Dad (Alva Hartley) was born in Watson on February 4, 1938. He married Mom (Pat Mathieson) on July 16, 1960 and together they had us three wonderful children – Shona, Penny and Trevor. He was blessed to have 14 grandchildren and five great-grandkids at the time of his death. We all have our own memories of Dad/Gramps. Some memories make us smile, others make us cringe, but our fondest shared memory is of him playing the guitar and singing around the campfire. Dad had an incredible gift of music and could pick up a guitar or mandolin and play for hours, entertaining friends or family. Even the horde of keys hanging from his belt jingled in rhythm when he walked. The grandkids will miss his homemade beef jerky, which he hand-bagged and labelled for each one. Dad was a bargain shopper, when he found a good deal, he absolutely had to buy at least three of everything! Dad had robust opinions about pretty much everything and shared them freely, whether we wanted to hear it or not. He preached relentlessly of the benefits of vitamins and kept numerous bottles of peroxide on hand to cure every ailment. He loved us all very deeply. We are grateful for the good times and trust the rest to God’s mercy. “Our family is a circle of strength and love. With every birth and union, it grows. Every crisis faced together makes the circle stronger.”

Dad died on Friday, August 28, 2020 at Biggar and is survived by his children Shona (Kim) Braun of Rosetown and family Riley (Roxy), Tanner and Kassidy; Penny (Pat) Volk of Denzil and family Tyson (Patty) Nate, Finn, Nora and Hanes, Elliott (Noah) Roellchen-Pfohl and son Knox, Kohen, Gracie, Piper and Gemma; and Trevor (Carla) of Red Deer and family Tess (Dave), Kale, Quaid and Tavis.

He was predeceased by his grandson Luke in 1995, parents Newt and Evelyn Hartley; and the mother of his children Pat.

A Family Graveside service was held on Sunday, August 30, 2020, 1:00 p.m. at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Cemetery, Denzil, SK with Reverend Father Binu Rathappillil, VC presiding. Donations in memory of Dad may be made to Biggar & District Health Centre LTC, P.O. Box 130, Biggar, SK S0K 0M0.