Paul (Bud) Plein, beloved husband of Helen Plein, Windthorst, Sask., died on Friday, September 22, 2006, at the age of 83 years. The funeral mass was concelebrated in St. Pius R.C. Church, Windthorst, Sask., on Monday, September 25, 2006 at 10:30 a.m. by Rev. Joseph Strohhofer and Rev. Ed Hengen. Interment followed in the parish cemetery. Prayers were in the church on Sunday at 7:00 p.m. The casket bearers were: Mark Coppicus, Donald Lenius, Gordon Hassler, Robert Kearns, Rod Steele and Reg Coppicus.

The following is the eulogy as given by Mark Coppicus:

Many of you in this community and parish have known Bud Plein all of your lives. You can most likely recall a time where you witnessed his sense of humor, his patience, his knowledge, his courage, his faith…so it is a sincere honor for me that Aunty Helen asked me to share some memories of my Uncle Bud with all of you, their family and friends.

Paul Plein was born near Windthorst on December 3, 1922 to Paul and Rosie (Martodam) Plein. His siblings were Mildred, Adelaide, George, John and twin sister Pauline.

Uncle Bud attended school in Windthorst, all the while working along side of his parents and eventually taking over the family farm. He was a carpenter, too – this was a favorite activity for his whole life. After his parent’s death, first Rosie in 1962 and Paul in 1964, Bud’s nearest immediate family member was hundreds of miles away, but Windthorst was his HOME. He was dedicated to his community and his friends, he loved softball, curling and the odd pool game, he was a Lion and a Knight and the Windthorst folks would confirm him as a “bachelor” for LIFE.

However, in July of 1965, Uncle Bud married Helen Coppicus. Aunty Helen says she “really felt sorry for him as he was all alone out at the farm and needed someone to look after him.” The twinkle in her eyes tells me there was more to it than that. Uncle Bud inherited a new family as Aunty Helen had three sisters, Theresa, Tillie and Martha and two brothers Fred and Gerry. He became a beloved Uncle to the Hassler, Lenius, Kearns and Coppicus kids. Being alone on the farm might have been at least a QUIETER option!

Although Uncle and Aunty were not blessed with children of their own, whether it was their nephews and nieces, cousins or children in the neighborhood – Bud and Helen made time for us all.

As a child, I spent many of my summer holidays with Uncle Bud and Aunty Helen. I grew up learning about farm life from Uncle Bud. My sisters Sharon and Janice have many fond memories also. It is hard to recall any of our childhood without thinking of Uncle Bud. Some are just of simple things like camping out in the living room together. Sharon once ate sunflower seeds in his boat and Uncle Bud teased her that it took 5 years to clean them out of there. He taught Janice how to hold baby chicks and that the chickens running around with their heads chopped off could not hurt her! He taught me to drive standard transmissions and demonstrated his amazing patience when I, at the age of 11 or so, drove his truck right into his 560 International tractor.

I was there when Aunty caught her first fish… and Uncle Bud was thrilled because he knew she was hooked…and that they could now enjoy this sport together. My family spent many summer fishing vacations with Aunty Helen and Uncle Bud…where we would search out what Uncle call the WOMP!!…For countless hours, we practiced the various new methods to find the WOMP…but there were always bigger womps to find!

There were many family gatherings at the Plein’s, at the farm and later at their house in town. Even though Uncle Bud thought food was quite important, once that meal was over his focus quickly changed to the SCHMERE tournaments. This is where my quiet, soft-spoken Uncle turned into a vicious bidder and ruthless foe.

Uncle Bud could fix anything. He made tractor parts work for washing machines and vice versa. I marveled at his inventions, which he could demonstrate with excitement and pride. On my wife’s first visit to the Plein farm, Uncle Bud gave us a farm tour. We stopped at the tractor shed where the boat was stored and uncle showed us his boat “air conditioning” invention. He had Claudette get into the boat and they simulated fishing and Uncle hooked up his air conditioning unit. Instantly, they were pals.

Uncle Bud and Aunty Helen moved into town in 1988. Uncle Bud enjoyed golf and pool, fishing, hunting and of course his workshop.

While working on this eulogy, I received an email poem called “The Dash”. The poem was about an inscription to mark out time here on earth. For Uncle Bud, the inscription would be December 3, 1922, (dash) – September 22, 2006. A line in the poem goes something like this: “It matters not what we own, the cars, the house or the cash…what matters is how we live and love, and how we spend that dash,” For Uncle Bud…there are 83+ years of a life well spent in that “dash”.

It is an honor to known Bud Plein. He was a devoted and beloved Husband, Brother, Uncle, Mentor and Friend. I will always cherish my memories of Uncle Bud and I will miss him for the rest of my life.

Bud was predeceased by two sisters Mildred Hendricks and Adelaide Funk and one brother George (Sig) Plein. He is survived by his wife Helen Plain; his twin sister Pauline Jones, Kenora, Ont.; his brother John (Mardelle) Plein, Brainerd, Minn, U.S.A.; sisters-in-law: Theresa Kearns, Windthorst, Sask., Matilda Lenius, Calgary, Alta. and Martha Hassler, Windthorst, Sask.; two brothers-in-law Fred (Eileen) Coppicus, Estevan, Sask. and Gerald (Sylvia) Coppicus, Calgary, Alta. and also by his nieces and nephews.

The funeral arrangements were entrusted to Michael Rey of Tubman Cremation and Funeral Services.