MAGNUS ELIASON, O.F.

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MAGNUS ELIASON, O.F. Peacefully on Friday, November 11, 2005, Magnus Eliason passed away at the age of 94 years. Magnus was born June 21, 1911 to Gudmundur and Margret (Sveinsdottir) Eliason, Icelandic pioneers in the Arnes district. He was predeceased by his beloved wife Catherine (Kay) in 2000, his parents, sister Kristin and brothers, Thorsteinn, August and Helgi. He was also predeceased by brothers' and sister-in-law, Donald, Murdo, Malcolm and Don and Ann Large. Surviving to mourn his loss are brothers Frank, dear friend and companion Betty Laing, special nieces and nephew, Wanda and husband Yinka Opanubi and family, Carol Macfarlane, and Brian and Vera Sigurdson. Also surviving are Ena and John Macfarlane, Diana and Dawn Macfarlane and their families. He will be remembered by many friends he met along the way. Magnus was born and raised on the farmstead, North Laufholi . He was greatly influenced by his parents' liberal politics. He was born with only 10 percent normal vision but did not let this stand in his way. He assessed his handicap, and decided to do the things he could do, and let the things he could not do fall by the wayside. Among his assets were physical strength - he worked in the bush cutting timber alongside his brothers and often walked many miles in a day. Magnus had a deep impressive voice, intelligence, strong political conviction, a sense of humour and an ability to see the best in people and situations. In the early 1930's, Magnus and his brothers Helgi and Frank headed to the Peace River district of northern British Columbia and Alberta, to homestead in the Icelandic settlement of Sunnybrook near Dawson Creek, BC. Magnus was a founding member of the CCF, deeply committed to the social democratic cause throughout his life. He met and worked with giants in the CCF movement, J.S. Woodsworth, Tommy Douglas and Stanley Knowles and later Ed Schreyer with the NDP. Magnus was encouraged to take up public speaking and became such a formidable platform speaker that he was eventually hired as an organizer by the CCF and NDP. He carried the CCF word throughout Western Canada and into some areas of Atlantic Canada. Magnus rode a freight train to Vancouver for the 1935 CCF convention. He ran for the CCF nomination in Peace River in the 1937 provincial election, but was defeated. It was the first of many political defeats, until he was elected as City councillor in Winnipeg in 1968. He served five terms on council, formally retiring in 1989. Magnus married Kay Macfarlane in 1965. She shared his passion for politics. In 1978 he and Kay joined with Jim Maloway and purchased a general insurance agency, which is still operating today. If Magnus was passionate about politics, he was equally so about his Icelandic heritage. He worked tirelessly both in the Icelandic community and for the Scandinavian Centre. He has served as president and for several years undertook fundraising efforts for the Scandinavian Centre. He was often called upon to recite Icelandic poetry, being particularly fond of the poems by Guttormur Guttormsson. In 2003 the President of Iceland invested Magnus with Iceland's highest honour, the Order of the Falcon. Magnus had a great interest in trains, instilled in him during depression years riding the rails. In later years Magnus became concerned about the world environment. Among many other organizations, Magnus was a member of Heritage Winnipeg and the Council of Canadians. Flowers gratefully declined. If friends desire, donations can be made to the Scandinavian Centre, 764 Erin St. or the Prairie Dog Central - Vintage Locomotive Society Inc., P.O. Box 33021 RPO Polo Park, R3G 3N4, or Heritage Winnipeg, 509-63 Albert St. Friends may call from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday, November 18 at Neil Bardal Inc., 984 Portage Ave., Aubrey Street entrance. Magnus will be buried in the family plot in Arnes, MB on Saturday, November 19 at 10:00 a.m. and a memorial service will be held in his honour at 2:00 p.m. in Westminster United Church, Maryland and Westminster. Anyone wishing to send a message of condolence may do so by sending to: condolences@nbardal.mb.ca. NEIL BARDAL INC. 949-2200

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Nov 15, 2005