Remembering our roots ~ Ralph and Joan Tiede

John Godsman
Times Contributor

 

Ralph’s grandparents, August and Lottie Tiede, with their son Leslie, moved from Gifford, Idaho to the Colonization Colony north of Rockyford, in 1917.
After spending a year here, they purchased land at SW 15-24-23 which was located on what is now the TransCanada Highway, at Rockyford Corner, and later became known as “Tiede’s Corner.”
After farming there for two years, they moved to Gleichen to live and work, before returning to their own farm. In 1927, the Midway Service Station was established, and became a landmark for travelers, even being shown on AMA Road Maps.
Leslie known as Les, worked on the family farm, as well as providing custom seeding, irrigating and combining, in the area. He met his wife-to-be, Annie, while she was working for the H. Scheer family, and they were married in 1935. Annie had been adopted by the John Friesen family after emigrating from a German village close to Moscow, Russia. They were among several families who settled in the Namaka District. In 1938 they began farming on their own, the same year their son Ralph was born. Ralph and his two sisters, Anne and Linda, were raised on the family farm and educated at the Namaka School through Grade 9, when they moved to Samuel Crowther High School. Ralph attended and graduated from Olds School of Agriculture, after taking the two-year course.
Joan’s (nee Muirhead) family originated in Stirling, Scotland. Her father John travelled to Canada in 1910 with a shipment of purebred Clydesdale horses. He worked on a farm in the Claresholm area before moving to Sedgewick, (50 miles east of Camrose, on Hwy 13). In 1915, he enlisted in the Canadian Army, and served in France during WW1. He married Elizabeth Haines of Sussex, England before returning to Canada with his bride, in 1920. They purchased land six miles south of Sedgewick, and farmed there for many years before John became an auctioneer, and they moved into town. Joan was born in Killam, Alta. in 1938, and had four sisters and two brothers. She was raised and educated in Sedgewick, and finished Grade 12 at Central High School, before moving to Calgary where she attended the Henderson Business College, then became a secretary at Calgary Power Ltd. Joan and Ralph met while she was visiting her sister Kay and family, who lived in the Standard area. They were married on Nov. 14, 1959. In the Spring of 1960, they moved to the farm at ‘Tiede’s Corner,’ as Ralph’s parents had moved to Strathmore where Les became the manager of the Strathmore Seed Cleaning Plant.
Apart from farming, Ralph owned and operated a school bus in the Crowfoot District, while Joan worked at The Royal Bank in Strathmore.
During this time, Ralph’s keen desire to become a pilot materialized, and he obtained his private pilot’s license on April 5, 1965. This date happened to coincide with the birth of their son, Darren, so Ralph celebrated by flying his plane along the Bow River, past the Calgary General Hospital.
Ralph and Joan were active members of Alberta Flying Farmers, and attended many fly-ins around Alberta. After attaining sufficient flying experience, he obtained his commercial and night flying endorsements. He then purchased a Piper Pawnee spray plane and began working with George Nicklassen in the Rosebud and Hussar areas, followed by working with Neil McClain, who farmed and ran an aerial spraying operation west of Strathmore. They provided invaluable instruction in the art of aerial application. The next great event in their lives occurred on March 23rd, 1969 when their daughter Shelagh was born. They enjoyed living and raising their family in the Crowfoot District.
The family moved to a farm previously owned by Jack and Virginia Colpoys in 1973, where they continued grain farming and aerial application, and they started a Limousin Cattle herd. Around this time, they formed Target Airspray Ltd when son Darren and his wife Cheryl both took an interest in the farming operation and aerial application. They have a family of two sons and two daughters.
Ralph and Joan retired in 2010, and Target Airspray Ltd and the farm are now owned and operated by Darren and Cheryl. Ralph will celebrate 50 years of Aerial Application in 2016. He and Joan are especially grateful for the neighbours and customers who have supported them in business and friendships throughout the years. They also appreciate the many reliable and capable men and women who have worked with them in all their endeavours.
Their daughter, Shelagh, is married to Doug Winkler, a farmer who farms near Indus. Shelagh is a teacher at Langdon where they live with their twin sons and a daughter.
Ralph and Joan have been active in church and community affairs, have served on the board of the Canadian Aerial Applicators Association, Alberta Flying Farmers, Strathmore Masonic Lodge #53, Alberta Limousin Association and the Crowfoot Community Association.
Great advances have been made over the years in aerial application with the invention of the GPS, which has streamlined the navigational part of the industry.