Obituary of Oscar John Quashnick

July 13, 1929 - Craigmyle, Alberta

August 12, 2024 - Calgary, Alberta

Oscar lived an ordinary life albeit often in extraordinary ways. He was befriended by Marylyn Monroe and played a round of golf with billionaire Jimmy Pattison for some strange reason. Oscar was not a golfer, living next to a golf course where his home was peppered with errand balls he rather detested the practice.

Born in Craigmyle, Alberta Oscar was raised on a sheep farm. He was the son of a son and daughter of immigrants of mixed German and Moldovan origin. Starting school only speaking German and having a father named Adolf during WW 2 could not have been easy for young Oscar.

For extra money Oscar’s dad shot coyotes for their pelts. A tender hearted and tenacious Oscar rescued and raised two orphaned coyotes. Upon maturity they too were likely shot by his dad. This would prove to be the archetype of the man Oscar would become; compassionate, determined, and bristled by the unfairness and injustice of the world, and obviously a grand lover of dogs.

At fourteen Oscar got his first job outside the farm at a blacksmith’s. It was hot, dirty & hard he recalled. His work life improved but it was always filled with laborious graft. Increasingly Oscar dreamt of starting his own business and at thirty-eight began that fulfilment. Simultaneously he satisfied his childhood ambition of learning to fly… not quite as a WW 2 RAF pilot but nevertheless with his own plane shared with his first business partner. This full blown shyster would nearly bankrupt Oscar and recklessly crash said airplane into the Porcupine Hills nearly killing Oscar as a passenger. The indefatigable Oscar managed to recover and in 1978 started his truly own business “Bruno Builders.” Through many travails it survived. At eighty-two Oscar was still occasionally climbing scaffolds and he will forever remain “The Boss”

At twenty-four Oscar married and began a fifty-eight year partnership with Becky Simpson of Bowden. She was essential to his success and happiness. In 2003 Becky had a debilitating stroke. Oscar’s best self, bloomed. He cared for his wife until her death in 2012 all while still managing the business. Truly remarkable given this seventy-four old man was entering a foreign world of caregiving. He had never even cooked a meal before that.

With Becky’s demise Oscar’s creeping dementia accelerated. It was the most challenging period of his life. In true Oscar fashion it also allowed that quiet, gentle inner strength to roar. Multiple health problems might slow but not stop him. His lifelong love of music grew. For a time his mandolin playing actually improved. Abandoning his self-criticism to be note perfect, the music became richer and more spontaneous. When he had let go of the mandolin Oscar started riffing on a harmonica. It must be a testament to his love of music that he could play it longer than he had the ability to feed himself.

The last days to hours to minutes Oscar would struggle but we believe he did not suffer. Rather he met the end as he had lived. With strength, valour and determination… and he never stopped giving endless love, gratitude and wonder.

Oscar was the best of us and as a caregiver said upon his death “All the good men are now gone”

In so much as Oscar reflects into life from death, we yet in life are drawn into death with him

Oscar mused very little on spirituality but he once said “There damn well better be Bluegrass music in heaven or I’m not going to stay”