Obituary of Art Zelmer

September 20, 1937 – Red Lake, Ontario

March 14, 2022 – Calgary, Alberta

Arthur "Art” Zelmer, beloved husband of Carol Ann Mahan, of Calgary, AB, passed away on Monday, March 14, 2022 at the age of 84 years. He faced his recent battles with various medical issues with his characteristic grit and determination, never failing to put those close to him at ease with his contagious smile.

Art was born in 1937 in Red Lake, Ontario. In the spring of 1938, his parents, Evelyn and Eric Zelmer, returned with him to their family farm in Antler, Saskatchewan. As the oldest child on a working farm, Art graduated from the school of hard knocks, but also learned the 3-Rs in a two-room schoolhouse in Antler. Art left home for his final years of high school at Luther College in Regina.

While in Regina, Art served in the militia, beginning in 1963 and culminating with the honour of serving as an officer in the Sunset Guard ceremonies in recognition of the Canadian Centennial.

Art received his Bachelor of Education from the University of Saskatchewan in 1966 and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the same institution in 1967. It was around that time that he moved to Calgary to begin his career with the Calgary Board of Education.

Art’s teaching career spanned more than a quarter of a century, and much of the city, having taught all levels of mathematics at James Fowler, Crescent Heights, Viscount Bennett, Henry Wisewood and William Aberhart schools. He served as department head for varying amounts of time at all but one of those schools during his tenure. He will be remembered by students and faculty as much for his exacting standards, as he will for his overly colourful collection of ties.

Art has always been an avid outdoorsman, setting traplines and hunting waterfowl for the dinner table in his youth, hunting big game for most of his life, and participating in the occasional fishing trip. He also spent a great deal of his free time partaking in less dinner-oriented outdoor pursuits, enjoying hiking and camping in the warmer months, cross-country and downhill skiing, and the occasional snowshoe expedition, when snow was available. The only time that Art preferred not to be in the woods was when he was enjoying a pastime that, in his later years, grew into an obsession: golfing. Art managed to log close to, and sometimes over, 100 golf games for several years in a row; a true sign of his dedication to the sport in a region known for its short and fickle golfing season.

When not outdoors, Art was often found building something in his garage. Upon retiring from teaching, Art put his numerous skills to good use as a handyman for hire. He eventually leveraged his talents into a second career as a general contractor, which funded his passion for purchasing tools. It is a fitting tribute that many of those tools will now be used by students at Ernest P. Morrow School, helping them hone the skills that served Art so well.

Despite leaving Saskatchewan almost 55 years ago, Art’s love for the Saskatchewan Roughriders never wavered. It is difficult to gauge whether this fidelity stemmed from having jumped literal stubble in his youth, or was somehow influenced by having Ron Lancaster and Hugh Campbell (star members of what was arguably the greatest Rider team in history) as neighbours in 1966, the year the Riders won their first Grey Cup.

Art’s cantankerous façade belied a truly kind and remarkably generous nature. He will be remembered fondly by his wife, Carol, and her family, his daughter Cheryl (Curtis), his son Derek (Mary), his brothers David (Judy) and James (Karen), his sister Donna (Dellan), and his grandchildren (Kylah, Eric, Adelaide, and Lucy), and by all of the members of their respective families. Art was predeceased by his parents, Eric and Evelyn Marie Zelmer.

As per Art's wishes a private service has already been held. Condolences, memories and photos can also be shared and viewed here. If friends so desire memorial tributes may be made to Ducks Unlimited or to the SPCA.

In living memory of Art Zelmer, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Crowfoot, 82 Crowfoot Circle NW, Calgary, AB T3G 2T3, Telephone: 403-241-0044.