Fred Bessai obituary

 Phone woke us at 2:30 in the morning. Margaret's father passed away. Margaret had been in to see him just a few hours before, as she had been doing for five nights a week over this past year. He'd been asking about things that were imaginary and he'd been breathing a bit more laboured, but was still lucid and alert. I'm happy that they had that evening together without stress. I will remember him as someone who always had a question, always authentically curious. I finished by BFA because I couldn't face telling him that it didn't matter to me. His love of knowledge was contagious. 

Dr Frederick Bessai, BA’58, BEd’60, MEd’62, PhD’64, and Fellow of the Royal Society in London, our deeply loved dad, grandfather, friend and colleague has slipped from us softly, passing away in his sleep on September 22, 2026 at the age of 93. Fred joins his wife, Gertrud in final rest. He is survived by his immediate family, Margaret (Gerald) and grandson William, son George (Samantha) and granddaughters Katherine and Kristin (Ryan), his beloved cousin Alma (Emrys), his nephews and nieces, and many dear friends around the world.  

A founding member of the faculty of Education at the University of Regina, dad was a teacher who encouraged learning and enjoyed sharing knowledge. He was deeply rooted in the prairies and spent his summers farming wheat and hay, keeping bees, and growing a garden. He loved nothing better than a meal of beef and potatoes from his farm with a good glass of wine.  

Fred was born on the family farm near Southey, Saskatchewan on November 9, 1932. His parents were Theresa (nee Jaeckel) and Ludwig Bessai, immigrants and pioneers who spoke primarily German at home. His brothers and sisters were Frank (Diane Lane); Mary (Albert Weber); Wilhelmina or Minnie (George Morrisette); and John. As a widow late in life, dad’s mom remarried, and Fred gained another family with Karl Galenzoski and his children, Harold, Irene, Bob and Ron, Charlie, and Lloyd, and their families.

Dad’s life spanned a remarkable century of industrial and social progress in Saskatchewan. He grew up with horses, coal-oil lamps and the radio during the Depression, lived through rural electrification and the establishment of Medi-care. He farmed and worked as a technician with the Department of Highways to afford college tuition, and thereafter, his connection to learning shaped his life. After teacher’s college, he went to university in Saskatoon. There he met our mom, and during their studies in Saskatoon and Edmonton, they made many life-long friends. After his PhD convocation, dad preferred to celebrate his graduation date over than his birthday. 

Married in the spring of 1965, Fred and Gertrud settled in Regina to be close to family and the farm, and dad joined the newly formed Faculty of Education. Together they built a life that followed the seasons: winter in the city, and summer on the farm. During his university tenure, Fred helped design and build both the building and programs for the Education faculty on the new site for what was then, the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus. His advice to teachers was to care for students, to nurture them: a failed a test meant a failure in teaching. On the day he retired, we photographed him beside a stack of books taller than he was, each book a thesis representing a student he had supervised in their graduate career.

Dad loved music and reading. He was a good friend, a listener and a storyteller. He enjoyed word play and words, Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, the dictionary, and books on prairie history such as, “Butter Down the Well”. He was kind and supportive, and always had time to help, or if visitors popped in, time for a coffee. He used to joke--“Put some water in the soup and set another place!”—there was always room for one more. As a farmer, he worked cooperatively with neighbours and was a member of the Wheat Pool. He was pragmatic, always ready with a DIY solution. He always said, “Thank you for coming.”

We give special thanks for the circle of care and love who surrounded dad in his final years: his neighbours and friends Greg, Judy and Simon, who were his second family, his nephew Allen, house-keepers Shade and Elaine who became dear friends, and the staff at Selo Gardens Personal Care Home. When dad had to move from his house into assisted living, we visited him every day, and he always felt he was home. 

Funeral service will be held 11 am on Saturday October 17, 2026 at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Southey. (#345 on SK Hwy 6) Everyone is welcome. Lunch will be served after the service, with interment to follow at Bethlehem Lutheran Cemetery near Markinch.

For those wishing to make a memorial donation to the Faculty of Education in honour of Dr. Frederick Bessai, please contact Samira Azzahir at the University of Regina at samira.azzahir@uregina.ca.