Obituary of Ralph Meays

MEAYS - Mr. Ralph Melvin Meays, beloved husband of Rose, passed away peacefully at the age of 92 on Feb. 29, 2016 at the Yorkton Regional Health Centre. His family is thankful for his peaceful passing, and although he leaves us with heavy hearts, we take comfort in knowing this is the way he wanted it. Ralph was born June 28, 1923 to Clifford and Gladys (Ball) Meays of Willowbrook, SK, where he was raised. He attended Silver Willow School till brother Harold went to serve in WWII and Ralph was needed at home to help on the farm. In the years to follow he would meet his wife to be. Ralph married Rose Wuschenny October 15, 1952. Their family grew to include 3 sons and a daughter, while Ralph continued his love of farming on the family farm till moving to Yorkton in 1977. As a young family man, Ralph enjoyed playing softball, curling and coaching his boys' ball teams. He was very active in his community, always willing to help out friends and family when needed. Ralph was the first school bus driver for Willowbrook School, another job he thoroughly enjoyed. Driving bus was Ralph's job till his retirement. In retirement Ralph kept active with a large group of friends that met for coffee. Some of his favourite times were going to play pool with another group of friends and this continued till just a few months ago. Other pastimes included hours of reading the newspaper and watching sports on TV. NHL playoffs were always a big deal. Ralph was also an avid Terrier fan and held a season ticket for many years. Ralph was a man of few words, but those few words usually made all those around him laugh because of his great sense of humour. He was witty and had an ability to leave a person smiling. As Ralph's last couple years progressed, so did his personal care needs. He was a very fortunate man to have an extremely dedicated wife who had his best interests at heart. Because of Roses' insistence and exceptional care, Ralph spent his entire life, very comfortably, in their home. Roses' love and care for Ralph extended beyond the norm. Ralph was blessed with the longest life of his immediate family, so there will be a blissful reunion with his parents, brother Harold and sisters Olive Meays, Joyce Urbanoski, and Carol Hastie, now that Ralph has joined them all in heaven. This heavenly reunion will include many extended family members and good friends, too numerous to mention. Ralph was also predeceased by his youngest son, Sheldon on May 3rd, 1980. Sheldon's death weighed heavily on Ralph's heart throughout the years, so there is no doubt that their heavenly reunion will be the most joyous! Ralph leaves to cherish all the memories, his wife of 63 years, Rose, sons Barry of Edmonton, AB and Brent of Scotch Creek, BC; daughter Shelley Norrish (Bruce) and grandsons Jamie of Kelowna, BC, Dallan and Teagan of Saskatoon, SK as well as cousins, nieces and nephews. The funeral service was held on Friday, March 4th 2016 from St. Andrew's United Church in Yorkton with Rev. Jen Dresser officiating. Son Barry, son-in-law Bruce, and grandson Jamie gave a family tribute to Ralph. Organist, Shani Apland led members of the church choir and the congregation in the singing of the hymns 'Church in the Wildwood' and 'Amazing Grace'. The recessional was a recording of 'Too Old to Die Young'. The interment followed in the Garden of St. John at the Yorkton Memorial Gardens with grandsons Jamie, Dallan & Teagan serving as the urnbearers. Condolences can be left at baileysfuneralhome.com. Memorials in Ralph's memory may be made to the Heart & Stroke Foundation or to St. Andrew's United Church. Service Information Friday, March 4th, 2016 2:30pm, St. Andrew's United Church Interment Details Yorkton Memorial Gardens