Lawrence Fletcher

Lawrence Fletcher of Coalhurst, Alberta, beloved husband of the late Lorraine Katherine (Hunt), went home to be with his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, on Sunday, June 6, 2021 in Picture Butte at the age of 96 years.

Lawrence is survived by his sons, Larry (Donna) and Lyle (Beverley); daughters, Laurel Lynne (Gary) Fast and Lynda Lee (Del) Thiessen; 24 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren and 6 great-great grandchildren.

Born in a farmhouse near Strasbourg, Saskatchewan August 7, 1924, Lawrence was the oldest of four children of John Elmer and Florence (Ion) Fletcher. His siblings Lloyd, Eleanor and Gordon pre-deceased him. Raised in Ravenscrag, SK, the son of a grain elevator agent, he completed his high school education through correspondence. During the years of the Great Depression in the 1930s Lawrence’s family moved to Port Coquitlam, BC., for a year where his father worked in a rock quarry and helped build the Tsawwassen ferry landing. Lawrence completed grade 7 there and then again in the early 1940s, returned to the coast to work at a lumber mill at which time he wrote daily love letters to Lorraine who was attending business college in Calgary.  Lawrence and Lorraine were childhood friends in Ravenscrag.  One of Dad’s earliest memories was of Lorraine making him ‘mud’ pies and asking him to ‘push more’ on her tricycle down the dirt hill on main street.  Lorraine later made real, delicious pies and they rode life’s journey together, farming in southern Alberta for almost 64 years.  Married in Havre, Montana in 1946, they rented a farm near Cranford, Alberta, where Lawrence first started in irrigation farming and feedlot cattle. In 1961, they moved to the present Fletcher Farm near Nobleford, Alberta and with the help of Frank Fletcher, built on to the old original coal-mining house on the property which became home for over 60 years.

Lawrence’s farming adventures included grain farming, 32 years of growing sugar beets, raising feedlot cattle (1946-1996) and irrigation.  Lawrence served 9 years on the Board of Directors of the Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District (LNID), between 1977 and 1985.   Dad was especially proud of his sons farming with him and he looked forward to their regular morning breakfast meetings around the farmhouse kitchen table discussing weather, farming, news and precious scripture passages.

Some of his fondest memories were of the many trips he took at home and abroad.  Whether it was a spontaneous Sunday afternoon drive with Mom to the foothills, including home-made pie by the side of the road or an overseas adventure to England and Israel, Dad loved to discover trails old and new. His love of travel was fostered by the many trips his parents took the family on, the first of his recollection being in an open Model T to Strasbourg and a family trip to Yellowstone National Park in 1929 in a 1928 Model A. Dad’s first car was his Uncle Oliver’s Ford Model T, in which many happy jaunts were enjoyed by friends and family around the Ravenscrag hills.

Dad’s happiest moments were spent with family and friends, with many a laugh, whether sitting around the table with friends and neighbours or welcoming strangers in, such as cattle truck drivers, for a meal. His heart and laugh were as generous as his hands were strong. However, the greatest treasure Dad shared was the love of His Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ and the Bible.  He loved studying end-time prophecy and spent extensive time writing Bible study notes on his passion for the subjects of the grace of God, the salvation of God through His Son Jesus (“God will provide Himself a lamb…”Genesis 22:8) and the apostle John’s writings…the things which were (gospel of John), the things which are (epistle of John) and the things to come (book of Revelation).

Not a meeting or reunion could go by without sitting by the piano and singing the old time gospel songs.  Lawrence’s deep, booming voice could be heard by all.  In later years he would often sing through the old hymnal by himself, sitting in his chair, until he lost his voice.  In fact, some of his last moments on earth were accompanied by the singing of cherished hymns by his children – “When We All Get to Heaven… what a day of rejoicing that will be; when we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory!” (E.E. Hewitt).  Now he joins the exuberant chorus of Heaven, where songs of praises to his Lord will continue for eternity.

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