Charles Herbst

FUNERAL DETAILS: scroll to the bottom of the obituary. TO LEAVE A CONDOLENCE MESSAGE: click on the “Memory Wall” tab above TO MAKE A MEMORIAL DONATION: scroll to the bottom of this page. Charles Patrick Herbst was born May 12, 1938, at the family farm in Faith, AB. He took his schooling at Hoping School. After Grade 9, he left school and went to work on the oil rigs, as well as helping his dad on the family farm. In 1955 Charles met Lyla Leighton and fell in love. On August 3, 1957, he married Lyla, the love of his life, and they started farming. They were blessed with their first child, a daughter, Patricia. In 1958 they started a lifelong career driving school bus. In April 1960, Charles was over the moon with the birth of their son, Tim. Charles and Lyla spent many years working hard but having a lot of fun travelling with friends and family. Times were not always easy, but they stuck together and made things work. Charlie got his real estate license and sold real estate. He was also a cattle buyer for Purlich Auctions; he learned a lot about buying and selling cattle from Tony Purlich, knowledge he was able to use for the rest of his life. In 2003 Charles and Lyla retired from driving school bus after watching many generations of neighbours grow as they passed through the doors of their buses. In 2005 they bought Charlie’s dream ranch in Whitewood, SK, and spent the rest of Charlie’s life raising cattle and tinkering on the ranch. Charlie never lost his love of teasing and telling jokes and stories. He usually could be found at the local auction or coffee shop catching up on the latest news. Charles and Lyla always loved good country music and dancing together. In the later years, they regularly went to the Red Barn at Kenosee Lake to listen to the local musicians and dance to the old-time country music. On April 2, 2020, Charles started his battle with gall bladder issues. He fought hard to overcome his illness. When he realized he was not going to win, he asked to spend his last days surrounded by his family. Many of his loved ones travelled to have a last beer with Charlie. On Tuesday, June 23, 2020, he passed away peacefully with Lyla by his side. Charles is survived by his wife of 63 years, Lyla; his daughter, Patricia (Ken); his son, Tim (Vicki); five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren; his brother, Robert (Charlotte); his sisters-in-law, Janet and Melody; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, John and Gladys; his brothers, Frank, Edward and Aubrey; and his sisters, Magdelina, Delores and Agnes.