My name is Elsie Archer . My husband is Willard, Jack’s brother. It is an honor to have been asked by Jack’s family to read this tribute. I realize that I am one of the chattier Archers, and that’s because I married into the family. They are a notoriously quiet and soft spoken family. This is not necessarily a bad thing.This eulogy was largely composed by Shirley and Jeannie. I have added some thoughts gleaned from Jack’s siblings and friends. Shirley says…‘My father really could not sing, at least not in the traditional sense. But the following words describe him Psalm 100 – Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands 2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before His presence with singing.3 Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.5 For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations.’ Amen I can truthfully say in all my experiences that I have never seen a person die as victoriously as my brother in law, Jack. O death where is thy victory, o grave where is thy sting? But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. We were simply awed by the presence of Christ in that hospital room. Here are some thoughts that Shirley wrote and posted on facebook. My dad is lying on his hospital bed and singing. "Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee. How great Thou art. How great Thou art." His Saviour draws nearer and his heart is singing. His room is becoming holy ground and he is "blessing the socks off" of his hospice volunteers and his family. And then….referring to Psalm 23. Does Dad have any idea that he is walking through that valley? I don't know, but I do know that he is not afraid. Jack said to Shirley "It's a privilege to be your father, my dear daughter". And Shirley responded, “Dad, it has always been a privilege to be your daughter!” Near the end ,each time we visited Jack, he would grip our hands strongly and give us a blessing. John Maxwell Archer, always known as Jack, was born December 16, 1928 in Didsbury, Alberta. He was the eldest of four children born to Max and May Archer. He grew up on the family farm east of Didsbury, attended the Gore school, about a mile from their home. My husband, Willard described a winsome scene of the boys, all 3 seated bareback on a horse. They will have been aged 10 to 6. Long legs hanging, clutching at each other for dear life, plodding along the prairie road toward the one room school. This didn’t last very long because Archer boys grew fast and tall. When the burden became too awkward and heavy the boys had to give the poor horse a break to resign themselves to walking the distance. Life on the farm was unbelievably difficult during Jacks childhood. That was the time of the great depression and the drought. Later on WW2 broke out. Just putting food on the table was a concern. There was little money. Still the children recall fun times. Skating on any available ice, playing ball in the farmyard with the Cullens and the Crosby Archer cousins who lived nearby. Going for horseback rides on a Sunday afternoon. He later attended the Mountain View United Missionary Church along with his family. He went to high school in Didsbury, and graduated from Mountain View Bible College. He spent time working on farms in eastern Alberta; particularly for Lloyd Good in the Acadia Valley area. He eventually got around to asking Marion May Eby to be his wife, and they were married on July 28, 1955. They were given three daughters, Shirley, Beverley and Jeannie. Jack and Marion left the family farm in the early 1960’s and moved to rented property in the Harmattan area. Eventually, they were able to buy a quarter section in that area, and Jack raised cattle and crops. He did his best to farm with integrity and to be innovative in his methods. His one regret was that he always wished that he could have attended Olds College to learn more about farming. However, he read farming magazines, kept up with what was happening, and always did his best. This brings another picture to my mind. I can see Jack now, Striding through his hilly Harmattan quarter section. A 6 ft 3, strong ruggedly handsome figure. The wind blows his straight dark blond hair that he never really lost. His blue eyes take in the beauty of the landscape around him. The cattle trail along behind him knowing that there is new pasture waiting . Jack lets down the electric fence so the cattle can go through. They will have a week or so to graze there until they move to the next section. As we visited Jack in his last days, he would tell us about that accomplishment. He was proud of it because it worked so well. The neighbouring farmers had caught on and emulated him. I remember saying, “That was really smart farming, Jack!” He responded with a grin, “I thought that was rather clever”. Although Jack was a quiet man, he did enjoy visiting with the guys. The girls told me that the only times Marion really got annoyed with him was when he would keep them waiting in the car for just ages after church while he visited in the foyer. Jack loved to give of his time, talents and resources. He donated much time to building projects for his church and for James River Bible Camp. His spare time in his later years was spent with Marion, making quilts for charity. It was his greatest joy to be able to spend his time helping people. Jack was living proof of the bible verses in James- “if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” Jack expressed his faith by his actions. Jack quit actively farming at the age of 70 but they continued to live on the farm until 2007 when they sold their land and moved to Silver Lynx community in Olds. In November, 2016 cancer overwhelmed his body, and other than being able to be home for his 88th birthday and Christmas, he spent the rest of his life in the Olds Hospital and the last few days in a wonderful hospice suite in Sunrise Encore, where they had moved to live on December 31. Jack answered his last call from his Lord in the early morning of February 10, 2017. Left to celebrate his passing are his beloved wife Marion, daughters Shirley (Danny) Gillrie, Beverley (Lance) Taylor, and Jeannie (James) Quantz along with eight grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. Jack also leaves behind his brother Willard (Elsie) Archer, his sister Helen Archer, and sister-in-law Ruth (Jim) Maconochie, and numerous nieces and nephews and many cousins. He was pre-deceased by his mother and father, Max and May Archer, his brother Paul and sister-in-law Florence Archer, and his “adopted” sister, Gerri Atkin. Also Marion’s parents, Daniel and Elizabeth Eby, and sister-in-law Grace Eby. Jack gave the greatest of gifts to his family and his community. He loved the Lord, he loved his wife and his children, and he loved all those around him without reservation or judgment. He lives, as Jesus lives, and so we can say “good night Dad. We’ll see you in the Morning.”