Jake's Story

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 Everyone always asked Jake 'besides farming, what do you want to do when you grow up?' At first he could never  give you an answer, until he reached Grade 10.

 Jake was always a smart kid, and when he applied himself received great marks in school. Jake said he had done some testing in school and mechanics was a field that really interested him. He liked fixing things. When you’re a farm kid, you know equipment always breaks down. Running machinery for thousands of hours requires constant maintenance and repairs.  Jake started at a young age, driving quads, riding dirt bikes and riding in the tractors with Grandpa and Dad. After that, he was in the baler and then driving big trucks during seeding and harvest. When the equipment was broken, or needed to be maintained Jake was always there, learning from his Dad and Grandpa and then eventually doing it himself.

In Grade 10, Jake learned he could earn credits through the school's Registered Apprentice Program (aka RAP). He applied at Gil’s Truck and Auto. Jason, Erin, Gil and Amy looked at Jake and saw a young but eager kid with potential and they gave him a chance. And boy did that chance pay off! Jake was very smart and definitely a hard worker! It wasn’t everyday they came across a kid with his work ethic. He was punctual and took pride in his work, from even the simple things like how he swept the floors to bigger jobs; like changing tires. Slowly he gained their trust and confidence. Jake went on to graduate from Didsbury High School and then went off to Red Deer Polytechnic, enrolled in Automotive Services. He worked his apprenticeship hours at Gil’s Truck and Auto during the day and worked at the farm in the evenings and on weekends. 

Jake’s family was so proud of him. He was a kind and amazing young man! He helped his whole family with their vehicles; his Mom would call and say “Jake can you do an oil change for me”, or “Jake my check engine light is on” and Jake would help her. Jake’s friends would say, “Jake I need to drop a new tranny in my truck” and he would say "ok, lets do it this weekend". He was always there to help. 

Jake passed away just two days after completing his 2nd year of Automotive Services. It was in the days after his passing that his Mother created this Scholarship. We want Jake’s beautiful legacy, love for mechanics and learning to live on.