Edmonds – Ian Owen Edmonds, son of Rev. George Edmonds and Carole Edmonds of Brooks, passed away in Medicine Hat on Monday, May 3rd, 2021 at the age of 49 years, but there is so much more to say that we can’t cover it all. Ian was born on January 16th, 1972 in Leamington, Ontario when Carole and I were Salvation Army Officers. When we became part of the United Church in Naicam, Saskatchewan it was there that he started his schooling. We were going through his stuff and came across the racing car that he had constructed in Cubs. As he grew, he was active in minor sports and we have some fond memories of him doing his best for his hockey team. Along the way he became involved in the Army Cadet Program and spent several summers at Army Camps, and we especially remember our trip to Vernon, where he spent six week there as a Cadet. His training as a Cadet educated him on the safe operation of firearms. He enjoyed the fellowship that he shared with both the local Cadets in Naicam and at the camps he participated in. School was difficult for him and he travelled from Naicam to Melfort for Special Education. It was a time when he participated in Special Olympics. At a Special Olympics reception in Calgary he got to see many hockey stars, and NHL referees. He kept his Special Olympics trophies to himself, because he just wanted to be one of the guys. After leaving school he went to Winnipeg to work at one of the Divisions of Drive Products that his uncle owned. He worked there for a little over a year and because of an economic downturn that Division was closed. He then moved from Naicam to Radville, Saskatchewan. He came home and got a job at Larsen Farms and thoroughly enjoyed working on their family farm. He had the natural ability, although educationally challenged in the school system, to display his mechanical skills. I remember once going back to Radville to help him with his Mazda 626. When I got there he had the whole front end including the transmission spread out on the floor. I took one look and thought he would never get all the parts back together. After I fixed the one problem, I went away for the rest of the day and when I came back the next day it was all together perfectly, no manual, just an incredible memory. As happens so often with people who are educationally challenged, they have other skills that unfortunately the education system does not address. He moved from there to Brooks and worked at Lakeside in the freezing department driving Tow Motor and loading trucks. From there one of his friends Bill got him a job pipe-lining. When we were going through his personal effects, he had many pictures of machines he operated and worked on with him brightly smiling. It was clear that this was both a highlight and a challenge. Unfortunately during his lifetime he was challenged by severe obesity. Part of the problem was from the strong medication that he took since he was 12 years old for Psoriasis. He made the decision to have his stomach tied. He had a tough time recovering from the surgeries, but the outcome was he lost an incredible amount of weight, and his uncle gave him the money for a Toyota Tacoma, which was the joy of his life considering all the beaters that he had driven. The outcome of the operation brought with it the increased risk of alcohol addiction. Sad to say that the last days of his life were spent desperately fighting this addiction, but never being able to say no. After many trips to the hospital he succumbed to a heart attack. The load on his body from gaining all his weight back, plus the abuse of alcohol were too much. We will remember the good times we had together and all the work that he did with us when we remodeled our house. Ian is also survived by a brother Nathan and his wife Leigh of Calgary; sister Audrey Knutsen and her husband Rob of Assiniboia, Saskatchewan and numerous other family members. We are going to spread his ashes in the fields where he hunted as that truly was one of the joys of his life. We remember all the joys that he quietly gave to us. Thanks be to God.
Cremation is entrusted to and conducted by
Smith Funeral Home Ltd. and Crematorium, Brooks
Funeral arrangements entrusted to:
SMITH FUNERAL HOME LTD. AND CREMATORIUM
BROOKS, ALBERTA
Condolences may be forwarded through www.sfh.ca
Telephone 403-362-4636 or Toll Free (866)-362-4652
“Our Families Serving Your Family Since 1951”
