Nearly 60 people came to Sandwith Community Hall on June l8 to share memories and to pay tribute to the man who, no doubt, was a central figure in the community until he moved to North Battleford more than 45 years ago. The fact people came back from the many distant communities where they now live says a lot about the high esteem they had for Roland Marsh. Others wished to, but were unable to come.
Marsh was born at his parents’ home one and one half miles west of Sandwith, on the SW 17, twp 48, range 14, W3rd, on Dec. 6, 1916. He passed away May 27, 2016 in Lanigan at age 99.
He attended Hyde Park School and achieved Grade 9 in 1932, a grade higher than was considered necessary at that time. For the next few hard time years of the 1930s, he and his brothers worked and expanded their father’s farm, changing it to tractor power. They got logs from the forest 25 miles north, set up a sawmill and started building a new house for their parents.
When the Second World War started in 1939, his brothers, James and Clifford, were accepted to serve their country but the government left Roland to keep the farm going. Roland had a long-time guilt feeling that he hadn’t done his part for his country.
In 1945, his brothers were back from war duties, got married and went back into farming.
That year, after harvest, Roland bought Mason’s General Store in Sandwith from its owner, Harold Mason, who had moved into Sandwith soon after the railway came through.
But Marsh’s General Store was quite a lot of things besides groceries. It included the Sandwith post office and the Sandwith telephone, the only phone for the district. It was a hardware store handling nails, bolts, barbed wire and baler twine.
Also included was the North Star oil business, which included a hand pump gasoline supply and a kerosene, or coal oil, pump in front of the store. The kerosene pump was important to fill customers’ jugs with fuel for the wick oil lamps that were in every home. As someone reminded the others, each pump had a glass cylinder that was marked in gallons so that one could see how much flowed by gravity into a customer’s fuel tank. There was also a fuel shed that had barrels of gasoline and oil for farm tractors and a barrel of high-test gasoline for the Coleman mantle lamps then popular for their brighter light. As farming progressed, a fuel delivery truck was added to the business.
Also included was the task of shipping livestock through the rail-side stockyards about 300 yards away from the store. Pigs had to be tattooed with a number so the carcass could be identified for grade and payment and cattle had to be ear tagged. Obviously Roland had to have at least one employee to help him deal with all this.
For a year or so Roland batched, living in the house which was part of the store property, but his sister, Margarete Olson, and her husband Luther were soon living about one-half mile west of Sandwith. Margarete saw how Roland neglected himself and convinced him to live with them.
So the Olson family of Eileen, Bradley, Betty and Debbie grew up to love and know their Uncle Roland for the kind and cheerful person that he was. He treated them as well as if they had been his own. When Eileen and Betty had a double wedding, Roland marched one of them up the aisle.
But what brought the community together to remember Roland was the host of memories about the great community person that he was. Roland was always there if anyone needed him. He opened the store any time someone asked. One fellow is reported to have made a practice of getting Roland to open his store on Sundays so that he could get his groceries for the week. At any hour that someone needed to make a phone call, Roland would go and open the store so the call could be made. If someone needed a ride to hospital or wherever, Roland was always first to offer.
One speaker referred to the fact Roland didn’t smoke, drink or use rough language, but was always cheerful and ready to talk or deal with anyone, regardless of that person’s habits. He never talked badly about anyone though some may have treated him a bit shabbily.
Roland was not only a people person but a devoted community person. He joined every community organization and did his part to promote its success. He joined the Sandwith Community Hall organization, the Sandwith Orange Lodge, the Glenbush Agricultural Society, the Sandwith Snowplow Club and he was secretary treasurer for the Sandwith Curling Club from its start in 1952 until he left the community in 1969. He was also a strong supporter of the local 4-H and Homecraft clubs.
Although Roland had never served as a municipal councillor, he accepted the nomination and became reeve of the Rural Municipality of Round Hill. Before moving to North Battleford ended it, he had served in that role for over 12 years during which many miles of roads were constructed.
When Roland sold his store business and farmland in 1969 one would think that should have had a sweet retirement fund. But Roland had a problem. He couldn’t say "No." Many people needed credit and some took too much. It is believed he mortgaged farmland to pay the oil company for fuel he had delivered to customers.
ln North Battleford, Roland sold real estate for Mattila Agencies and Howard Mattila regretted not being able to get to Sandwith to talk about Roland, but said that he found him very knowledgeable and personable as he sold for him for 12 years.
During his time in North Battleford, Roland also operated a feed store. He later farmed near Denholm with Peter Klippenstein, who was asked to give a brief account about this and then close the program before lunch.
But Roland’s life changed at age 65 when he married Arloa Thompson and the couple enjoyed a great life of travel, much of it in a motor home that took them into the United States for many winters. They settled in Lanigan and enjoyed bridge tournaments and the social life of that town. They had 34 years together. And Roland was still always ready to help anyone he could. Even in his 80s, he went truck driving for a local farmer needing a hand.
Roland Marsh has been described as dependable, honest, consistent, hardworking, optimistic, courteous, friendly, trusting, trustworthy, respectful, happy, conscientious and humble.
Roland passed away in Lanigan on May 27, 2016, at age 99, and his passing ended a life of service that can stand up as an example for all those who knew him in the Sandwith community, in North Battleford and in Lanigan. Thank you, Roland.
