Obituary of Joseph Woodside "Joe" Embree

Joe Embree, a long time resident of Chetwynd, B.C. and a pioneer of Little Prairie, passed away on Saturday, November 9, 2013 in Chetwynd at the age of 87 years. Joe was born on January 27, 1926 to Joe and Margaret Embree near St. Boswells, Saskatchewan. Following the stock market crash in 1929, his father was forced to sell the farm and the family moved northwest of Saskatoon. This is where Joe grew up and was home schooled. Joe joined his brothers and enlisted in the Army in the fall of 1942. As he was young, the army kept him in England guarding supply depots. Later he went to Holland and guarded the famous Nijmegen Bridge. In late 1946 Joe left the army and returned home where he worked at various jobs, such as clearing farm land near Cold Lake, ice fishing on Great Slave Lake and farming with his brothers. In 1950 the Korean War started and under the United Nations, Canada called for volunteers. Joe joined up and was sent to Fort Lewis, Washington to undergo training. Joe and the Second Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry sailed to Japan and joined the lines. They pushed up to a village named Kapyong. This turned out to be one of the most famous battles in the history of the Canadian Army as six hundred and fifty Canadians held off fifty thousand Chinese communists. At the end of May, 1951 Joe's regiment was sent back to Fort Lewis to train the next wave of soldiers. From there he came back home on leave and stayed at his brother's farm. This is where he got to know Florence Slager. On July 7, 1953, Joe and Florence were married. While still in the army, Joe joined the paratroopers and attended jump training in Manitoba. He was then sent to Germany and came back home in 1955 when he left the army. Joe and Florence lived in Grande Centre, Alberta where he worked on building the air base. In May 1956 they pulled into Little Prairie, B.C. and never left. Joe and Florence had a son, Mike in June 1957 and daughter, Michelle, in October 1963. After retiring, Joe and Florence traveled all over western Canada, most notably to the family farm in Saskatchewan on July 7, 2003. Joe and Florence celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, sharing it with friends and relatives who came from far and wide to be with them. After that, Florence's health began to fail and she passed away in December 2008. Joe was devastated when his daughter Michelle passed away in 2011 and his health began to suffer. He entered the hospital that summer and the care he received there kept him going until his passing in November 2013. Joe was devoted to his family and was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He was a fixture around Chetwynd and was always helping someone out or building something. He will be greatly missed by his friends, family and community. Joe was predeceased by his loving wife, Florence; daughter, Michelle; grandson, Joseph; brothers, Rupert, Victor, Charlie, Jim, Donald, Eugene and Tommy; and sister, Winona. Joe is survived by his sister, Irene; son, Mike (Christine); grandson, Ben; granddaughters, Serena, Kate and Amanda; and great-granddaughter, Genevive. A Memorial Service was held on Saturday, April 26, 2014 at 1:00 PM at the Chetwynd Fellowship Baptist Church, Chetwynd, B.C. Pastor Bill Evans officiated. Joe will be laid to rest with his family in Beacon Hill Cemetery, Saskatchewan. For friends so wishing, donations may be made in memory of Joe to the Chetwynd & District Hospital Foundation - Palliative Care, Box 121 Chetwynd, B.C. V0C 1J0 Very Respectfully, Reynars Funeral Home & Crematorium