ALAN ARTHUR WALLS

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ALAN ARTHUR WALLS Peacefully on Sunday, February 3, 2008, at Health Sciences Centre, Alan Walls passed away at the age of 83 years from pneumonia. Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in 1924 to Dorothy and Arthur Walls, he was the eldest of three. He married Mary Lillian LeClaire on August 4, 1945, and together they raised seven children. He was a devoted and loving husband, a wonderful father and a respected member of the community. He was appreciated for his intelligence and quick wit. His artistic talents were reflected in his paintings; his singing and guitar playing; performances in Community Theater; and in the creative ways he found to renovate small houses to accommodate his seven children, and a host of others including relatives, foster children and northern students. Service, Duty and Charity were core values with Alan. He was a King Scout; he served his country in the Second World War, enlisting in the Navy at the age of 17 and rising to the rank of Lieutenant; and throughout his life he was involved in community and church associations, service clubs and fraternal organizations including the Independent Order of Oddfellows and Rotary International. Alan had a love for the land that began when he was very young with visits to his uncle's farm near Humboldt, Saskatchewan. This led him to pursue a degree in Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan. Upon graduation he moved to Winnipeg where he worked for a brief period at Silverwood Dairies. He left the Dairy to join John Deere as a Sales Representative in Southeastern Saskatchewan/ Southwestern Manitoba and eventually owned and operated his own dealership near Winnipeg. In 1967, Alan moved his family to Teulon, Manitoba and accepted a position as an Agricultural Representative and later as a Farm Diversification Specialist. In these roles he was able to work directly with producers to help them improve their farming operations. In 1977, he accepted a position with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) moving to Swaziland, Southern Africa where as Project Manager he led the establishment of a viable dairy industry. After seven years, he and Mary moved to Malawi, Central Africa, to help establish a dairy industry in that country. Upon retiring from CIDA he formed WinAgro Consulting and worked on Agricultural projects in Lesotho, China and Thailand. Alan was recognized and honoured for his efforts to improve the quality of life for the inhabitants of these third world countries. He is survived by his loving wife Mary, his partner of 63 years, their seven children - Richard, Craig, Noreen, Keith, Bruce, Janice and Norma as well as his two brothers, Victor and Roger, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He will be remembered as a loving husband and father and a humanitarian who worked hard to make the world a better place. A memorial mass will be held on Friday, February 8 at 11:00 a.m. in Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 510 River Ave., with Father Sam Argenziano officiating. His family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations in Alan's memory may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba, 6 Donald St., Suite 200, Winnipeg, MB R3L 0K6. The Coutu family in care of arrangements: E.J. COUTU CO. FUNERAL DIRECTORS 680 Archibald St. 253-5086

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Feb 07, 2008