Obituary of Leo Moline
After 93 years of life, starting in the small town of Canwood, Saskatchewan as the fourth of ten children, Leo Moline passed away peacefully in Red Deer, Alberta on December 29, 2023, with family by his side.
Leo is survived by his wife of 43 years Norma (Wick); grandson Beau Stobbs, his wife Arlene, and their children Parker and Sawyer from Yellowknife; stepdaughter Debbie Stobbs-Tkach and her two daughters Kenisha and Shaye from Calgary. Leo is also survived by four younger siblings Lilleth (Elias) Shantz of Shellbrook, Willie of Calgary, Eleanor (Malcolm) Sinclair of Fort Qu’Appelle, and Melvin (Mary Ellen) of Stony Plain, sisters-in-law Marj Moline of Shellbrook and Donna Moline of Saskatoon, many nieces and nephews and close friends the Vida and Hollman families from Red Deer.
Leo is predeceased by his parents Billie and Emma Moline, sisters Vangie Moncrieff (2007), Audrey Carlson (2017), Phyllis Petersen (2020), brothers Bennie (1973) and Fred (1976) Moline and stepdaughter Kim Stobbs.
Leo’s journey started on December 1, 1930, in the small house on the farm located 1½ miles northeast of Canwood that was homesteaded by his grandparents and dad. Leo was the second of five sons of Billie and Emma Moline. Everyone in the community worked hard to support themselves but there was always time for antics which would provide Leo with stories for his remaining years, including what he referred to as “close calls”, noting that they were just not wanted “upstairs” yet. They were hard years but good years with good company.
Leo fondly remembered the first time he rode in a car, saw a self-propelled combine, and tasted a chocolate with a jam-filled center and when he discovered that planes didn’t only have to fly in a straight-line (stunt flying); so many things that we don’t think twice about today.
In 1951, at the age of 21, Leo left the farm and started the next stage of his life which took him all over the Prairies, including time in Australia.
Leo was a journeyman pipefitter by trade until his retirement in 1995 at the age of 65.
In 1980, Leo and Norma married and resided on an acreage north of Red Deer for over twenty years where they raised Beau. During this time, Leo became heavily involved in the local Air Cadet squadron, a commitment he undertook because Beau was actively enrolled in the program. Leo's dedication and hard work within the #65 Squadron of Air Cadets earned him numerous awards and consistent recognition, including the affectionate title of “The hardest working man in Air Cadets”.
Leo was a hard worker and always kept himself busy with work or puttering around. He worked alongside his nephew Greg Moline erecting steel structures post-retirement and enjoyed gardening, berry picking, making preserves, baking, a good game of cribbage, and long walks with the neighbor’s dog Lulu and he especially enjoyed watching his grandchildren grow up. After watching Norma make hundreds of needlepoint pictures over the years, he even made a few of them himself. At the age of 74, Leo enjoyed the adventure of paddling down the Yukon River, organized by his younger brother Mel.
In 2003, Leo and Norma moved from the acreage to their home in Red Deer where they resided until April 2022 when they moved to a retirement home in Red Deer.
A family burial will take place at the Canwood North Cemetery in the summer of 2024 where Leo will rest beside four generations of his family.
