Obituary of Glen Everett STAROSZIK

April 7, 1930 – Rimbey, Alberta
November 12, 2020 – Calgary, Alberta

Glen Everett Staroszik passed away peacefully after a brief illness, on Thursday, November 12, 2020 in Calgary, AB, at the age of 90.  Glen was born April 7, 1930, in Rimbey, AB, the first child born in the newly completed Rimbey General Hospital.  Glen was one of seven children born to Gustof and Waiva (nee Webb), who moved to the Rimbey area as young children with their parents in the early 1900’s, to homestead.  Glen’s early life was spent on the family homestead newly carved out of the bush.  He, like his siblings, worked hard on the farm.  He rode a horse to school.  He learned to be self-reliant, resourceful and how to hunt and fish.  The annual hunting trip with his father and brothers would continue for some fifty years.  These hunting trips provided his family with elk and moose meat throughout the year.

When he was 18, Glen and his brother Earl rode Indian motorcycles from Rimbey to Mexico City and back, mostly on gravel and dirt roads; quite an accomplishment for the time.  Like his brothers before him, Glen left the farm to work on drilling rigs in Northern Alberta.  That ended in 1949 when he married Aileen (Dolly) Berg of Red Deer.  They moved to Calgary soon after, settling in Forest Lawn when it was still a separate town.  Glen and Dolly had four children, Judy, Ken, Colleen and Arne.  Sadly, Dolly’s life was cut short by an aneurism at age 26.

Fortune would smile on Glen soon after when he met recently widowed Elsie Petrie (nee Vigar) at The Avenue Dance Hall in Calgary.  They were married in Calgary on November 8, 1958, and shared their lives for sixty-two years.  Glen and Elsie added two children to the brood, Joyce and Lana.  With six young children at home, there was always a lot going on in the household.  Dinners around the kitchen table for eight were boisterous affairs.  Those children sitting closest to Glen soon learned to guard their desserts, for if they didn’t, he would swoop in for himself.  When the theft was discovered, his only defence was to present a contented smile.  Over the years their children’s accomplishments brought Glen and Elsie much joy.

Glen spent much of his career hauling portable camps, schools and offices for Atco Structures to the far corners of Canada and Alaska, which would sometimes take him down bush-trails and ice roads.  Always a safety-doobie at the wheel of his truck, he was never in an accident and never (how, is hard to imagine) had a speeding ticket.  He could years later recall the precise route he took to some remote mining camp or rig site including the highway numbers, road conditions, and weather.

Glen’s skills as a mechanic were legendary and he had every tool and part needed to fix anything in his garage, if he could only find it!  Glen put his skills as a creative mechanic to use later in his career at Atco, helping them redesign the suspension and braking systems on their portable units to improve road safety.  After retiring from Atco, Glen continued working with the Southern Family (Spruce Meadows), where he put his driving and horse skills to good use hauling jumping horses all over North America.

Glen missed the road and hauling trailers, so after retiring as a driver for Atco, he bought a fifth-wheel travel trailer that he hauled all around Alberta.  He claimed without embarrassment that this was “camping”, his children thought “trailering” was a better description!  Later in life, he and Elsie would travel to Florida in the winter to visit Glen’s uncle Fred.  Florida offered them a reprieve from the cold Alberta winters, and not surprising, over the years their stays in Florida got long and longer.

When the children left home, he and Elsie dusted off their dancing shoes.  They became regulars at many dance halls in Calgary and area including Forest Lawn Seniors Centre.  They were also regulars at the annual Old Time Music Jamboree in Hanna, AB.  Dance halls and dance groups became the centre of their social life and brought them much joy and many new friends.

Glen was affable and kind to others and always enjoyed telling or listening to a good story.  He enjoyed playing cards and visiting at family events.  He had a beautiful smile and was quick to laugh at a joke.  He will be sorely missed by all of his family and friends.

Glen is survived by his loving wife Elsie, five children, Ken (Dayla), Colleen (Calvin), Arne (Heather), Joyce (Ailleen) and Lana; five grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren, as well as many nieces and nephews in Canada, Australia and USA.  He is also survived by his sister Alice in Medicine Hat, AB, and brother-in-law Bill in Calgary.  He was predeceased by his daughter Judy Brickner, his grandson Jesse de Champlain, his parents, sister Florence, and brothers, Harold, George, Earl and Gordon.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, a Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.  Condolences, memories and photos may be shared and viewed on Glen’s obituary at www.McInnisandHolloway.com.

In living memory of Glen Staroszik, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis and Holloway Funeral Homes, Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB T2S 2L5, Telephone: 403-243-8200.