Arthur CORTUS

Arthur Cortus passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 20, 2018 at the Rosetown & District Health Centre at the age of 90 years.

Art was born on November 29, 1927 at home on the farm. He was the fifth child of Henry and Minnie Cortus. He attended Oakenshaw Elementary School. After he completed his schooling, Art worked for a few years at a lumber camp on Vancouver Island and after that, spent several years in Regina doing construction. In the spring of 1955 he came home to farm. In July of 1956, Art married Josephine Roberts of Unity. They lived in Jim Preece’s old house for several summers without power, telephone or running water. The winters were spent in Edmonton or Calgary where Art worked in a garage and Jo taught school. In 1960, they bought a half section of land from Wilfred Corniel and proceeded to build a house which they would later share with their three children David, Colleen and Sheila. Each year they made a little more progress – trees were planted, a workshop and a large metal building to store machinery were built, rock were picked and buried, metal bins replaced old wooden granaries, machinery improved, a tractor with a cab and a grain cleaning business. There were bumper crops when prices were good and years when there was too little rain, early frost, hail and poor grain prices.

Swimming lessons, music lessons, figure skating, hockey, Sunday School and mid-week groups all led to a busy life for parents and children alike. Family trips to Edmonton, North Battleford Park, Disneyland, a camper trip to Kitchener, ON and the many trips to see Grandma in Swift Current are memories. Art and Jo also enjoyed trips together to Hawaii, Alaska, Arizona, the Maritimes and British Columbia. Art was a councillor for the RM of Winslow for many years and was a member of the Elks.

Art continued to enjoy the farm life until November 2017 in which he then became a Rosetown resident.

Art is survived by his loving wife Josephine of 62 years; son David (Monica) and children Scott (Brittany) and Ben; daughter Colleen (Mervin) Shantz and children Sonia (Kevin) Matthias, Elias (Jennifer) Shantz, Travis Shantz and Sheila (Trevor) Pfeil; daughter Sheila Forbes; sister Joan Dieno as well as numerous nieces, nephews and nine great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents Henry and Minnie Cortus, sisters Rita Melby, Mary Wardrop and Alice Belanger, brother Henry Cortus and son-in-law Graham Forbes.

A Celebration of Art's life was held on Saturday, April 7, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. at Shanidar Funeral Chapel with Reverend Helen Mooney officiating.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society, 1910 McIntyre Street, Regina, SK, S4P 2R3.