Obituary of Clifford Arnold Henrickson

Clifford Arnold Henrickson – 1927 - 2009 Clifford was born July 26, 1927 and was the youngest child of John and Anna Henrickson. The family moved from Dahlen North Dakota to North Rolla in November of 1926. Inga, Anton, Alma, Jennie, Peter and Linvold accompanied their parents. Clifford is survived by his sister Jennie Sewell and numerous nieces and nephews. I was honoured to be asked to give the eulogy for Clifford Henrickson. It should begin at the beginning. The beginning started in the United states before we were born. The Henricksons and the dokkens and others in the North Rolla neighbourhood were part of a movement of people searching for the opportunities that were to be had in the form of homestead land in Canada. My folks arrived in the early spring of 1928 to be met with Henrickson hospitality. Clifford was the new Canadian baby. The youngest of the Henrickson children and the first Canuck. As a little fellow Clifford loved his stick horses and would ride his favourite and accompany his mother as she walked to Rolla for groceries. She was a fast walker and Clifford had to gallop to keep up. Like the rest of the children in the neighbourhood he went to the local North Rolla school and when he finished grade eight like many of the youngsters he was finished with formal schooling. But when I was in grade school, he was such a good kid. He would come over on RUBY, a real horse this time, and say "hang a paw” so I”d climb on behind and get a 4 legged lift home. He was always kind to little kids and generous with his time. Those horses, Ruby, Morgan, Paint and Queen and her colt Lucky were a special part of his life. Why Lucky was still at colt at 15. My sister Jean was in school with Clifford. In those days, the school day began with the Lord`s prayer and Clifford would add a little mischief by saying it Norwegian. That Norwegian bit was an intregal part of our lives. We had Norwegian treats, and Norwegian sayings and Clifford knew them all. He was quite a mimic and had a good sense of humour so he could pretend to be one of the older folks in the community and we all knew when he was Norlander or Joe Berg or whoever. Clifford loved music. He chorded on the guiter and was a fine singer and yodeller. When he was finished school he still had a part to play in the school Christmas concert. He would be back stage and play and sing during the acts and sometimes lend support to those who needed help. He played at community dances with Ed Dahlen, and whoever was providing the music at the dos. He and Johnny Thorbergson, and Florence LePine would play for $3.00 each. In the early fifties, Clifford spent some time at the Flying U guest ranch where a neighbour, Jacob Reinertson, (Lorraine’s uncle) had relocated. The two summers he spent there remained a highlight in his life. Clifford didn`t have a lot but he looked after what he had. That wind up gramophone which played so often still works today. That taking care made Clifford a reliable, good worker. He worked for neighbouring farmers such as LePines, Autons, Yorks, and Dokkens and stayed home helping his folks. I remember when he helped me he would have a pair of gloves in his back pocket and my mom would wonder why I couldn`t keep as tidy as he could. He didn`t complicate his life with stuff. He never had a driver`s license even though he could drive. He was good with farm machinery and in later years was very proud of the tractor he bought. He would use it to mow the church yard, clear his drive and work up garden plots for his friends. Clifford planted a garden and it was always his goal to have new potatoes by July 1st. Clifford was private and proud. If things were tight for a time, he would just tighten his belt. In the early winters Clifford would hitch up a team and cutter and run what amounted to a taxi service. He would take folks for groceries or to collect their mail at Doe River or Rolla He wouldn`t dream of charging or accepting money. He was just being neighbourly. For the most part Clifford was content to live in his home community and stay in the family home. He appreciated the installation of a natural gas furnace but never did get running water but that was O K too. He had many friends in the community, some old and some new. The telephone was his lifeline. He kept in touch with people on a regular basis and would give you a call that began ÌS THIS THE PARTY TO WHOM I`M SPEAKING and it was time to touch base. Our friendship spanned a lifetime. Fifty years ago when I had sheep, Clifford worked for me so he knew that in October I would let the rams out on my birthday. It was a convenient way to remember the event. Well Clifford remembered this. Even this fall he phoned as usual to wish me a happy birthday and added "did you let the rams out?” I want people to know Clifford was a kind, generous and loyal friend. Clifford passed away on January 2, 2010 in Dawson Creek, British Columbia at 82 years of age. A Funeral Service was held for Clifford on Thursday, January 7, 2010 at the Bergeron Funeral Chapel in Dawson Creek, British Columbia.