Obituary of Arthur Hartle

HARTLE: With great sadness, the family of Arthur Hartle announce his passing on Sunday, January 21, 2018, in Brandon, at the age of 100 years. Dad was born on November 25, 1917, in Derbyshire, England to Samuel and Sarah Hartle. After completing Grade 8, he worked on the family farm until serving with the Sherwood Forresters in the British Home Guard during World War II. Art immigrated to Canada in 1948 where he worked in logging camps and farming in Ontario. He then moved to Manitoba and worked as a hired hand for Ernie Mitchell, north of Douglas. It was during this time that he met Mary Peace (née Brown) a war widow, and they were married on December 9, 1953, in Brandon. For many years Art worked for Porteous Manufacturing, building and installing furnaces. In 1965, the family moved to a farm 4 miles south of Wheatlands, where they farmed 960 acres until 1987 when it was time to retire. Art and Mary then moved into Rivers and enjoyed being part of the Church community and Seniors Club for many years. After Mary's death in 1995, Art enjoyed a special friendship with Jessie Blatchford for a number of years. In September of 2012, a move to Hillcrest Care Home in Brandon was necessitated by reduced health and mobility concerns, where he resided until his passing. He was predeceased by his parents, two siblings, his wife Mary, and special friend Jessie. He is survived by his son Jim (Kelly), daughter Pat (Walter), and son Les (Hannah), and grandchildren Leah, Lisa, Susan, Edward, Brian and Kristine, and 14 great-grandchildren. Art also leaves to mourn his niece Eleanor Beever (Marlin) in Rivers. Dad was a man of many interests and was frequently described as a "diamond in the rough." Farming was his life-long passion and certainly brought out the "Mr. Fix-it" in him, because there wasn't anything he couldn't fix or repair, including a very unique hand-crafted winter canopy for his scooter. He was also extremely proud of his lawn tractor and designed his own custom set of harrows for weeding his garden. For those who knew him well, his sharp wit, good sense of humour and strong quiet demeanor will always be remembered. Art also enjoyed many years of fishing, and he actually did catch "The Big One" at Clear Lake. Art started playing golf shortly after retirement and was a regular fixture at the Riverdale Golf Course well into his 90's, and played his final round in Brandon just 2 and a half years ago. In addition to golf, his other favourite activities included gardening, shooting pool at the Seniors Club and dining at Lee's restaurant. Dad especially enjoyed numerous family celebrations and special events, during which the grandchildren could always get him to pose for a photograph. He will be dearly missed by his family and all who knew him. His legacy will definitely live on. The family would like to extend their sincere thanks to the Staff at Hillcrest Personal Care Home for their excellent care and support. A funeral service will be held at Rivers United Church on Saturday, January 27, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. with Rev. Glenna Beauchamp officiating. Interment will follow at Rivers Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Art may be made to the Canadian Diabetes Association, Unit A1-800 Rosser Ave., Brandon, MB, R7A 6N5, Canadian Cancer Society, 415-1st Street, Brandon, MB, R7A 2W8 or a charity of choice.