Earl Weatherhead

1942 - 2020

 Clarence Earl Weatherhead, beloved husband of Marilyn Weatherhead, passed away in Burdett on Thursday, April 30, 2020 at the age of 78 years.

  As a result of the restrictions regarding COVID-19, and the government’s recommendations, a private visitation was held at Southland Funeral Chapel on Monday, May 4, 2020. A private burial service was held at the Burdett Cemetery on Monday, May 5, 2020 at 2:00 P.M. A service in celebration of Earl’s life will be held at a later date. 

 Besides his loving wife Marilyn, Earl is survived by his three children Samia (Darren) Umeris of Kelowna and their children Mahala, Julian and Jessie; Jeff (Jill) Weatherhead of Bow Island and their children Elody, Foster and Hudson; Brad (Jessica) Weatherhead of Duchess and their children Zander, Breton and Walker. He is also survived by his siblings Shirley Stensrud, Larry Weatherhead, Jean (Ivan) Eriksen, Arlene Poole, Carol Weatherhead and Sherry (Don) Drake all of Burdett; brother-in-law Ray (Theresa) Ell of Australia as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

 He was predeceased by his parents Clarence and May Weatherhead; brother Dale Weatherhead; brothers-in-law Adrien Stensrud and Ross Poole; and sister-in-law Mavis Weatherhead. 

 Earl was born in Medicine Hat on January, 17, 1942. He grew up in Burdett with his loving parents and seven siblings. Earl attended Burdett school and Senator Gershaw school in Bow Island in later years. Earl married the love of his life, Marilyn Ell on August 1, 1964 in Bow Island. They moved to Calgary for Earl to attend the University of Calgary to complete his Bachelor of Education degree. They lived in Calgary for sixteen years where he taught elementary school. The first four years he was a classroom teacher and then he moved into administration. Earl became vice principal and then moved onto a principalship for several years. He loved teaching but found his heart was calling him home to Burdett to farm and be close to his family. Besides farming he also worked alongside his brother Larry at Green Power for many years, retiring in 2011.

 Earl was a loving father to his three children Samia, Jeffrey and Bradley and was very proud of all of them. His daughters-in-law and son-in-law were also very special to him. Earl adored his nine grandchildren and took pride in watching all of their sporting and school events. We have enjoyed looking back on his life, sharing memories and we all admire what kind of a man he was.

 Earl and Marilyn were married for fifty five years. They loved to travel with friends and family and some of their favourite memories were trips to the Bahamas, Arizona, Mexico, Punta Cana, Germany, Russia, Hawaii, Cape Breton and Australia.

 Some of Earl’s hobbies over the years were camping, boating, golfing, photography, card games and he loved history. He was a devoted fan of the Calgary Flames even though the rest of his family were die hard Oiler fans! He enjoyed a good sudoku or crossword puzzle anytime and this is likely what kept him so sharp. He was known for his wit and one off wisecracks, that no one would see coming.

 Most of all, Earl loved spending time with family and friends. His brothers, sisters and in-laws were family but also dear friends. He always enjoyed family celebrations which often ended up as one of his famous garage parties. He was known as “rubber legs” as he was a fantastic dancer and loved music. Earl also brought to fame, the beloved “pocket dance." If you knew Earl, you knew he loved a good whiskey on the deck. He enjoyed an evening around the fire pit and had a real love of the stars at night.

Dad was a very patient man, watching quietly and having his coffee in the mornings on the deck, waiting for his favourite finches and hummingbirds to visit.

 On April 30, Earl passed away peacefully, after a year long battle with cancer. He never gave up and fought so hard to stay, but we know in our hearts, he is no longer suffering and he is now at peace. Earl’s own children, grandchildren and all who knew him will remember him as a kind, generous, smart, funny and thoughtful man with the warmest smile. We feel so thankful to have had him in our lives. We will miss him and love him forever.

 If friends so desire, memorial tributes in Earl’s name may be made directly to the Canadian Cancer Society, 200, 325 Manning Road NE, Calgary, Alberta T2E 2P5 www.cancer.ca.  

 We are so grateful for the special care he received from Dr. Tawfeeq. Dad always felt lighter and uplifted after each visit. Dr. Tawfeeq always went above and beyond with his care. We would also like to thank home care for providing excellent care and support needed to keep Dad at home with all of us. We feel so grateful that Dad left us feeling very loved and cared for by everyone around him.