Mabel Knebush

Richard Santer Submitted by Mabel (Santer) Knebush – Alameda and District 1882 – 1982

I was born in Regina, Sask. in 1925 to Bessie and Bill Blight who homesteaded a piece of land on the outskirts of Regina, by Wascana Creek. My parents were market gardeners. I met Dick just before he went overseas, as he was in the army. Shortly after he arrived home we were married, in February, 1946. Dick was born in Welwyn in 1918 and had most of his schooling there and in Regina. Dick loved the farm, so after we were married we moved to the Plenty-Dodsland district where we worked for farmers for three years. Then we came back to Regina in 1949 and Dick worked for a warehouse company for three years. We had three children, our first born was Linda Joyce, then Donald George and finally William Richard. They all grew up in Alameda and went to Alameda School. Mr. and Mrs. Matt Bell came to see us in 1952 and wanted us to manage their farm near Alameda. We had never heard of it before so we had to get the map out and try to find it. We moved down to the Bell farm in March of 1952 and we worked there until 1958 when Matt's son, Jim, decided to take over the farm. We moved to the Art Knebush farm and rented it for a year before we bought the Frank George farm, twelve miles north and two miles west of Alameda. It was very hard going for the first years and then the oil came. They drilled seven oil wells on our land and got four good ones. We didn't have the oil rights but the leasing and surface rights paid off our farm in a hurry. We had it paid for in five years. Dick suffered his first heart attack in 1959 just after we bought the farm. In 1972 he had a bad heart attack and the doctor told him he was to give up farming. Giving up the farm wasn't as hard as giving up the cattle. We enjoyed farming very much. We had our sale in April,1973. We bought what was called "The Allen Paul House" from Harold Widenmaier, and moved in the fall of 1972. Life was very different to the farm and Dick started fishing and so did I. The Doctor said that was the best thing for his heart. On May 1, 1976, we were coming home from fishing when a car came from a Side road right into our car and Dick was killed instantly. My world fell apart. I was in hospital for a long time. I gradually started a new life for myself. Three and a half years later my life took another very nice turn. Evert Knebush phoned up and asked me out for a drive and supper and that was the start of our romance. He just swept me off my feet. We were married on December 15, 1979 and we are very happy. Linda married Robert Anderson of Hanna, Alta. in 1967 and she has five children; Allan Paul, Charlene Cindy, Kelly Jason and twin boys Scott Richard and John Edward. They live on a ranch, out of Hanna, Alta. Don married Kathy Crichtley of Vancouver, B.C. in 1975 and they reside in Aldergrove, B.C. with their two boys Geoffrey David and Richard Norman. Bill married Brenda Mack of Estevan in 1970 and they have two boys also, Michael James and Cameron Richard. She was predeceased by her brother Tommy, second husband Everet, son Bill, daughter-in-law Kathy, grand-daughter-in-law Gloria. She moved to Villa 4 in Brooks, Alberta July 1999. Survived by daughter Linda, son Don, 9 grand children, 14 great grand children. In her spare time she loved painting, she had a natural artistic beauty that shone through. She always had a positive attitude and a smile that was infectious to anybody who was around her. A Memorial Service will be held at the family gravesite in Saskatchewan at a later date.

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