished moments was a visit to the Riders dressing room after the 1989 Grey Cup game in Toronto on the invitation of one of the Rider players who happened to be the son of one of his best friends. He also was overwhelmed by the personal visit of Rider greats, George Reed and Al Ford on the occasion of his 95th birthday in 2012. Earl was a great inspiration to all who knew him with his positive attitude and kind spirit. The family is grateful to Diana Bruce-Miller and staff at Wintergreen Estates, to Tara Singh and her staff at Golden Years Manor and to the nurses and doctors in the palliative care ward at the Pasqua Hospital who looked after Earl with great love and dedication over the last few months of his life. A Memorial Service will be held in Surrey at a later date, after which he will be buried next to Carita. To leave an online message of condolence, please visit www.speersfuneralchapel.com