Obituary of Thorberg Bertin "Thor" Thorbergson

Thorberg Bertin Thorbergson, or more commonly known as Thor, resident of Beaverlodge, formerly of Dawson Creek, Rolla and Grande Prairie, passed away on the 24th of January, 2015 at age 95. Born in Elbow, Saskatchewan in 1919 to Enok and Anna-Rebecca, he was the youngest of ten children. Incidentally, Thor was named after an older brother who had passed away during the 1918 flu pandemic. As part of the greatest generation, Thor was brought up during an incredibly difficult era which included the Great Depression. His family had moved to Saskatchewan in the early part of the century but had to make a move west. Moving from Saskatchewan to start over in the developing Peace Country in the 1930's was an arduous task at best. After the difficult journey northwest at the age of 11, Thor was enrolled in the local school system and ended up completing his grade 8. However, due to the pressures of having to help out the family, Thor ended up getting a job hitching horses to a hay wagon. One of Thor's greatest traits was that he was a hard worker. If we could all work half as hard as Thor did, we would all be better off. Everyone said that Thor was a determined worker and did it all with pride. The world at that time was very tumultuous and like many of his generation, Thor enlisted in the army in 1941. It was at this time, while based in Woodstock, NB that he met his wife, Nettie Delong and, soon after, they were married in 1942. Thor had enlisted in the supply and transport section. He spent time in North Africa and Italy during the war years. Thor did not speak about his war time very often. I remember when I first enlisted in the Canadian Forces, my grandfather was a bit unsure. It took several years before he finally accepted that I had joined an organization that links us through the history of Canada. One of my proudest moments was to be able to lay a wreath with my Grandfather at the Remembrance Day ceremony in Dawson Creek after my first deployment. Standing next to him filled my heart with pride. Upon returning to the North Country, the hard work life continued for a farmer and his wife. 7 kids followed, all of them brats. As it was back in the "good ole days", Thor could always be considered "firm but fair" as a father. If you did something wrong, you would have to own up to it. Usually, as it was back then, it was with a willow. Spankings, which with that group of kids were probably numerous, were handed out with a "firm but fair" hand. One time, Susan, who undoubtedly did something wrong, was sent to get her own willow. She proceeded to find the smallest, thinnest willow. Thor looked at it and laughed and, in fairness, let Susan off without a spanking. This time. A prankster by nature, there are many stories of Thor playing jokes on his friends and family. One such story starts when Thor worked for the city and once called his boss to tell him that he had manage to get a bear into a tree at the dump. This surprised many and, as the story goes, half the city went to the city dump to find a toy bear hanging in a tree! Another time was during the war, as a driver, Thor would be sent to wherever his superiors needed things to go. He was hauling some water around the countryside of Italy and some Italians needed some gasoline. Thinking he had gasoline, Thor sold them some of his water and took off before the Italians could figure it out! After remarrying, Thor had the pleasure of adding more members to his family. It would not be uncommon to see Thor down on the ground, barking like a dog to the latest child that had entered his life as a means to entertain them. Anyone who met Thor knew immediately he had a big heart. He would embrace you tightly to let you know that you were loved. From the numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family, friends, doctors, nurses and others who have shared laughter and tears, it is with great sadness that we celebrate the long full life of a hard-working, caring man. Thor is predeceased by his sons Roger, Lee and Gary. He is survived by his wife Shirley, who for the last 12 years has been by his side, dancing and laughing through the good times and bad; children David, Elizabeth, Susan, and Laurie; grandchildren and great grandchildren too numerous to mention; extended family galore, who I know would love to share their memories of my grandfather. Thank you for remembering and celebrating the life of a truly great person. Service 1:00 pm Saturday, January 31, 2015 Bergeron Chapel 10200-17th Street DAWSON CREEK, British Columbia, Canada V1G 4C2 Interment Dawson Creek City Cemetery 1900 Alaska Avenue DAWSON CREEK, British Columbia, Canada