OSCAR G. BLACKBURN

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OSCAR G. BLACKBURN April 2, 1912 - March 2, 2007 Oscar passed away on March 2, 2007 at Rosewood Lodge in Stonewall. He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Florence, in 1970. Born in Montreal in 1912, Oscar was educated in Quebec's cours classique system, and then completed high school in Alberta where his mother and the rest of the family had moved after his father's premature death. With no prospects for employment as this was during the depression, he went to work on his stepfather's Peace River farm. A big transition for this city-slicker', but one which Oscar seems to have taken in stride, although he did have a number of humourous greenhorn' stories about driving mules on the farm and unwittingly buying a lame horse at an auction. In Peace River, Oscar met members of the Lauze family who had moved from Manitoba to farm in the area. One of the brothers, visiting from Manitoba, introduced Oscar to his sister, Florence Lauze, whom Oscar later married. He also referred Oscar to his first paying job as the first schoolteacher in South Indian Lake. After a few years, Oscar opened a store in competition with the Hudson's Bay Co. eventually combining commercial fish buying with fur trading. Years later he returned to teaching. He subsequently joined the federal government as a community development officer. His special responsibility was to help the South Indian Lake community represent their interests in the face of hydroelectric power projects-related flooding. During this time the South Indian Lake community honoured Oscar by naming their new school the Oscar Blackburn School. After retirement, Oscar spent several years in Thompson where he was able to keep in touch with many people from South Indian Lake who visited him while doing business in Thompson. He then moved to Stonewall where he honed his gourmet cooking skills and spent many hours helping Wayne with endless carpentry projects. After it was no longer possible for him to live independently, Oscar moved to Rosewood Lodge where he received excellent care until his passing. The family would like to express their sincere thanks to Rosewood Lodge's conscientious caregivers. Oscar will be sadly missed by son Wayne (Helen), daughter Carol, granddaughters Casey Lee and Cindy and great-grandson Tyler. In accordance with Oscar's wishes, cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held on March 8, 2007 at 1:00 p.m. at Cropo Funeral Chapel, 1442 Main Street, Winnipeg. In lieu of flowers, if so desired, donations may be made to the Stonewall District Centre Auxiliary, 513 First Avenue West, Stonewall MB R0C 2Z0. CROPO FUNERAL CHAPEL 586-8044

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 05, 2007