Omer Charles 'Ole' Alendal

April 9, 1930 - May 1, 2022
In Loving Memory ~
It is with sad hearts we announce the passing of Omer (Ole) Alendal. Ole came to end of his journey at the age of 92 on May 1, 2022, at the Boundary District Hospital Hospice. Ole passed away peacefully in his sleep with family by his side after a brief battle with cancer.
Ole is predeceased by his brother Ken, wife Beryl and their children Cheryl and Glen and his foster daughter, Gayle.
He is survived by; his wife, Shirley (and her children, Rick (Arlene), Sherry (Rob), Carrie (Iain), Sandra (John) and 12 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren); his daughters Keli and Jade (Dan); his grandchildren, Leisha, Alan, Justin, Alyssa, Weslee, Shane, Colby, Ryan, Devon, and his great grandchildren, Linus, Sandy, John, Mya-Fate, Rowan, Finn, Piper and Penelope; his foster sons Brian and Alan; and his siblings, Wanita (Ray), Marge (Jim), Dave and Iris (Bob).
Ole was born in Viborg, South Dakota to Eddie and Mae Alendal. He was a beautiful blond- haired blue-eyed boy who was the oldest of six siblings. The Alendal family moved from South Dakota to Rex, Saskatchewan in 1933 when Ole was 2 years old.
The family remained in Rex until 1948 when they moved to Sardis, BC where Ole met his wife of 42 years, Beryl at the Chilliwack Fall Fair. Ole and Beryl lived in Sardis, Quesnel, and Chilliwack until they settled in Lillooet, BC where they raised their children, Cheryl, Glen, Keli, Jade and their foster children, Gayle, Brian and Alan.
As a widower, Ole met and married Shirley Ricker. He gained more family with Shirley's children and grandchildren, who from the beginning respected and loved him for his kindness and gentle mannerism. Ole and Shirley lived in the Texas Creek home in Lillooet for a period of time before moving to Grand Forks where they resided for 20 years.
Ole was an active hiker, fisherman, and hunter, who enjoyed riding horses and being in the outdoors. In his younger years he could be found on the riverbanks of the Vedder River casting a rod. Ole was a member of the Fish and Game Club for many years and the Chilliwack Search and Rescue. Ole was one of the first on site of the TCA Flight 810 crash on Mt. Slesse in May 1957.
He enjoyed gold panning and at one point in his life claimed a Jade mine. As a young man Ole started working in the logging industry with his brother Ken, sometimes in Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands then) and Port McNeil. The only way in was by steamship or floatplane. Eventually, he established his own logging business in Lillooet.
Ole was a man with very creative and ingenious hands. Throughout his life he would fix many broken things others couldn't and created items from heavy equipment parts, headache racks for pickup trucks to lawn ornaments. He was always busy in his shop.
Ole's sudden departure has left many of us deeply saddened. The family would like to thank the staff and doctors who cared for him at his home in Grand Forks and his short stay in the Monashee hospice at the Boundary District Hospital.
Funeral service was held at the Lillooet Recreation Centre, May 14, 2022. Interment followed at the Lillooet cemetery.
Memorial Service will be held in the Grand Forks Funeral Home on Friday May 20, 2022 at 1:00 P.M.