Richard Corser

CORSER, Richard Leon Born Edmonton, Alberta, August 25, 1925, died suddenly March 2, 2007 at Edson, Alberta. Long time Coal Branch resident Dick Corser spent all his life in Alberta, the 10th generation of a family that had settled in New Hampshire in the early 1600s. His parents emigrated from New York State to Alberta in the early '20s, first settling at Redwater, then at Mackay. Dick was born in Edmonton and spent his first years at Mackay, where his father, Arthur, and his Uncle Frank, had a logging operation, as well as a pig farm and a store to serve local residents. After some years there, the Corser brothers decided to expand, taking over the Baril logging operation southwest of Edson, Alberta, in 1933, at the juncture of the Erith and Embarras Rivers. At this point, Frank and Arther "flipped" for the two businesses, Dick's father taking over the logging and lumber operation, named "Erith" after the whistlestop on the Coal Branch line, the only transportation into the area. Dick was always independent and self-reliant. At the age of five or six, he wandered into an old-style tent revival meeting at Mackay and got himself baptized, to his parents' dismay. He was very proud of never having worked for anyone else. At the age of 10, he was handed a small-bore rifle and assigned the task of bringing in game to feed the men in the bunkhouse. At 16, he bought a Cat with a partner and made money clearing land, pushing roads, what-have-you. At 18, after graduation from Victoria Composite High, in Edmonton, he was drafted into the American Army, Company L, 34th Infantry, and shipped out to the Philippines from Fort Lewis, Washington. As Dick often recounted, "There were 5,000 soldiers on that ship and 4,900 of them were seasick." Unfortunately, Dick wasn't, and spent much of the Pacific crossing with a bucket and a mop. After armistice was declared, he spent two years in the American Occupation Army in Japan, stationed at Nagasaki. After honorable discharge as a Staff Sargeant, Dick met Dorothy Emma Giebelhaus on a blind date arranged by his lifelong best friend and boyhood companion, Dr. Don Husel, and two years later they were married in Holden, Alberta. Four children followed (Judy, 1951, Clyde, 1953, Craig, 1955, and Don, 1960) and a lot of hard work, as Dick built up the Erith Tie Company, which he bought from his father and his father's partner. Hard work never bothered Dick. He thrived on it. He built his first house, what he always referred to as "the Creation cabin," because he'd built it in seven days, including a day of rest, from green logs, at a remote bush camp. That's where he brought his bride in 1950. Dick loved life. He loved a joke. He hunted, he fished, he knew the back country around Erith like the proverbial back of his hand. Many a fishing companion, when asked if they'd like a cold beer on a hot summer day, were astonished to follow Dick cross-country and come out at a spring, where he'd reach in and pull out a cold beer he'd stowed on a previous visit. Dick served on many boards and offered his expertise in business and life in general. The Edson Hospital Board, Native Venture Capital, TransAlta Advisory Board, the Progressive Conservative party all benefited from his contributions. He always thought for himself and although his opinion wasn't always taken, it was always respected. Dick was always the same man, whether he was talking to prime ministers or pig farmers. In 1990, he was honoured by the Edson and Districk Chamber of Commerce for his service to the community. Dick was predeceased by his parents, Arthur Corser (1972) and Bessie Bowen (1990), his sister, Lucy (1947), and his sister, Helen Karr (1981). He is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Dorothy, his four children, grandchildren (Noel, Aaron, Julia, Rachel, Nathan, Christian, Leon, Alison, Danielle and "adopted" grandchild, Melissa) and a great-grandson, Hayden. A Memorial Service celebrating Dick's life is to be held at the Edson Rec-Plex (Edson Golf and Curling Club), East of Edson, Alberta, at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13. In lieu of floral tributes, donations may be made to The Salvation Army, 9618 - 101A Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5H 0C7. EDSON FUNERAL HOME LTD. and Foothills Crematorium entrusted with all arrangements. 780-723-3575. To send condolences, please visit our website at: www.edsonfuneralhome.com The Foothills Memorial Chapel