Ronald Joseph Back was born on October 21, 1920 to Joseph and Nellie (Frances Ellen) Back. He joined his older sister Grace and Brother Stan on the farm near Duval, SK. Ron received his education at Dunkeld School. Ron started his lifetime of entrepreneurial endeavours by helping his dad farm and growing vegetables for the T. Eaton Co. in Regina. In the fall of 1937, during the depth of the depression, Ron caught a ride in Stan’s Model T and moved north to the Chelan area where Grace and Stan were teaching. He gained employment for the harvest season with Hugh Clark’s threshing outfit, and later worked with his brother-in-law Tom Bell on the Bell brothers farm west of Chelan. Ron acquired a used E♭ (flat) saxophone and began to learn to play the swing music of that era. Ron worked as a hired man for the Bell brothers for the next four years, but found time to play local hockey and he started playing for dances with other musicians.
Ron joined the R.C.A.F. in November of 1941 and trained to be an aero electrician as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. After the war, Ron worked for Court Blair in Carragana as a parts man. He also did electrical wiring prior to the days of SaskPower. In 1947, Ron started farming on his own. In the winter, he cut logs and pulpwood. Ron’s first CAT was a 1928 gas “Twenty” and he fashioned a homemade piler to clear the land.
In 1950, Ron married Elizabeth (Betty) Barkwell, who was also a veteran of the R.C.A.F. as a meteorological observer. Ron and Betty had first met at Dafoe, one of the many Canadian bases across Canada. It just so happened that Betty was a talented piano player so music was enjoyed throughout the years.
Farming in the 1950’s in Northeast Saskatchewan was challenging for everyone with wet conditions and early winters. Reg was born in 1955 and Maureen in 1958. Ron and Betty continued to grain farm and also started their ‘CAT” business; clearing land, earthmoving and later reforestration contracting. Ron was always a hard worker and determined to succeed no matter how challenging the conditions. Ron was a self-taught mechanic and welder. He experienced the many technological advances in both the farming and construction industries over the decades. Ron used to say coming through tough times makes us more resilient for what ever comes in the future.
Ron was predeceased by his wife Betty (in 2009), his friend Eileen Lupien (in 2017); his sister Grace (Tom) Bell; his brother Stan (Margaret) Back; and his brothers-in-law Bill (Joy) Barkwell and Don Shepherd. Ron is survived by his son Reg (LaVonne) Back and their family, Danielle (Cory) Cross – Liz & Aaron; David (Jess Maaswinkel) Back - Brayden; Erica (Mike Hammill) Smith – Jacob; Catherine (Josh Boardman) Back; Ron’s daughter Maureen (Jim) Quaroni and their family Ellen (Sheldon) Griffiths – Bennett; Norma (Drew Gillespie) Quaroni – Aliza & Tamsin; Ronald (Olga) Quaroni & Myles Quaroni: sister-in-law Barb Shepherd & beloved nieces, nephews and extended family.