ESTEVAN — Daryl Spenst says his father Jim was the type who would "give you the shirt off of his back".
Spenst, a decorated Second World War veteran who was among Estevan's last remaining veterans on the conflict, died in Toronto on May 7 at the age of 99. He was travelling from Estevan to the Netherlands for the 80th anniversary celebrations of that nation's liberation when he became ill.
Jim Spenst was among the Canadian soldiers who helped liberate the Netherlands.
Daryl noted that after the war, his father opened a body shop business in Estevan. He recalled that in the early 1980s, a young couple from the U.S. crossed into Canada at North Portal with their children. They drove a 1965 Dodge crew cab truck with a camper that broke down.
"I don't know how they got my dad's number, but he had a tow truck come and tow it to his shop, and dad looked at it, and it wasn't worth fixing … I can't remember exactly why. I know what my dad did. They didn't have a lot of money, so my dad gave them more than the truck was worth, and he gave them enough money to get a bus up to Alaska to where they were going, with food and everything for them and their kids.
"That's the kind of person he was. He was big-hearted and gave the shirt off his back to help somebody. He was always doing something for someone."
Jim was also an active member of the Royal Canadian Legion's Estevan branch, and he and his wife Elaine cooked meals at the legion and the Estevan Elks Lodge. Daryl said his father always cooked good food, whether it was the stew after the Remembrance Day service, or the meals for weddings and other celebrations. Elaine often made the pastries.
He was also an avid curler and golfer. Daryl noted that his father won the Saskatchewan legion seniors' golf tournament a few times, and Daryl was never able to beat him on the course.
"I played army golf – left, right, left, right," Daryl said. "He always said 'You know, son, you're supposed to hit it straight down the fairway. I said 'Yeah, dad, that's easy. Anybody can play it out of the fairway. It takes a real man to play out of the bushes.'"
The father was also proud when the son joined the army. Jim was a private in the Canadian Army who lied about his age when he was 17 in 1943 so he could serve his country in the war. Daryl said his father was a Royal Canadian Army Service Corps member; now it's called logistics transport.
Daryl, meanwhile, was in the Army from 1988-2004, serving as a driver, just like his father. He was 25 at the time he enlisted.
"I said I'll join, I'll try it, and if I don't like it, I only have to do three years. But I made a career out of it," said Daryl.
He did two tours in Bosnia and one tour in Africa. While he served in war zones, he said he didn't have people shooting at him.
"Their motto when he was overseas was 'If you need it, we haul it,'" said Daryl. "When I was in, we used to say 'If we can't haul it, you don't need it.'"
Daryl's first posting was to Borden, Ont., and his parents came out for a visit. Daryl believes his father enjoyed it because it was an army setting. When they went to the Rod and Gun bar to play darts and visit with his pals, Daryl said the brotherhood mentality remained with Jim and the other soldiers.
After Daryl joined the army, his father opened up about his military service. They went to France together last year to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, and the elder Spenst was sharing stories with people he met.
"He enjoyed talking to all of the young guys … and telling the stories. He told the story that one time when he was in Belgium he had to drive the 82nd Airbourne [Division] from Belgium to just outside of Paris where the Americans had, it was like their R and R [rest and recuperation]. He'd been driving four or five days straight before that, and he was talking about how the sergeant from the 82nd Airborne drove a ways for him so he could get some rest. I know that feeling. I did it in my time, too."
A service will be held for Jim, likely in the last week of June, but a date hasn't been finalized. He and Elaine had five children, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
