Allan Ross Delmage

Allan Ross Delmage was born August 2, 1958 in Esterhazy to William (Rusty) and Nellie (McClung) Delmage. He and his older brother, Lorne, grew up around Hazelcliffe, first living at what is now referred to as “The Old Place” three miles east of the farm. When he was five, the family moved west of Hazelcliffe to Uncle Bill McClung’s farm, where Allan lived for the rest of his life apart from a short stint in Rocanville when he was first married.

His childhood was spent playing hockey, hunting, running a trap line, and helping his dad farm. His hunting bounties and trap line were a lucrative business and allowed him to buy his first ski-doo and his dirt bikes, which were the source of a great deal of stress for his mother through the years. He played hockey in Tantallon (where he was known as “Red” to the whole community until long after his hair went white), developing a love for being a goalie.

As a teenager, Allan worked summers and afternoons at Millers with Lorne. After graduating from Esterhazy High School in 1977, he started at Goodman Steel in Rocanville. He apprenticed as a welder there, working on a variety of projects from farm fixes to fire trucks to underground mining trucks for the potash mines. In 1985, he went from Goodman’s to Metal Fab in Esterhazy, then in 1990, he went back to Goodman’s as Shop Superintendent and stayed there for the rest of his life, generating solutions to problems and saving lost souls.

Allan married Corinne Lloyd September 6, 1980, only three weeks after losing his father but gaining a set of parents-in-law with John and Karen, and some extra siblings with Dawn and Warren.  Thus began a lifetime of “will we be done harvest in time to celebrate our anniversary” roulette. They had Jennifer in 1981, Darcy in 1983, Kelly in 1985, and Kendra in 1989. The next couple decades were spent chasing the kids around the rinks and ski hills of the province in between working and farming grain alongside his brother and raising cattle. A few lake days every summer with countless boat hours towing dozens of kids around the lake were squeezed in there somehow. Golf games, fishing, and campfire beers were also central to those summers.

 He was excited to expand his father role to father-in-law with Kevin, Marissa, Al, and Cory, though he didn’t make their initiation in easy—there were some nerve tests for the boys at least. Marissa may have escaped the test because she was way better working cattle than any of the rest of the kids.

As much as he loved being a dad, he truly shone at being a Grandpa to Ashlynn (Coyle), Makayla, Cam, Greg, Emma, Tia, Ryder, Laurel, Dallas, Kenzie, Ryli, Jackson, and Eva and Great Grandpa to Bennett. He was very excited when Bennett came along and he was upgraded from mediocre grandpa to great. Grandpa Allan always had time to bounce around the tractor with a grandkid on his knee or play on the floor with the toy of choice or let them win at a game of cribbage. He skated with them and skied with them and golfed with them and taught them Allan-isms.

Allan loved traveling with Corinne and a variety of travel pals to places like France, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Alaska, Hawaii, Halifax, North Carolina, and Florida. He spent countless hours carrying kids around Disney World. There was never a shortage of shenanigans and offside jokes told all over the country and on multiple continents with Laura and Allan in particular.

He spent a lifetime helping friends and neighbours with all the odd jobs and emergency fixes. Many days, coffee time happened frequently with a revolving set of company to visit with and often ended with a game of cards and a beer.

Allan was pre-deceased by his parents, Rusty and Nellie Delmage, his mother-in-law, Karen Lloyd, and his brother-in-law, Warren Lloyd. He is survived by his wife, Corinne; children and grandchildren Jennifer, Kevin, Emma, Tia, Ryder  and Laurel Kingdon; Darcy, Marissa (Duncan), Dallas, Kenzie, and Ryli Delmage; Kelly Delmage, Al Ryles, Ashlynn (Ryles), Coyle and Bennett Wilson, Makayla, Cam and Greg Ryles; and Kendra, Cory, Jackson, and Eva Ferree; father-in-law, John Lloyd; siblings Lorne (Carol) Delmage, Dawn (Ronald) Wilson, and Anne Lloyd;  along with many nieces, nephews, and extended family in the Delmage, McClung, Lloyd, and Nixon families.