Obituary of Jack Schram

Jack Schram 1925 ~ 2011 Jack Schram, aged 86, of Dawson Creek, passed away on September 13, 2011. The funeral service was held on Monday, September 19, 2011 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. Jack was born July 19, 1925 to Peter and Minnie (Wilhelmina) Schram on the Coldstream Ranch near Vernon, B.C. He was the fifth son in a family of ten boys. Jack often said they had enough brothers to have their own baseball team. He was his mom’s main dishwasher. As his younger brothers grew, Jack often took them fishing and hunting. Growing up on the ranch he did everything from picking apples, building apple boxes to running tractors. One day of pulling the liquid pig manure spreader, however, was more than enough for him. He once thought he’d try his hand at the post office as a mailman. On his very first day on the job, having delivered mail all day, they told him he’d have to work overtime with no pay. He said, "I guess you need the money more than I do,” and handed in his letter carrier bag, making that the shortest job of his working life. He worked a short time in a men’s wear store before going to work for the Hudson Bay Company in Vernon. In March 1961, Jack, Clara and daughter Brenda moved to Dawson Creek where Jack had been transferred to manage the furniture, sporting goods and toy departments. One Friday evening in May of the following year, he walked into the Dairy Queen and spoke to Karl Kortmeyer about his sporting goods store (owned then by Mr. Kortmeyer and run by Mr. Lane, thus the name Corlane Sporting Goods). Less than a month later, Jack and Clara were in business. They took over the store on June 1, 1962, and never looked back. Later that fall they welcomed their second child, Rod, into the family, followed in 1964 by their youngest son, Tim. Jack and Clara ran Corlane Sporting Goods for 28 years, working 6 days a week, 51 weeks a year, until their retirement in 1990. Jack was a devoted member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. When his children were young, he taught and supervised the Sunday school. Later, he was treasurer and president, and greeted guests with a firm, warm handshake and a smile. His grandchildren recall evening scripture readings after every supper. Hundreds of people enjoyed food, music, bocce, three-legged races, Frisbee and horseshoes at the annual church picnics he and Clara hosted at their Kiskatinaw campground. (You were hard-pressed to beat Jack at a game of horseshoes.) Most Wednesday afternoons when his kids were young, he would head to the W.A.C. Bennett Dam with his fishing gear. And sometimes, if there were no school tests that day, he would bring his kids along. On one of these fishing trips, in the cold of winter, Jack fell through the ice. Although most people would probably have called it a day, he crawled out and wouldn’t leave until he caught a fish. In fact, he caught two before giving up. His wool pants were freezing to the point where his knees would no longer bend. That was Jack – nothing stood between him and his favourite past-time. He seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to feeling those nibbles on the end of the line. He was brave, too. During a camping trip at their Heart Lake cabin, Jack and his son-in-law Perry returned from a successful early morning fishing trip to have breakfast with Clara, Brenda, and grandchildren Carmen and Aaron. As they ate inside the cabin, they heard a commotion on the doorstep. To their surprise, a small black bear was just outside the window trying to steal their fresh fish. Jack ran out, clapping and yelling at the bear, "Go catch your own fish!” Jack was involved in the Dawson Creek Sportsman’s Club. As a club director he ran indoor pistol shooting one evening a week in winter months, and summers found him trap shooting. He was instrumental in starting the annual gun shows which he attended every year, including this spring. Jack spent 25 years putting together one of the finest Winchester gun collections in Canada. He took pride in the smallest detail of every one of his 200-plus collection. After their retirement Jack and Clara traveled across B.C. in their motor home. From fishing charters with friends Edna and Ralph, to a bus trip to Vegas with his brothers and sisters-in-law, a cruise to Caribbean, and a bus/train/cruise trip from Alaska to Vancouver, they saw it all. Jack continued sharing his love of card-playing and the outdoors with family and friends with regular Tick tournaments and hunting and fishing adventures. Jack was a loving husband, father and grandfather. His gentle nature, quick wit, generosity and deep appreciation for life will be treasured by everyone who was blessed to have known him. The very definition of a gentleman, a good friend said Jack was the kindest man he had ever met in Dawson Creek. Jack was predeceased by his parents and brother, Ron Schram. He is survived by his wife Clara; eight brothers: Phillip, Norman (Lydia), George, Elmer (Pearl), William (Joan), Don (Shirley), Thomas (Sandra), and Robert (Jenny); children: Brenda (Perry) Mathias, Rod Schram (Tamera Golinsky), and Tim (Lee) Schram; grandchildren: Carmen (Matthew) MacKenzie and Aaron Mathias (Lorelee Friesen), Sierra and Liberty Schram, and Steele and Tymber Schram; and many nieces and nephews. During the last two years, Jack was extremely well cared for by the staff at Rotary Manor where he resided until last week, when he was called home to Heaven. He passed away peacefully, surrounded by family and friends. No doubt he took his tackle box with him.