Kleven, James Everett

James Everett Kleven was born at home in Mawer, Sk.Aug. 7, 1926, the sixth of seven children born to Ole and Ida (Ask) Kleven.
He passed away in the Three Hills Continuing Care Centre May 8, 2018, at the age of 91. He was the last surviving member of his family.
When Everett was four, the family moved north to the Valecrest district near Tisdale, Sk. where Ole and the older boys, now teenagers, worked cutting cordwood by hand and hauling it to town for sale, and Ida could grow a garden and raise chickens.
Everett started school while they were ‘in the bush’. In the spring of 1936, the family returned south to their prairie home, and Everett finished his schooling in Mawer in 1945. He learned to skate and play hockey, a passion that he passed down to his children.
Everett joined the Royal Canadian Navy and served for five years, leaving the service in Feb. 1951. He returned to Moose Jaw and married Eileen Longmore, a teacher, of the Briercrest district, on Dec, 15, 1951.
The couple moved to Youngstown Ab. in spring 1952, where they started farming northeast of town on ‘Tom Smith’s place’.
Evelyn, their first daughter, was born in the Cereal hospital in September of that year. They moved briefly to Okanagan Falls, BC, to partner in a garage business, (son, Terry was born in Penticton in May 1955), but returned to Youngstown two years later, eventually buying and moving to the Landels farm, 11 miles south.
Kathleen (1961) and Patricia (1963) were born in the Hanna Hospital, completing their family.
In the mid-1980s, Everett decided to build a fresh new farm two miles to the north, and they lived there until 2001, when they moved to Three Hills, with Everett still farming until recently on his ‘ponderosa’ along the Red Deer River near Elnora, Ab., and building projects at his shop in town.
Everett was a wonderful community booster, willing to take on any job, and do it with a smile. He served on the Community Club, promoting skating and hockey.
He helped out for many years at Plover Lake Bible Camp and at the Gospel Chapel of Youngstown.
Several young families got a start in life through the unselfish compassion and generosity Everett showed to them.
Living out his Christian faith did not go unnoticed, for he was respected by all. His was a life well-lived.
Everett was pre-deceased by brothers Joy and his wife Eleanor, Orin and his wife Margaret, Oscar and his wife Gerda, Kenneth and his wife Margaret, sisters Inez Page and Orma and her husband Earl Johnson, and son-in-law, Bradley Hunt.
Also gone before him were brothers and sisters-in-law Trevor Jones, Wilfred and wife Dorothy Longmore, and Bob Longmore.
Everett is survived by Eileen, his loving wife of more than 65 years; daughter Evelyn Weaver (Jim) and their children Matthew Weaver, Katie (Alex) Johnson, (Josiah, Sofia, Madelyn), and Ruth (Chas) Bailey, (Chase, Mason, Abigail); son Terence (Kathryn) Kleven, Stephanie (Vince) Boragina, (Francesco and two-week old twins Ilaria and Gianluca), Christopher (Brooke) Kleven, (James Everett and Natalie), Elisabeth (Matthew) Stones, and Robert, Victoria, Laura and Nathaniel Kleven; daughter Kathleen Hunt, Katrina, Ethan and Patrick; and daughter Patricia (Darcy) Brown, Justin Brown and Megan (Danai) Augustine.
Also surviving him are brothers and sisters-in-law Derek Page, Lionel and Lois Longmore, Muriel Jones, and Isabel Longmore.
Memorial donations may be sent to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (Research).