JOHN (BUTCH) BESTLAND

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JOHN (BUTCH) BESTLAND 1939 2007 It is with deep sorrow that the family of John Bestland announce his sudden death on February 22, 2007, at the St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg at the age of 68 years. His passing was peaceful and he was surrounded by people who loved him. John Montage Bestland was born on January 3, 1939, in Winnipeg, the second son of Orlando Bestland and Polly Bestland, nee Gonzola. John, also known to family and friends as Butch, was raised on a farm near Brunkild, with five brothers and four sisters. He graduated from high school in Brunkild in 1956. In January 1957 he went to St. Paul, Minnesota, and signed a six-year enlistment with the US Navy. After basic training at the US Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, Illinois, he was sent first to Norman, Oklahoma, for additional training and then on to Lakehurst, New Jersey, for Aerographer's Mate (weatherman) training. His first posting was in Washington, DC at the National Weather Service. In 1959 he was stationed in the U.S. Marshall Islands on Kwajalein Atoll, and in 1960 he was transferred to San Francisco to serve aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ranger. In 1961 John was transferred to the US Navy Reserves, at which point he enrolled at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California, where he studied Electronics for two years. In 1963, John was honorably discharged from the US Navy and returned to Canada, joining his family who had recently moved from Brunkild to The Pas, MB. For the next few years he farmed and worked as a construction carpenter on various projects such as the Saskatchewan River Bridge, Churchill Forest Industries (now TOLKO), St. Paul's Residence, and Northern Manitoba Vocational Centre (now University College of the North). In the spring of 1970 John met Gaylene Edwards and they married on February 1, 1971. The first two years of their life together were carefree and nomadic as they travelled and worked throughout the USA and western Canada. In 1972, on November 2, Butch's life changed forever when his first daughter, Tanis, was born in Kamloops, BC. He was a devoted father from the first moment and took his responsibilities as a parent very seriously. He accepted a full-time job as a millwright at MANFOR and settled his little family in The Pas. Two more beautiful daughters followed and were equally as adored by their dad Kelly, born on May 6, 1976, and Tracy soon after on July 14, 1977. In the summer of 1979, Butch moved his family into a new house he had built for them on farmland he owned in the Carrot River Valley, 15 miles west of The Pas, near his parents' farm. He loved farming and wanted his children to grow up in the country as he had. For the next few years John continued to work at the paper mill in The Pas. In 1982, he joined the Millwrights' Union Local #1443 in Winnipeg and began once again to work on construction projects, frequently serving as a Union Steward. For the next ten years he was employed at Limestone in northern Manitoba, coming home to visit his family every six weeks. His goal was to ensure that he would have the resources to put all three of his girls through university a goal which was achieved and was one of the proudest accomplishments of his life. Having earned three Red Seal tickets in Carpentry, Millwrighting and Welding, John was accepted into the Instructor Training Program at Red River Community College in Winnipeg in 1993. He graduated with his Teaching Certificate in June of 1994. After a few years of term positions at Keewatin Community College (now UCN), he secured permanent employment and for ten years taught his guys everything he knew about the millwright's trade. His students were a great joy and pride in his life, second only to his family. Every class was the best I ever had and he celebrated the successes of each of his students. He loved his job and approached each workday with bounding enthusiasm. One of Butch's major interests in recent years was travel he made many memorable trips with his wife to destinations including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Russia, Estonia, England and western Canada. Butch was predeceased by his father Orlando, mother Polly, brothers, Earl and Arthur (Puddy), brother-in-law Darcy Graham and infant nephew Lance Graham. He is survived by Gaylene, his loving wife of 36 years; his three daughters Tanis (husband Johannes Malminen), Kelly (fiancé Donald Raymond), and Tracy; his beloved grand-children Saskia and Emrik Malminen; his siblings, Glenda (Bob) Alary, Sophie (Jack) McCaulder, Randy (Lynn) Bestland, Cindy Bestland (partner Jack Ashley), Roy Bestland, Orson (Gloria) Bestland, and Wendy Graham. He will also be remembered fondly by his many nieces and nephews, his brother Puddy's widow Carmelle Bestland, his aunt Mary Gonzola, his uncle Joe Wozlowski, his cousins and their families, and his wife's extended family. Cremation has taken place and a memorial service has been held. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, in Butch's memory.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 10, 2007