The Passing of a Giant

In my mind, Carl Docksteader was always larger than life. Oddly enough, or maybe because that’s the way great men are, he was always modest about himself and his accomplishments.

Carl never went to university, and except for his last two years, he never lived outside the little rural township where he was born. Yet in his quiet way, for his ninety-two years, he powerfully impacted the lives of thousands, including me.

Growing up doing farm chores, he learned the values of responsibility and hard work even before he went to school. By the time he was nineteen he was apprenticing in a trade, and married to the love of his life, the aptly named Joy.

Carl and Joy raised six kids together, often wondering where the next mortgage payment was going to come from. Yet while the children were young, Carl began to spread his wings in the business world, opening a tiny gas station and restaurant while still working in the trades. The restaurant soon saw the addition of a motel and soon his own kids in turn learned responsibility, waiting tables, doing laundry, and changing linen.

With his kid brother Glenn, Carl went way out on a limb and financed a school bus, taking on a local rural run. Soon enough there were two, then five, and eventually over sixty Docksteader Brothers school buses on the roads of Eastern Ontario. Intertwined with the bus business, a full mechanical shop and automobile sales business kept them and a dozen or so mechanics and other staff hopping. But it was always Carl who rose at 4AM to ensure all the buses would start on cold January mornings.

Carl understood business. Once it was acres of cucumbers for the pickle factory, but in later years it was in constructing and operating rental buildings. At one point in time Carl owned a significant share of rental units in his little town, where he was known to treat tenants as if they were family.

His business acumen had two parts. First, he had a keen sense of existing needs that he could satisfy. But much more important, once he had decided, was to “get ‘er done”. He had little patience for dithering.

As strong and energetic as he was, Carl was never known to use rough language or to raise his voice. His persuasive skills resulted from having thought through his position and listening carefully to the views of others. In business, he loved to make a bargain, but he was always careful to ensure that the other party felt fairly treated.

His six children all grew to be strong, decent, caring, and successful. They are a tribute to their father. All of them married well, and all of the in-laws learned to love and respect Carl as a Dad. I should know– I’m one of them.

Carl’s obituary. (https://www.hpmcgarry.ca/memorials/carl-docksteader/4328946/obituary.php)