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James Albert Robert Babcock, 1949-2009
James Albert Robert Babcock passed away May 24, 2009, at the age of 59 years.
James was born in High Prairie Nov. 26, 1949. He was many things: he was a farmer, hunter, builder, caretaker, and mechanic. He was a husband, father, son, brother, uncle, grandfather, and just recently a great-grandfather.
He had a distinctive style. Who will forgot the rolled-up jeans, cowboy boots, the T-shirts that showed off his tattoos and the slicked back hairdo? If he wasn’t smoking a cigarette, he was rolling one.
He and his older sister, Nancy, grew up on the family homestead in Salt Prairie. Their grandparents, William and Phoebe, settled there in the 1920s and out of a family of six siblings it was the younger William (Bill) who stayed and brought home his Dutch war bride, Mary, to make a life in Salt Prairie and raise their children.
James married young and had two children: James Jr. and Apryl. He married again to Agnes and they have been together over 35 years. Early on they lived in Edmonton; however, they eventually came back to Salt Prairie not long after their son, Virgil, was born. They raised both boys - Virgil and his older half-brother Leslie - while James worked for Alberta Vocational Centre, now Northern Lakes College. Always keeping a close relationship with Virgil, James stayed in Salt Prairie for the next many years only taking one big trip in 1989 to Holland with his mother, father and daughter to meet his family there.
James was a fairly quiet man but very friendly and well-respected in both Salt Prairie and at the college in Grouard. He was there for over 30 years and took great pride in his work.
James also loved being on the land and working with his father. He loved and looked up to his father and followed in his footsteps in many ways. He was a good son, loyal and caring. In his father’s final days in 2007 James maintained a constant bedside vigil with him.
James was also a good friend. He had a few close friends who he had known for years. He and his friend, Joe Badger, were like brothers. James liked to visit with friends, co-workers, and neighbours and he was always there for family holidays and gatherings.
James spent a lot of his time outdoors whether tending the fields or fixing things in the yard or out for a few days on a hunting trip. James had one of the best moose calls in the country and he could take care of himself in the bush. He was also good with his hands and he built and helped his father build many things including two houses, numerous sheds and cabins and a small sawmill. He could also fix farm machinery and seemed to be always working on either his vehicles or Virgil’s.
James suffered with painful back problems in the last couple of years yet he always maintained his sense of responsibility to his home, his job, and his family. The day before he died he was out all day gathering and chopping wood.
The family knows he was thinking of us and trying to take care of and protect us as much as he could right until the end. The family also knows that he is at peace now, he is with his father, and he knows how important he was to us and how greatly he will be missed.
James is survived by: his wife, Agnes; his mother, Mary; his son, Virgil (Carla) and their children, Virgil Jr, Tristan and Lenae; his son, James (Jamie) and their daughter, Rachael, and sons Robin and Peter; his daughter, Apryl (Lorne) and her children, Meghan and Aldrin; his stepson Leslie (Gina) and their children, Ashley, Scott and Joseph; his great-granddaughter Kalie Jade; his sister, Nancy, and her children, Kristel (Flarry) and Valene (Jamie) and their children.
James is predeceased by: his father William; both sets of his grandparents, and his brother-in-law, Ron.
The family finds great comfort that James was a respected coworker and friend to many.
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