Frederick Lambert Hutchings

Frederick Lambert Hutchings was born January 13, 1930 in Saltcoats, Saskatchewan, and died peacefully June 18, 2021 at the age of 91 in Regina. He grew up in Saltcoats. In 1950 he met Erna Becker of Churchbridge. They were married in 1951 and celebrated 68 years of married life together. Fred was a journeyman carpenter, who worked for North American Lumber in Coaldale, Nokomis and Esterhazy in the 1950s, and as an underground supervisor at the IMC potash mine near Esterhazy in the 60s. In the early 70s Fred began a small bee keeping operation which grew into Hutch's Honey, a 1,400 colony apiary he and his son Greg built together. He was a loving son, brother, husband, father and grandfather, who made deer hide mitts and slippers for his young family and never missed an important family event. He was a very hardworking man with an independent spirit, who spent countless hours building, carving, and hunting. He always had several projects on the go. He kept horses for many years, was an avid cross-country skier, reader, and in his later years, a gardener. He had a keen memory until the end. In the 60s he cleared a lot and built the family cottage at Round Lake with wood salvaged from Erna's childhood home. Undaunted by health issues in his 60s, Fred remained extremely active throughout his later years, working on his steeply pitched roof in his late 70s and rototilling his garden in the week before his passing. Fred's faith was very important to him. He was a proud member of the Masonic Lodge for all of his adult life. Fred lived at the farm he and Erna loved near Esterhazy from 1973 until the time of his death.

Fred is survived by his family: son Greg (Elsbeth), daughter Val, grandsons Nicholas (Alana) and Zachary, daughter Jan (Randy), grandsons Bryn (Roxanne) and Sean (Lindi), son David, grandson Josiah, nephew Mic (Hope), brother-in-law Erwin (Lillian), and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his loving wife Erna in December 2019, dear mother Ethel and father Fred, sisters and brothers-in-law Kay, Connie (Howard), Cecelia (Jim), Joan (Gypsy), Edith (Percy), brothers and sisters-in-law Chick (Gertie), Herman (Rose), son-in-law Garry, sisters/brothers-in-law Mandy (Eddie), Nita (Hubert), Sylvia (John), Elsie (Bill), Hilda (John), Marv (Herb), Ron (Freida), Wally (Charlotte), (Bernice), niece/nephews Gloria (Harvey), Bill, Rod (Sylvia), Carmen, Charlie, Mark, and Dale.