Estate of Ann Mertler

In memory of George and Ann Mertler.

My parents were good, solid citizens of Regina for all of their adult lives. They raised 2 children in the city and were faithful members of Sacred Heart Church and later Holy Family Parish.

George’s career in woodwork was as a millwright with PreBilt Ltd, and division of the Roger’s Group that spanned the years 1957 through to 1989. SIAST (now Saskatchewan Polytechnic) during those years would send carpenter students to PreBilt as part of their on-the-job training program. George was not a carpenter, but he worked with sophisticated wood molding machines and all types of heavy-duty saws and shaping equipment. This machinery was very important in the business, but also could be very dangerous, if not operated properly. My dad was an excellent teacher and mentor to these young students, where he always focused first on safety. Many of the staff in the carpentry and window divisions of the company had missing fingers and injuries due to incidents with the equipment. I am proud to say that George, who worked in woodwork for almost 40 years, and on these types of equipment more than most others in the company, never had such an incident. That is probably one of the reasons he was the person chosen to work with these young students from SIAST.

For this reason, upon dad’s passing, my mother Ann chose to donate bursary funds to Saskatchewan Polytechnic, in memory of her husband. And after her passing a donation of Royal Bank Shares was provided to the school, allowing the annual dividends to continue to be used for additional bursaries, in memory of the two of them. RBC shares were always my father’s favourite investments, that always paid a generous dividend. These shares will remain in perpetuity with Sask Polytech, as a legacy to my parents, who were two ordinary, but solid members of the community.

The George and Ann Mertler Bursary is intended to encourage students with financial need who are enrolled full-time in Year 1 of the Carpentry Certificate Program at either the Moose Jaw or Prince Albert campus.