Obituary of Ervin Walter Magnus

Surrounded by his family, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Ervin Walter Magnus, of Regina, SK passed away on April 30, 2019 at the age of 96. Ervin loved and served God all of his life, and we are comforted to know that his last breath here on earth ushered him into the very presence of his Saviour, Jesus Christ.  

Ervin will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his wife of 58 years, Della-Mae; his daughter, Jacqueline (Greg) Hagel of Regina; his grandchildren: Jarrett (Mandie), Kaleb, Zachary and Mikayla; his great-grandchildren: Aidin, Emma & Sophie; his son Michael (Dawn) Magnus of Regina; his grandchildren: Danny Magnus, Tony (Christine) Goetz, Aaron Goetz, Melissa Goetz (Eric), Christine Goetz (Dallas) and Joshua Goetz (Jakkie); his great grandchildren: Rhys, Jordyn, Isabella, Gracie, Emilie, William, Ella, Katie, Mila, Maci and Doug; his brothers: Art (Mary), Vic (Dedie) and sisters-in-law Irene and Carol Magnus; as well as many nieces, nephews and friends. 

He was predeceased by his parents, Karl and Caroline (Fischer) Magnus and 13 brothers and sisters: William, Carl, Helen (Henry) Magnus, Elsie (Ernie) Gaertner, Bill (Anne), Helmuth (Ida), Mary (Bill) Irvine, Dorothy, Trudy (Rex) Krepps, Ted, Edward, Margaret and Maxine.

Ervin was born on October 5, 1922 at home on a farm near Luseland, SK, the 8^thof 16 children.  He enjoyed spending time with family and friends, singing, playing baseball and riding his horse, King.  In his later life, Ervin fondly recalled his adventures selling seed for a local grain company on horseback, riding King for miles around the area.

Following high school, barely old enough to enlist, Ervin joined Canadian Forces in 1940 and proudly served his country during WW11. He was initially posted to the west coast with Coastal Defense and from there he was transferred to England and then on to serve in areas around Belgium and Holland. 

Upon returning to Canada, Ervin obtained his veteran’s quarter section of land and began his own grain farm in Tisdale, SK.  He attended college at Prairie Bible Institute, AB and later attended and graduated from Briercrest Bible College, SK. Ervin's cousin, Irene Fisher, introduced him to Della-Mae Church, a career missionary serving in the Dominican Republic and Cuba, and the two began writing letters for nearly seven years, eventually leading them to their life-long love. Ervin married his southern belle, the love of his life on June 10, 1961, in Mountain City, Tennessee, Della Mae's home. 

The couple established their home in Tisdale and had two children: Jacqueline and Michael. Ervin and Della-Mae loved family and serving others and continued serving the community by their involvement in many local organizations, and their local church body by teaching many studies and classes, serving in a variety of leadership roles, directing choir and leading Sunday worship. 

Ervin served on local and provincial boards for Child Evangelism Fellowship and Gideons International for many decades.  Ervin and Della-Mae’s passion for missions continued long after retirement as they accompanied or led a number of short-term mission trips to Honduras and the Philippines. Family was the center of their life and they enjoyed time with their grandchildren and great-grandchildren and loved to visit their extended family in Canada and the southern states. A life-long sports’ fan, Ervin enjoyed cheering on his favorite teams and was a big fan of Vancouver Canucks, Saskatchewan Roughriders and Toronto Blue Jays.

Ervin spent the last two years of his life in care at the Wascana Veteran’s Unit in Regina. There, he enjoyed the weekly Happy Hour, music program, church services and supports by the Wascana Chaplain, and Regina Royal Canadian Legion banquets and other special events. He especially enjoyed the visits with family where he loved singing and playing games, receiving the latest updates on all of his grandchildren, recounting the stories of his youth and cheering on his favorite sports teams.  

The family wishes to thank the Veteran's Unit and all those involved in his care at Wascana for their professionalism and support, especially in the final weeks of Ervin's life.

Funeral Service will be held at Living Hope Alliance Church, 3900 Arcola Avenue, Regina, SK, on Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 1:30 p.m. with lunch and fellowship to follow.  

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE SERVICE VIDEO.