Obituary of Elmer Harold Huber

Elmer Harold Huber of Castor, AB, beloved husband of Eleanor, passed away suddenly at his home on January 25, 2026 at the age of 85 years.

Elmer was born on the family farm at Serath, SK on June 29, 1940, to Frank and Olga Huber, baby brother to Ruth, Edwin, Ethel, and Myrtle.

Elmer attended Serath and Serath Ridge schools, and the Christian Training Institute, in Edmonton, AB.  Later, he studied at SAIT in Calgary to become a licensed motor mechanic.

Elmer farmed at Serath until moving to Stettler, AB in 1970 to manage the Pacific 66 garage, and then, from 1972-1985, he owned a farm machinery assembly business on the home acreage south of Stettler.

After a move to Calgary, he took up trucking, first in the city as a courier, then as a Canada Post contractor with routes in Central Alberta and later in the foothills SW of Calgary.  His final years of trucking were on a run along the Highway 1 corridor to the Rockies with loads each day into Canmore.

Done with trucking but not ready to retire, he worked for three years as property manager on an estate SE of Three Hills, and then for a time with Marlin on his farm at Brownfield.

Along the way, these various jobs required living in other places, including Raymore, SK, High River, Okotoks, Three Hills, Veteran, Brownfield and the retirement years in Castor, which became the longest he and Eleanor ever lived in one place.

As a young man, Elmer helped his father constructing homes in Southey, and in building the Southey Baptist Church.  In later years, he turned those skills into a craft with wood, making clocks, model monster-trucks for grandsons, and his own design of floor shelves for his son-in-law’s bookstore.

For a time, he also pursued an interest in beekeeping (with bees being the only thing Elmer ever smoked,) which paralleled his love for gardening as he and Eleanor would plant, tend, and harvest vegetables wherever space allowed, especially through the years in Stettler, and in retirement, with a large garden plot by the lake on Marlin’s farm.

And all along the truck routes, in the gardens, on family travels and at family celebrations, Elmer would take pictures.  He moved from the days of 35mm film to the digital era so well that there is still a basket of thumb-drives on his desk full of photos he didn’t get done editing.

About the time Wanda and Nelson moved overseas with their family, Elmer took up exploring the world and history through stamp collecting.  His collections grew to fill an entire library catalog cabinet, all carefully curated, with a specialization in the lost rural post office cancelations of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

His greatest interest though was in the lives of his children and grandchildren.  If their sport or performances were in range, he and Eleanor would be there to watch and cheer them on.  And when grandkids moved out of range, overseas and to the US, they still experienced the bond of his love for them.

Family was hugely important to Elmer, expressed in visits at home and large celebrations, and in welcoming spouses and grandchildren as they came along, impacting nieces and nephews as well.

All of this was rooted in his Christian faith which he lived out for his family in personal integrity, devotion to Holy Scripture, and active participation in all the churches he attended through the years.

“He was such a strong patriarch, all the way down to the great-grandchildren and we were blessed to experience his love and to have him with us for so many years.”

“We will be forever grateful for the Christian heritage he passed on to us… and the rich blessings we received because of how he poured into our lives.”

Elmer is survived by his loving wife Eleanor (nee Howes); two daughters, Wanda Reid (Nelson) and Coralie Koch (Cameron); two sons Benjamin Huber (Lori) and Marlin Huber (Myrna); sister Ethel Orthner (Oswald); twenty grandchildren: Lowell Reid (Helene), Danica Laleune (Bryson), Layne Huber (Elissa), Garrett Huber (Elselijn), Danaya Huber, Daelynn DeAndrea (Elias), Mikaela Huber, Heidi Huber, Davison Huber, Brock Huber, Electra Koch, Kayli Koch, Kiersten Koch, Ethan Koch, Jalycia Glasman (Cody), Jaydon Huber, Kylan Huber (Mikaela), Krystalee Kroeker (Dallen), Layton Huber, and Laryssa Huber; seven great-grandchildren: Max Reid, Brodwin Huber, Alexander Huber, Emma Huber, Lainey Glasman, Missy Kroeker and Hazel Huber; as well as numerous nieces, nephews and their families.

Elmer was predeceased by his parents Frank and Olga Huber; brothers Irwin Huber and Edwin Huber; sisters Ruth Lang (Jake) and Myrtle Bachler (Herb), and great-grandson Eli Kroeker.

Funeral Service

Monday, February 2, 2026 at 1:00 P.M.

Castor Community Hall, Castor, Alberta

For those of you wishing to pay your last respects to Elmer, there will be a visitation between 12 and 12:45 P.M.

Memorial donations may be made to Circle Square Ranch, Box 3, Halkirk, Alberta T0C 1K0 or to a charity of the donor’s choice.