Ronald John Haarsma passed away suddenly in his home on the farmland that he loved, April 11^th, 2020 just before his 83^rd birthday.

Dad was born in Edam, Saskatchewan on April 19^th, 1938 to his parents Aga and Martha Haarsma.  He was the oldest of three boys.  His brothers were Robert (Bob) and Ken.  Life on the farm was busy and full of hard work but it was here that Dad learned his strong work ethic.  He developed an interest in fixing things, mechanics and machining.  There wasn’t anything on the farm that he could not take apart and fix.  Dad was a very intelligent man and very curious about how things worked.  He was always reading and studying new things.

Dad finished grade 10 at the school in Edam, and then enrolled in a course at Moose Jaw Tech.  He studied machining and finished this course in the mid 60s.   He then moved to Saskatoon and this is where he met Tina Peters and they soon married and moved out to the farm in Edam.  They would eventually take over the farm from his dad.  Their family grew to four children:  Jacqueline, Leona, Selena and Shane.

Some of our best memories were of our family camping trips.  Dad loved fishing and being at the lake.  In the fall he also enjoyed hunting.

People in the area knew that if they needed something, Ronny could probably make the part for them.  He even taught some evening classes to students in the shop on the farm.  If someone needed something, Dad would always try to help out.

Dad eventually retired from farming in the late 90s.  He still lived on the farm but started new hobbies to keep himself busy.  He collected old tractors and stationary engines with the hopes of fixing them all up one day.  He didn’t want to get out of shape since he retired from farming, so he started cross country skiing in winter and mountain biking in summer.  He was very active both in mind and body.

Dad bought himself a computer and taught himself how to use it and over the years, upgraded many times.  He used the internet as a source of information and entertainment by watching old westerns on YouTube.  Dad loved to read and enjoyed listening to music.  There was always music playing in his home.

Despite everything, he did start to slow down and his health started to decline.  On April 11^th, he quietly passed away in his home with his music playing on the farm that he loved so much.

Dad was predeceased by his parents Aga and Martha Haarsma.  His brother Bob passed away the next year in February of 2021. He is missed by his children Jacqueline (Raymond) Shewchuk, Leona (Ken) Klassen, Selena (Vern) Doell, and Shane Haarsma, as well his grandchildren Danny, Cherri (Rod), Nicole (Allan), Timothy, Hannah (Kellen), Nathanael, Joel, Ben and Noah and his great grandchildren Arielle, Isabelle, Jordan, Kyle, Deanna, Dylan and Michael.  He is also greatly missed by his family and friends.

The family will be having a small graveside memorial service on Saturday, August 28^th, 2:00 pm at the Edam cemetery, where we can share our memories and lay his ashes to rest.

• Date : 2020-05-11