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A Memorial Service for James McCallum, age 87 years of Saltcoats, will be held on Saturday, September 18, at 2:00 pm from the Saltcoats Community Hall with Sarah Giles officiating.
Interment will follow in the Saltcoats Town Cemetery.
Should friends so desire, donations in memory of James may be made to the Saltcoats United Church building fund or Allan Blair Cancer Clinic.
For more information or to send a condolence to the family of James P McCallum, please visit www.ChristiesFuneralHome.com.
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James (Jim) Prentice McCallum was born in Shaunavon, SK, on May 13, 1934, and passed away peacefully with family at his side at St. Anthony's Hospital in Esterhazy, SK, on September 01, 2021. Jim was the first of 5 children born to Peter and Anna (Kleckner) McCallum. He was raised on the farm in the Garden Head District between Carmichael and Shaunavon. Jim was baptized in the United Church of Canada at 4 months old in Garden Head, and celebrated his first full Communion at 14 years old in the Gull Lake United Church. Jim first attended Stone Pile School, followed by years in Carmichael and Shaunavon, and finally completed his high school years in Swift Current. He was in Cadets and Militia during his high school years, and after a final summer as a Cadet spent as a mechanics instructor in Dundurn, SK, Jim attended Officer Training School in Borden, Ontario. He took his leave from the military and moved to Trail B.C. to seek work at the Smelter, but not immediately securing a job at the plant, he took on several jobs, including landscaping, painting, trucking and delivery, and finally as an Electrical Apprentice at the new Hospital and the Dam construction projects. After about 3 years in Trail, and as those projects came to a close, Jim was asked by his elder Grandfather, James McCallum, to accompany and assist him on a final visit back to Forth, Scotland. From there Jim toured England, France, and Spain.
Back in Canada, Jim returned to help on the McCallum family farms in the Garden Head and Carmichael areas, and the Kleckner farm in the Gravelbourgh area, and soon secured a job with the new pipeline project passing through the Swift Current area. While working for the pipeline he began building his house in Swift Current, and while getting supplies at Sears, met a very attractive Credit Manageress. Jim eventually asked her to a dance, and not long after, in September of 1959, Phyllis and Jim were wed. Less than 2 years later Jim and brother Andy and wives, each with a baby in tow, purchased and moved to farmsteads near Saltcoats, followed by a purchase of land by their parents, containing a seasonal yardsite, all in the Castleton and Chatsworth Districts. During these years McCallum's Pony Ranch would welcome scores of relatives, neighbours and friends from far and wide for horseback and wagon rides, wiener roasts and picnics. The McCallum families were immediately active in the Castleton and Saltcoats United Churches, Saltcoats Agricultural Society and many other Community involvements. More children came along in the 1960’s, including two more sons born to Phyllis and Jim. Jim welcomed relatives, friends, and neighbours to share the farm's facilities for things like butchering, produce gathering and processing, and Phyllis's siblings and families from B.C. to Ontario gathered to make wheat bulgur.
A deep respect for learning and teaching was instilled in Jim through his upbringing. He was involved with teaching community college courses for basic mechanics, and over a 30 year period instructed 100's of cattle producers in Artificial Insemination and other cattle breeding programs. While operating McCallum Stock Farms for over 40 years and running McCallum's AI Service, his own artificial insemination business for close to 30 years, Jim also managed the bull collection facility at Yorkton for over 10 years in the 1980’s and 1990’s.
Jim was involved in several capacities with the United Church in Saltcoats from 1961 to his passing. Jim has always taken pride in volunteerism, for which he was awarded various local, organizational, Provincial and Federal recognitions, and took on numerous leadership roles including 4-H Leader, Agricultural Society President, and Chair of the School Board. Over the years, some of the other involvements included: Minor Sports, Snowplough Club, Hall Board and Saltcoats Players, many community fundraising efforts, YFBTA, Yorkton Arts Council, Saltcoats Museum Board & Historical Society, and was a member of Saltcoats Town Council on multiple occasions. Many of Jim’s local committee works led to regional and Provincial body representation as well.
Jim was very musical, learning piano as a child, and picked up the drums from his father, who played in various orchestras for local dances around the area. Jim composed original musical scores for his sons to perform on various instruments, and sang with the church choir when called upon. As many farmers are, Jim was a man of many skills: Gardener, carpenter, woodworker, electrician, butcher, herdsman/shepherd, stonemason, mechanic, welder, machinist, blacksmith, draftsman, inventor, trouble-shooter, and author. Jim’s excellence as a public speaker led to countless requests to host programs and events far and wide, allowing him to share his clever sense of humor, and enjoy his favorite pastime, engaging with other people.
Jim was predeceased by the love of his life after 55 years of marriage – Phyllis (Salloum) McCallum; his parents Peter and Anna; parents-in-law George and Shamse (Kouri) Salloum; brothers-in-law Bob Abrams, Fred Salloum, Eddie Salloum, Albert Salloum, Habeeb Salloum, Al Salloum and Alex Carleton; sisters-in-law Florence Salloum, Anne Salloum, Rose Carleton and Freda Salloum.
Those left to cherish fond memories are Jim's 3 sons: Stacy (Lori) McCallum of Yorkton and their 3 children, son Chad (Shannon) McCallum (and twin daughters Sophie and Elizabeth), son Brandon, and son Garett; Trent (Heidi) McCallum of Weyburn and their 3 children; Kendra (Jared) Stevens (and daughter Charlotte), Mitchell (Taylor) McCallum (and son Felix), Marissa (Brodie Quenneville-Thorpe) McCallum; Grant (Kim) McCallum of Saltcoats and their 3 children, Austin, Jace, and Kalliegh; Jim’s 3 sisters Myrtle (Reg) Odegard, Edith Abrams, Katherine (Kerry) Rayner; Jim’s brother Andy (Loraine) McCallum; sisters-in-law Mary (Jack) McWhirter, Helen Salloum, Madeleine Salloum, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives and dear friends.
Jim was very proud of his sons and their families, and never missed an opportunity to share the latest accomplishments of his wife, children, and grandchildren. He cherished the time he had with Phyllis, often reminiscing of their extensive travels consisting of dozens of trips across North America and abroad, and fondly spoke of their common interests and involvements. The legacy of Jim’s lifelong service to family and community, and the devotion and respect he and Phyllis shared for their beloved United Church Family, is living on through their children.
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