Cpl. Eddy Picher (Ret.) will be remembered as hardworking man of God who was devoted to serving his country. Picher died on March 18, 2016, in Victoria, BC, he was 79.
Born on Dec. 20, 1936, Eddy was one of eight children born to Rose and Mose Piche. He grew up outside of Sundre and considered the area to be his home.
Those who knew him would describe Eddy as a hardworking man who lived by the golden rule – treat others the way you wish to be treated. He was also a devoted Christian and followed the 10 Commandments.
One of his younger brothers, Richard, explained Eddy also lived by the famous John F. Kennedy quote “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
As a young man, Eddy worked alongside his father logging in the Canmore area. Then, in 1960, he began to look for a change in career.
“He was back to Calgary and he was walking along looking for a job and he saw this recruiting office. So he just walked in there and applied and he got the job and joined the army,” Richard said with a laugh.
Richard said their older brother, Leonard, was also in the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry so it’s likely that Eddy got the idea to join from him.
“The army life suited him just perfectly … He had a lot of training in the military, all kinds of courses – he got quite a lot of education,” Richard said.
One position he held with the infantry was a rifleman in Germany. One of his younger sisters, Maryanne, explained that while he was stationed there, Eddy did a lot of travelling around Europe.
He also served as jumpmaster at the Canadian Forces Base in Calgary.
“He was the guy that basically pushed the paratroopers out the door in the airplane – in his words he was the guy that ‘put the boot to their butt if they didn’t jump,’” Richard joked.
After nine years in the infantry, Eddy was medically discharged after he developed glaucoma in his eye. Richard said Eddy had expressed later that he wished he had been able to remain active longer.
It was during the last years of his service, while in Edmonton, that Eddy met Linda Gray from Enoch, Alta., with whom he had two children, Lenny and Rosalee Gray. Due to circumstances his family fell apart and it was not until late in life that he began to get to know his children and grandchildren.
After the military, he spent a short period of time on service rigs with his brother Leonard who was in charge of the drilling operations, they worked mainly in the Brooks, Red Deer and Longview areas.
“He worked on service rigs around Brooks and Red Deer,” Richard explained.
It was then that Eddy met the love of his life, Alice Kinakin. The two were together for 25 years until she died in 2010.
After his stint in oil, Eddy took a job with the City of Calgary Roads Department “building brooms and sweepers,” Richard said. Eddy retired from that position in 2001.
“He made a lot of lifelong friends there … He was a natural fit going over to the city position,” Richard said.
Maryanne agreed that Eddy was very close with a lot of people in the Calgary area. He also became involved with the Métis Nation of Alberta and “was one of the original people who helped start Métis housing in Calgary,” Richard said.
“He worked hard for the Métis community and I know they appreciated him a lot for that,” Richard explained.
After Alice died, Eddy spent his winters living with Maryanne and her husband in Victoria or Palm Springs. He lived in a cabin on the property called "Eddy's Bunkhouse" where he loved rainy days, sitting by the fire, and reading for hours.
Together Eddy, Maryanne and her husband spent three winters in Palm Springs living near their sister Helen, who winters there every year.
To pass the time, Eddy took up the sport of golf during his retirement years. Richard said he would poke fun at the way Eddy swung his clubs but Maryanne attested “he was pretty good considering he took it up later in life.”
“He didn’t hold back or anything, he would swing with all his might … We’d be out at the driving range and out of the corner of my eye I’d see these great clumps of dirt flying,” Maryanne said with a laugh.
Though he left school at a young age, Eddy was a “well-read man” and could speak on any number of topics - Maryanne said he loved to talk politics with anyone who was willing. She also described him as very sociable person.
Richard said Eddy was also “more than punctual” for everything, often showing up early for events and meetings. If you were to call him on the phone, you could be sure Eddy would answer with a drawn out ‘howdy’.
Described as a man with a good sense of humour, Eddy could also “crack the whip” when someone “crossed the line” Richard said.
“Another thing that was funny about him was that he loved gadgets – if he could make any job easier, he’d invent something just to make it easier,” Maryanne said with a laugh.
Eddy was extremely close to his siblings who looked out for him after losing Alice. He was quite a bit older than his younger siblings and would share memories of his time with their parents in the old days when he was young -that link to the past went with him.
His family, friends, Princess Patricia brothers, and the Métis Nation of Alberta will dearly miss him. A Mass will be held on May 21 at St. Mary’s Parish in Cochrane at 1:30 p.m.
