Obituary of David Alfred Reaume

David Alfred Reaume 1934 ~ 2015 David came into this world August 26, 1934. He was the 10th of eleven children of Frances and Myrtle Reaume. The homestead was northwest of Hythe and this is where David spent his youth. As a small child he was a blonde, and by his teens his hair turned black. He attended the Sinclair Lake school which was a little more than 3 miles west, It was a typical rural school house that was uphill both ways to get there, with either snow or mud up to your knees. It seems all the old schools were like this. Dave finished grade 9 which was an accomplishment in those years as most of the students left after grade 6. Rather than continue with high school Dave decided he would rather work or be a cowboy. He spent his younger years working as a ranch hand for Smiths close to home and met his wife- to-be while on horseback at the Salecker Farm. Christel Hofer, daughter of Maria Salecker had recently immigrated from Germany and was taken with a young cowboy arriving on horseback. She agreed to marry him December 23, 1960 in Hythe. The union created one son Richard (Rick). They lived at Swan Lake and Dave worked in the Laforge logging operation as a sawyer. The first family pet was a coyote pup that stayed until it was full grown. The family moved to Dawson Creek when their only son Rick was of school age. Dave spent a number of years working as an equipment operator and then at the local mill in Dawson Creek as a millwright. Christel became a dental assistant. The early years in Dawson were good for the family and a great deal of time was spent camping, fishing, hunting (sometimes jacklighting, a few will remember these times) and at the Salecker farm. Dave was a lover of dogs above almost all else and his shepard Caesar was his best friend in those years. It was a very sad day when Caesar passed. There were many times that Dave either worked out in the bush or was gone fishing on his own and eventually Christel decided to move on in 1969. Dave tried to be a single father for a short time but it was challenging with his work life and Rick was moved out to the Salecker farm with Fritz and Maria. David continued to work as a millwright in the following years at Dawson Creek, Quesnel, and near Chetwynd. He moved to Moberly Lake around 1975 through to 1980. He began a new adventure in the Yukon in1980 and went to work with Ray Lizotte in the gold fields. His sister Irene also worked in the camp as the cook. He always had good memories of the time in the gold fields and the Yukon became a special place. He went on a Yukon vacation with Rick in the summer of 1983 to stake some claims but the only thing that came of the trip was Rick's desire to move North. Rick moved to Whitehorse the summer of 1984. Dave never returned to the gold fields but had reason to spend considerable time in the Yukon for the rest of his life, visiting Rick and family. Dave's last career started later in life (mid 80s) when he began working for Knight Measurement and Control as an instrument technician and on oil field building maintenance. He worked in this field until he was 72. He put many miles on his red Chev 4x4 and retired it with 774,000 kms. Dave had a number of special ladies in his life before and after his marriage with Christel. Some of the relationships lasted a number of years but he always maintained a certain amount of freedom to remain independent. He never made the commitment to matrimony again. Dave is survived by sisters, Juanita, Dorothy, Irene, and Martha Olive (Ollie), and one brother, Leon, as well as His son Rick, daughter-in-law Heidi, grandchildren Krystal and Cody, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. I believe we will always remember Dave as one who enjoyed a practical joke, never ending coffee, and an excuse to be driving somewhere. There will be many dogs who will miss a good dog mauling, and a pinch on the nose. Service 11:00 am Tuesday, April 21, 2015 Bergeron Chapel 10200-17th Street DAWSON CREEK, British Columbia, Canada V1G 4C2