It looks like you are viewing this on a mobile device. Would you like to use the mobile version? No thanks.
It looks like your device can support the full version of the site. Would you like to view that instead? No thanks.
Email to a friend Tweet This Send to Facebook Share on Google+
  Login
Howard Elasz
July 9, 1925 - January 2, 2014
Return to the Memorial Getting Started Administration Inbox  
Return to Getting Started  
Return to the Memorial Help Extend the Memorial Order a Keepsake Book  
Obituary Eulogy Guestbook Biography Photos Media Life Stories Family Tree Contribute
<div itemprop="description">Howard Elasz <br /> <br />July 9, 1925 to January 2, 2014 <br /> <br />It is with great sadness and much love that we say goodbye to our father, Howard Elasz. Howard died quietly on the morning of January 2nd, leaving behind his seven loving children, Carol, Marlene, Patsy, Doug, Kate, Denise and Jay, along with his grandchildren, Sarah, Brian, Emma, Liam, Esm&eacute;e, Dino and Colton and three great-grandchildren. Howard grew up in Bruno, Saskatchewan during the Great Depression and often regaled us with stories about dealing with grasshoppers and dust storms in the summer and walking 3 miles to school across the blizzarding prairie in the winter. After completing high school at Campion College in Regina, he enlisted in the Canadian Navy during WWII where he was able to tour a great part of North America including the Panama Canal. After the war, Howard attended the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. It was after graduating with his Bachelor of Commerce degree that Howard met his loving wife Rose with whom he shared 55 years of marriage and together raised seven children. Howard worked his entire career in the oil and gas industry at one company, B.A./Gulf Oil. Upon his retirement, he was very proud to say that he had worked 33 years without taking one sick day. But as loyal as he was to his work, he was even more loyal to his family. He proved that in many ways including making sure we always had the best Christmases (always choosing the largest tree that he could possibly fit in the house) and by being the ever patient driver, taxiing his kids to ski lessons, summer jobs or just where ever they said they needed to go. Money was sometimes tight raising seven kids but he always made sure that we had a summer vacation. We still have harrowing memories of the nine of us and our dog in one car pulling a tent trailer passing semi trucks on the Roger's Pass on the way to Shuswap Lake. Howard was never a complainer; he worked hard at the office and hard at home and was quite the accomplished handyman. He had a passion for landscaping and would work for hours in his yard, coming in only for a cup of sweet tea and a piece of toast before heading back to the yard to continue at his job. One of Howard's greatest loves was animals. Our family was never without a dog or two, cats, rodents, a really mean parrot and, for a time, a cantankerous pet raccoon who we kept in the garage to which our dad would visit and feed Chips Ahoy cookies. After retiring, Howard and Rose enjoyed golfing and spending their winters in Mexico. It was at this time that Howard began to enjoy hosting parties with Rose at 36 Capri, which sometimes ended in late night back yard sing-alongs after their guests had enjoyed one too many of Howard's extra strong Mai Tais. Life changed dramatically for Howard upon the death of his beautiful wife Rose in 2005. He continued to faithfully read the Calgary Herald from front to back every day and watched the Stampeder or Flames games, depending on the season, but he preferred to remain in the company of his family and only his closest of friends rather than attend social gatherings. He still managed to surprise everyone at this time of his life by finding a new interest in books and read everything from mysteries and biographies, to the weighty tomes of Leon Uris and the Canadian classics of Farley Mowat. No matter how he was feeling, he always wanted to hear about what his children were doing with their families and careers and still offered his fatherly advice whenever he could. Howard had always promised himself that he would never live in a retirement home and with the help of Abner, Remy and some other wonderful Philippino caregivers, he was able to keep that promise and stay in his own home till the very end. Dad, we are so lucky to have had you as a father; to learn from you the importance of tradition, loyalty, hard work, sacrifice and the love of animals. We will remember you always and will do our very best to always make you proud. Please give a kiss to Mom for us and know that you were so very much loved. There will be a private celebration of Howard's life held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to PawsitiveMatch.org. Howard always had a soft spot for all of the little doggies. Arrangements entrusted to EDEN BROOK FUNERAL HOME AND RECEPTION CENTRE {24223 Township Road 242, Calgary AB, (17th Avenue SW and Lower Springbank Rd)}, Tel: 403-240-4032. <br /></div>