On Sept 12, 2015 we lost a great man, the patriarch of the 39 member Mansiere family. True to Dad’s thoughtful nature, he waited until his family said good night, then, Peter Henry Mansiere, 93 years of age, slipped away to eternal peace. Like us all, Dad’s life was filled with love, joy and challenges. He was born in the Meskanaw district to French immigrants, Pierre and Clementine (Beaudet) Mansiere who had seven children. Dad was the sixth child and the first boy … earning him the nickname “Boy”. All of Dad’s family has predeceased him except for his younger brother, Armand, who is living in Penticton BC and is unable to be here due to ill health. As many young men did at that time, Dad wanted to serve in the war; however, his father requested that he stay to assist on the farm as he was, in Dad’s own words, “near a nervous breakdown providing for a large family”. So, at 15 years of age, Dad quit school and worked on the family farm for 12 years until he married the love of his life, Marguerite Dunand of the St. Hubert Saskatchewan district. Pete and Marguerite were married in June of 1949 and had 4 children … Philip, Annette, Maurice and Yvonne. They recently celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary, So it was that at the age of 27, Dad with Mom by his side, started building a new farm from scratch. In 1950, they purchased a house from the Reynaud district and had it moved to where they still reside. Dad said that their first crop was bountiful and they thought they were set; however, following that year, they had a quick succession of poor crops. Yet, they persevered and made it through those tough years with hard work, determination and resiliency. Dad was, above all, a farmer. Dad’s passion for the farm and the comfort that it brought to the generations started with him and shall be passed down. And he had a feel for the land and its seasons. One year, it snowed heavily in October, but Dad told his grandson not to worry, that he would be combining in his T-shirt in November. And that year, the weather turned beautiful in November and they were able to take off the crop. Even in Dad’s last weeks in hospital, he never lost his interest in the farm. He was told about an auger that had finally been fixed … with a $1000 price tag. When someone mentioned it again a few days later, Dad responded with “Yeah … for $1000!” Dad also drove school bus for the Kinistino School district from 1972- 89. He drove the Meskanaw – Kinistino route, and for a brief time, the Yellow Creek – Wakaw run. Dad loved his bus kids AND his job. He would start his run by calling out on the CB radio “Bus 18 just leaving”. It was joked that the bus was Dad’s escape if things were going tough at the farm that day … “Well, I have to go pick up the kids” he would say with a twinkle in his eye and away he would go. On the occasion of Dad’s 90th birthday, he received many cards from his bus kids and their parents saying what a great bus driver he was, or how they knew their children were in good hands when Dad was driving. We want you to know how much that meant to Dad. And another thing about Dad’s 90th birthday celebration that we want you to know. Dad thought no one would be there; that all his friends were gone. He was so wrong! His spirits soared when he saw all the guests who took time to come, or call if they were unable to attend. You gifted him with your presence and your thoughtfulness. Dad was a patient teacher and a source of encouragement to his children and grand-children. One grandson said how he appreciated having the opportunity to work with his Grandpa all these years; that he had learned a lot about farming and about life. Even when the young great-grand-children asked him for help with a toy wrench, he taught them " righty tighty, lefty loosey." Dad also took great pride and joy in his great-grandchildren. He could be found conversing with his great-grandchildren or smiling as he watched them play. He let the young ones comb his hair and add flowers, and enjoyed cuddling the smaller ones including Raylan, the youngest member of our family. Now, we have to say that Dad had a tremendous love of sweets; we all knew he had some tucked away in every corner … but the one memory that most grandkids mentioned was eating Captain Crunch cereal with Grandpa for breakfast. This was a great treat because at home, they only had Corn Flakes and Cheerios. But, looking back, what Dad really did with Captain Crunch cereal was create wonderful memories with his grandchildren. Another thing that we were all aware of about Dad was that he didn’t like toast crumbs in the butter. He never actually complained, but we all knew it because he would casually make an observation; “There’s crumbs in the butter”. One of the Grandchildren said, “To this day I ensure that I have enough butter on my knife the first time, so I don't have to go back to the butter dish with crumbs on my knife”. ? Dad didn't say much, but when he did, the words were well chosen … thoughtful, concise and positive. He rarely, if ever, had anything negative to say about anybody or any situation. Crops were usually “pretty good”, or “not bad” or “they could be better”. I don’t recall seeing him angry or frustrated. Dad took life at a relaxed pace and said that he "didn't worry about things until there was something to worry about". Even with Dad’s failing health, he could always be counted on to put the most positive spin on his condition. Dad believed in encouragement rather than reprimand, kindness over disparaging others, honesty over his own gain. Our family lost much today, but we are grateful for a life well lived and a gentle passing leaving behind descendants who were blessed to know him and to have such a wonderful role model and man at the head of our family. One of the great-grandchildren said that the nurses did a good job of taking care of Great Grandpa in the hospital, but that Jesus would do an even better job. Rest well Dad. Peter is survived by his wife Marguerite and their family Philip (Jeannette) Mansiere, Ryan (Melinn) Mansiere, Joelle (Blaine) Carlson, Taryn, Tyrel, Torey, Alexa, Allyse. Jeff (Dacey) Mansiere, Kadie, Mason. Marc (Rochelle) Mansiere, Anna, Luc, Maria. Chris (Shaye) Mansiere, Raylan. Annette (Bill) Bristol, Logan. Maurice (Arleen) Mansiere, Neil Mansiere, Nadine (Chris) Mighton. Yvonne Mansiere Kildaw (Terry), Jenelle Kildaw, Angelise Geisel-Kildaw (Jason). Brother Armand (Denise) Mansiere, Sister-in-law Anne (Sylvain) Dumonceaux. Peter was predeceased by his parents; Pierre & Clementine (Beaudet), his sisters; Marguerite (Walter) Fradette, Alice (George) Kajner, Jane (Maurice ) Thibault, Raymonde (Roland) Motut, Louise Mansiere. His mother and father in-law Andre Dunand and Germaine (Nicolay), and his granddaughter Meica Bristol. Vigil of prayer was held on Friday September 18, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. from the St. Brieux R.C. Church. Mass of Christian Burial was held on Saturday September 19, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. from the St. Brieux R.C. Church with Father George Canto as celebrant. Memorial contributions in memory of Pierre may be directed to the Meskanaw Recreation Board and/or Melfort Hospital Palliative Care.