Arthur Eric Persson

With deep sadness we share the news that Arthur Eric Persson passed away suddenly due to a heart attack on March 30, 2024, the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday; his daughter Rachel and son-in-law Cordel were with him at the time. Born in 1948, he was 75 years old. He is survived by his children, Karl (wife Meg and son Andrew), Karen (husband Steve and sons Gunnar and Stellan), Rachel (husband Cordel and children Lexi, Sullivan, and Archer), and Christina (husband Jason); his sister, Alison; and his brothers-in-law Ken, Roy, and Steve (children Chris and Anne). He is predeceased by his wife Marian, his father Eric, his mother Agnes, his sister-in-law Judy, and his brother-in-law Tom.

Arthur’s life can be summarized by three words: faith, family, and friendship. With regard to faith, Arthur’s faith journey was characteristically dramatic. An atheist in his teenage years, he had a visceral conversion experience that began his relationship with Christ, which continued throughout his life, and this ongoing relationship was nothing if not interesting. Often experiencing variations of what St. John of the Cross called the “dark night,” Arthur continued to hold on to his faith through good times and bad. Particularly meaningful to him near the end of his life was Bible-reading and prayer, which he especially enjoyed with his beloved wife Marian while she was still alive; he also loved to play worship music with her at St. Mary’s Anglican Church. In many ways, the complexity of Arthur’s faith is summarized in one of his favourite songs by Bob Dylan, “Every Grain of Sand”:

I have gone from rags to riches in the sorrow of the night
In the violence of a summer’s dream, in the chill of a wintry light
In the bitter dance of loneliness fading into space
In the broken mirror of innocence on each forgotten face

I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea
Sometimes I turn, there’s someone there, other times it’s only me
I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand

Not triumphalistic about his faith, Arthur nonetheless knew the footsteps of Christ in his life and that even the life and death of the smallest sparrow is in the hands of God (Matthew 10:29).

Out of Arthur’s faith came his commitment to his family. Marian and Arthur had four children, Karl, Karen, Rachel, and Christina; not only did he support and raise them, but he worked with Marian to give them a home-based education, making sure in particular that they had ample access to books. Too numerous to note, good family memories of him include his encouragement of his children in various pursuits. He and Marian were very supportive of Christina’s acting career, even to the point of driving all the way from Waskesiu to Estevan to make it to one of her plays. For Rachel, he always encouraged her in her creative and spontaneous piano-playing. Karen appreciated having him as a mentor in drawing and art. Karl remembers how he used to volunteer as an answer judge for Bible-quizzing, and help with projects such as building cub cars and staying overnight in a quinzhee. Overall, the family will miss his quirky sense of humour, his deep love of Christmas, his interest in all things Swedish, and his love of reading and writing.

Alongside his family, a number of Arthur’s dear friends will also miss him. Arthur was a part of a number of communities – including Regina where he lived most of his life, and his hometown in Kelliher, SK; the church communities of Hillsdale Alliance, Living Hope Alliance, and St. Mary’s Anglican; and the friends he made among the colleagues, staff, and students while he was a teacher at Cochrane High School. Friends in these communities will remember him for his charming eccentricities, his wisdom, his faith, his generosity, his desire to help those in need, and his way of being completely and utterly himself.

The family welcomes those wishing to celebrate Arthur’s life and mourn his death to attend his funeral at St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church on Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 4:30 p.m. Guests are invited either to attend in person or join us via livestream through Zoom; to access the livestream link and password, please email Christopher Reed at christopher.reed@sasktel.net. As a family, we are deeply grateful for all your love and prayers, and very much appreciate your support during this time.

One of the things that Arthur particularly enjoyed was volunteering at Soul’s Harbour Rescue Mission with Marian; in lieu of flowers, please volunteer at Soul’s Harbour or make donations to support their ministry.