Lawrence Arthur Just

On May 11, Lawrence Arthur Just peacefully passed into eternity with his Saviour Jesus at Grand River General Hospital in Kitchener, Ontario at the age of 89 years.

Lawrence will be lovingly remembered by his daughter Henrietta, her husband Curtis and their children Justus and Samuel, along with his son Mark and his wife Melony and their children Matthew and Maddox. Sisters-in-law Donna Kitsch and Marie Just and Goddaughter Lenora Shaw. Curtis’ Family and Melony’s Family have been a significant part of his life the past 20+ years. Lawrence will also be remembered by many cherished nieces, nephews & friends with their own treasured stories!  

Lawrence was predeceased by his wife Gladys (Kitsch) and his parents Alvina (Neudorf) and William. His brothers Gordon (Joyce) and Clifford and his sisters Elsie Fiege (Albert), Emily Look (Reuben), Martha Trithardt (Henry), Adeline Kohlert (Leo), as well as brothers and sisters-in-law. Nephews and nieces; and friends Vivian and Muriel Dixon and Pat Fletcher.

Lawrence was the 6th born of 7 children and sad to be the last one to go; deeply mourning the recent losses of Adeline & Clifford. At age 14 he began to do a “grown man’s full day’s work” on the farm. He rode an old balloon tire bike to get around and eventually a snowmobile in the winter to get from farm to driveable highway. While driving ambulance at the “Airport Hospital” he met Gladys Kitsch and they were married June 8, 1957. As they did not have children of their own until 17 years later, he was an involved Uncle and Friend to many youngsters. He knew all the backroads when he did deliveries with the Bakery truck and kept all the inventory and sales in his head from the day’s routes and would do the math in his head while on the bread truck. He supplemented his agricultural endeavours by years of shift work on the boiler/air conditioning system at the Federal Building. He truly enjoyed farming, threshermen’s shows, photography, cinnamon rolls, curling, cribbage, gardening, making friends with every dog that wagged its tail, a variety of music (especially of birdsongs), and on the rare occasion he went hunting and fishing. He did a lot of driving to Regina and Saskatoon in caring for Family. Both Lawrence and Gladys cheered on Henrietta and Mark at band competitions and later he was proud to watch his 4 Grandsons mature into young men. His lifespan encompassed a broad spectrum of technological advances, especially in the farming industry, which he marveled at. In a recent nostalgic conversation he said, “The best thing was bringing in the harvest after a year of hard work!” He was friendly and generous; he valued a good education, and completed his GED in his 50s, often saying that “as long as you are living you should be learning”. He missed his home on the Prairies very much while living in Ontario, and we are thankful he was able to visit one last time in February of 2023.  

The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and support staff of Grand River Hospital, especially the Intensive Care Unit, for their dedication and care of Lawrence.

Thank you as well to the staff of Erb and Good Funeral Home in Kitchener and Christie’s Funeral Home in Yorkton. Many thanks to Pastor Paul Roggow, the Holy Cross family & Zion Lutheran Church family.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Lawrence to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Jackfish Bible Camp, Lutheran Hour Ministries or the Brain Tumor Foundation of Canada.

Funeral service will be held at Zion Lutheran Church (234 Independent St, Yorkton, SK) at 1:30 pm, Saturday, May 20, 2023.

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