Gerhard (George) Adrian
(1916 – 1989)

Gerhard Adrian, known as George to his friends, was born Feb 23, 1916. He was raised in the Carmen District, north of Waldheim.

He was baptised on the confession of his faith on May 17, 1937 in Laird. In June 1943 he married Mary Klassen of Laird. Their marriage was blessed with three daughters and one son.

They farmed north of Waldheim for one year before buying a farm and moving to Rabbit Lake, SK. A year later they rented the farm out and moved to New Westminster, BC where George was employed in a sawmill — but soon they returned to the farm in Rabbit Lake again. In 1976 they retired from farming and moved to North Battleford. There George did a variety of odd jobs until he underwent open-heart surgery in 1980. Eventually, they moved to Waldheim. Here, they bought a house and turned it into a home, added a garage and enjoyed their yard. Once again George was a farmer; this time it included vegetables, a flower garden, and even some fruit trees.

Besides travelling and fishing, he was very active in the community and thoroughly enjoyed his retirement. A serious car accident July 31, 1987 followed by his final illness made the last one and one-half years of his life difficult. Through all of this he kept his positive attitude and, as much as possible, tried to do things for himself. However, the friendship, help, and support of friends and neighbours was deeply appreciated.

He died March 12, 1989 in Saskatoon City Hospital. Surviving are his wife Mary, daughters Grace (John) Chwartkowski, Joyce (Ron) Sotski, Lorna Marks, son Melvin Adrian; nine grandchildren, one great grandson, nine foster children; sisters Anne Unruh and Margaret (Emery) Friesen; sisters-in-law Helen Adrian, Esther Adrian, Mary Adrian; mother-in-law Helena Klassen and many relatives and friends. He was pre-deceased by his parents, Henry and Maria Adrian; sisters Annie Adrian, Mary Funk, and Gertrude Heppner; brothers Henry, Pete, Jake, and two named John.