Remembrance of Steve Bidulock
1924-1995
By Judy Eliuk

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Steve Bidulock was a historian, a lumberman, a fisherman, a carpenter, a businessman, a willing volunteer, an educator, a co-ordinator, a musician, a self-starter, an inspiration to others, and an overall great humanitarian. He believed in harmony in the community, the school system, in public service and in his family.

Steve was the sixth in a family of 13 children of Fred and Maria Bidulock. He completed Grade 12 and began working for the Imperial Lumber Company in Hairy Hill with Charlie Semorad as the store manager. Steve and his family later opened their own hardware store across the street and specialized in electrical wiring, plumbing supplies, water pumps and radios and televisions. In about 1958 Imperial Lumber sold their massive store and lumberyards to Steve and he moved back across the street with a lot more space to expand to washing machines, sewing machines, fridges, stoves, heaters for homes and some furniture. Fence posts, bags of cement and lumber along with nails, barbed wire, wire, bolts and hammers, grain shovels and paint were moving commodities. His store housed the offices of the Treasury Branch - Two Hills and later Vegreville for over 43 years, the Alberta Motor Vehicle Branch - later computerized and he sat on the executive of the Village of Hairy Hill in various capacities. As a school trustee with the County of Two Hills he spent about 30 years. He was also an active member of the Hairy Hill Elks Lodge and contributed his time, thought and labour to any project to the betterment of his community.

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Sharing life experience stores was an asset to all who knew him as much was learned while sharing this art form and there usually developed better sense and understanding of the person telling the story. These were true stories of life experiences that left anyone present richer from his own expression plus listening to the others. Steve's store in Hairy Hill was a meeting place that held any exciting memories of those good old days. If only the walls could talk. He always had a plan for how something could be built, or fixed, or improved. A plan for better ways and days ahead. He had a gift for being handy with his hands when in his spare time he would jigsaw a wooden Easter basket or build garden trellises by cutting thin strips of lumber on the table saw in his lumber yard. Once his index finger went along. He built a few guitars and mastered tuning and playing sweet renditions of the Carter Family, Johnny Horton, and Woody Guthrie. He brought a generator - Delco Plant - to his Dad and Mother's farm north of Hairy Hill so is father would not run the batteries dry on the old Marconi.

As the great man he really was, for his fortitude for life, his skill, thoughtfulness of others and hope and work toward a good future. He is missed daily by his loving wife Mary, daughter Judy & Stan Eliuk, sons Jerry & Geraldine, Reg & Brenda, six grandchildren, Leah, Jason, Lisa, Curtis, Jessica, Michael and three great-grandchildren, Jenna, Elayna, and Lucas and his remaining siblings. Gone but not forgotten.