The Memorial Wall

Percy Schmeiser, farmer known for fight against Monsanto, dead at 89. Schmeiser is remembered by his son as a dedicated father who loved taking his grandchildren fishing. Schmeiser, who had Parkinson's disease, is survived by his wife, Louise Schmeiser. 

John Schmeiser told CBC News his father died peacefully in his sleep Tuesday afternoon at the age of 89. Schmeiser had Parkinson's disease.

The Saskatchewan farmer became famous in the late 1990s after agrochemical giant Monsanto took him to court. The company had found its genetically modified canola in Schmeiser's field, but he had never paid for the right to grow it. Schmeiser insisted the seeds had blown onto his field in the wind and that he owned them. Monsanto sued him, and in the end, the case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled that the farmer had knowingly violated Monsanto's patent. 

As the world media descends on Percy Schmeiser and his battle with Monsanto, neighbours and scientists question the validity of his defence. Schmeiser's son John said the court case was only one part of his life, as it happened when Schmeiser was getting ready to retire. John said he'll remember Percy as a dedicated father, grandfather and businessman. 

"I am privileged to this day to be his son," John said. "Growing up, it was very, very evident right from the beginning about how concerned he was about his community and his family." Schmeiser served on town council in Bruno, Sask., for several years, both as mayor and as a councillor. He also ran a couple of businesses and ran a farm, John said. "We were always busy," John said. "And he always made time to be with family. And when grandchildren started to rise, it just took it to another level for him because he had more children to be around."

Saskatchewan farmer Percy Schmeiser’s battle with Monsanto, which went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, has been turned into a Hollywood movie called Percy. Although the movie is endorsed by Schmeiser’s family, there are concerns about its accuracy. Zakreski saw the movie at the Calgary Film Festival with Schmeiser's son, John, and said it was a strange and surreal experience. Though he said the film got more things right than wrong, there were some aspects where the director took artistic license. "The trial was a lot more intense and a lot more dramatic than it was portrayed," he said. "It took place in Saskatoon on a larger scale and it drew an incredible amount of interest. There were media scrums going into and out of court. It was a very high pressure situation."

"He was just an extraordinary person. I haven't met someone like him … an example for us all."

John said memories about his father that stand out are his passion for fishing and sharing his skills. "He would go to great lengths to take his grandchildren, when they were four, five, six years old, he would take them fishing. And he just loved doing that," John said. "For all of us, that was a very, very special thing and it was so important to him." Schmeiser would be filled with pride when he saw his grandchildren catch their first fish, John said. "I don't know who had a bigger smile, [Schmeiser] or one of his grandchildren," John said. "For him, that was just an incredible sense of accomplishment, to see them catch fish."

John said he hopes his father is remembered as that dedicated grandfather, passionate fisher and someone who would do anything to see his community succeed. Schmeiser would be there for his customers at the farm equipment dealership at any time, and even in retirement watched the weather to make sure they had a good harvest, John said. 

Schmeiser is survived by his wife Louise. The two had just had their 68th wedding anniversary on Oct. 2. John said they met at a dance in Bruno, Sask., and lived there their entire lives. Now, Bruno is home for him and his siblings forever, he said. 

In a video recorded in September 2020, the Schmeisers thanked people for their support through the legal battle and for the opportunity to have their story told in a recently released movie called Percy. (Mongrel Media/Vimeo)

Source: Saskatchewan

Eugene E. Loya, age 83, resident of Lake Shore, passed away on Thursday, September 3, 2020 at Good Samaritan Society – Bethany. Gene was born on June 6, 1937 in Brainerd to Ernest and Elsie (Kruger) Loya.

Gene graduated from Brainerd High School and was on the basketball state championship team of 1954. After graduation, he attended the University of Minnesota where he earned his Doctorate in Dental Medicine. After school, he joined the Air Force and was stationed in Tinker Air Force base in Del City, Oklahoma. Eventually, Gene opened his own dental practice in Minneapolis which was later relocated to Nisswa. He was an avid fisherman until he found his true passion in golf. Him and his wife, Patricia, were longtime golf members at Madden’s. His children will miss him and remember him as a fun, yet always a practical father.

He is survived by his children, Kristi (Don) Nelson, Greg (Denise), Brad (Heather); grandchildren, Tyler and Brett Nelson, Kelly (Derek) Jackson, Blake Loya, and Caitlyn and Makenna Loya; great-grandson, Owen Jackson; sister, Darlene Bolme; sister-in-law, Karen (Roger) Johnson; and many nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 61 years, Patricia (Marttila) Loya; brothers-in-law, Robert Marttila and Jeff Bolme; and sister-in-law, Jackie Marttila.

Eugene Loya lived with Parkinson's disease 

Nancy Gorr left her mark on the town of Peterborough, making history as the first female president of the Rotary, and a long-time leader of the Chamber of Commerce and the Parent Guidance Center.

Gorr, 86, a resident of Summerhill Assisted Living, passed away Aug. 22 after a period of failing health related to her ongoing battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Gorr was born and raised in Pennsylvania, and came by her civic-mindedness, helping her father tend the family “victory garden.”

She and her husband, Arthur Gorr, raised four children together. When her children chose to attend colleges in New England, Gorr began to look for a home in the area. When she walked into what would become her Pine Street home for the first time, she knew immediately it was the right fit.

“She turned to the real estate agent and said, ‘This is it. This is the house,’” her daughter, Ellen Gorr of Harrisville said. And from that moment, Gorr was all in as a member of the Peterborough community.

Though a transplant who landed in Peterborough in 1982, the Pennsylvania native lost no time in putting her civic-mindedness to work in her new hometown.

“She was always on a committee,” said Ellen. “If you were out in public with her, she knew everybody in town.”

Gorr jumped in with both feet into several town committees and charitable boards, as well as joining the Rotary Club, where she would eventually become the club’s first woman president.

In 1986, she became the Executive Director of the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, a post she held for nearly 10 years. In 1995, she was recognized as Peterborough’s Citizen of the Year for her work at the Chamber. But her “retirement” wasn’t to last. The next year, she became the executive director of the Parent Guidance Center, the organization that would eventually become The River Center. She held that position for another five years.

But she wasn’t only involved with civic and charitable endeavors. Gorr was a fixture in Peterborough, and could often be found at the Peterborough Diner or Nonie’s, singing with the Monadnock Chorus, among the audience at the Summer Lyceum series, or volunteering at the Union Congregational Church.

And she always had time for the people in her life.

Her grandson, Seth Blake, and his mother lived with Gorr for most of his childhood, he said in an interview Friday. And though his grandmother was always busy with one thing or another, she always had time for a conversation.

“She drove me to school, picked me up – she always had time for me, which was amazing,” Blake said. “As a little kid, you don’t think so much about it, but in retrospect, knowing how busy and active she was, it’s remarkable.”

Gorr had a personality that made it easy to open up to her.

“She was very warm, and very much made people feel comfortable,” Blake said. “She had a gentle sense of humor. She was very jovial and quick to laugh.”

“She was very accepting of all people,” said Ellen Gorr. “She really liked meeting people and building relationships.”

Gorr was a strong believer in supporting the local economy, and would eat out multiple times a week, with several “favorite” spots.

“People should know – if there was any doubt – that she was who she appeared to be, which was just an incredibly passionate and compassionate person,” Blake said. “She loved this town, was uncynical in her civic life and causes. She’s the kind of person who devoted herself to making life, and society, in her own small way, better for everybody. She had a devotion to service and volunteerism, and trying to leave the world a better place than she found it.”

George Madsen(1934 - 2018) Madsen, George George E. Madsen, 84, born March 15, 1934, in Fresno, CA, died October 21, 2018, at home. He leaves behind his wife Sandy, daughter, Vivian Ryan (Don); granddaughter Laura, USAF (Chase Mattingly, USAF) and new great-granddaughter Harper Elizabeth Mattingly; granddaughters Amber, Kendra, and Eileen; daughter Cheryl Knobbe (John) and granddaughters Olivia and Estella; and extra daughter Gini Chubbuck Kenwisher (Gary) and her son Cameron.

George Madsen received a BS and an MS from Cal Tech in Civil Engineering. He was a very dedicated Civil Engineer, Public Health Service, Flood Estimator, Hydrologist for Arctic Health Research in Alaska and designed and built experimental housing; did Sewerage Survey for Northern San Diego County; he was City Engineer and Public Works Director for the City of Costa Mesa; introduced double left-turn pockets in the City of Costa Mesa; worked on street development projects around South Coast Plaza via Segerstrom family; created mound/mountain at TeWinkle Park; was in charge of the engineering research and restoration of the Adobe at Estancia Park.

George was active in engineering societies and very devoted to and active in the Presbyterian Church of The Covenant, especially doing engineering in the building of the church buildings, parking lots, walls, furniture. George was a strong family man, teaching, working with the girls; camping, fishing, canoeing, skiing; their sports, colleges, and especially loved his granddaughters, their schooling and sports, always there for us and others.

Arliene Brucker of Hot Springs Village, Arkansas passed away peacefully at her beautiful lake home surrounded by her family on January 26, 2020. She was born in Milwaukee, WI on April 24, 1935 to Raymond and Harriet (Loomis) Schneidewind.

In life she defeated Parkinson’s. Arliene loved water skiing on the Colorado River, traveling the country in their motor home, boat rides on Lake Balboa, and playing cards with family and friends. She was an active member of Christ of the Hills United Methodist Church.

Survivors include her loving husband of 58 years, Richard; daughter, Maxy, husband Don; sons Ken, wife Camilyn; Alan, wife Becky; four grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; sisters Gail Kelly, Nancy Fisher; numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents