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Review Vol.16 Number 20
Serving the communities of Keremeos, Cawston, Okanagan Falls and Kaleden
No ordinary Joe
The Keremeos Elks Rodeo was an important part of Joe Reichert’s life, as was the Village of Keremeos Students win a visit to camp See page 5
WRONG TURN TAVERN
Keremeos newest business venture opens May 16 See page 4
VILLAGE GETS NEW WHEELS
Keremeos takes delivery of new truck See page 3
Thursday, May 15, 2014
By Steve Arstad news@keremeosreview.com Joe Reichert was born in Humbolt, Saskatchewan, in 1935. He and his family moved to Keremeos in 1945 where they purchased an orchard. Joe studied mechanics, helped on the farm and eventually found work at Tulameen Motors in Princeton. Two years later, he found himself becoming restless. Even back in those days, there were some good opportunities to make decent money working the oil rigs; Joe decided to move on to greener pastures, and headed north to Fort St. John and Alberta, where he found profitable, steady employment for several years. In 1959, personal tragedy struck when Joe was working a rig with several other men. Working his third shift on the rig with a couple of regular rig workers absent, Joe was helping to balance a sling load of pipe when the sling, which hadn’t been properly set, slipped. The pipes tilted, and Joe was catapulted into the air. Had he not been wearing a hard hat, his life quite probably would have ended there. As a result of the accident, however, he became a quadriplegic. There is a common saying in popular use nowadays that says “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Joe’s life from this point on is perhaps an excellent example of that quote. Joe spent the following year in the Royal Alexandria Hospital in Edmonton, followed by another year at the University Hospital. Recovering in the extended care unit, Joe found himself getting bored. He immersed hinself in volunteer work, becoming president of the fledgling paralympic association. “He was one of the first on board,” re-
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members his widow, Rejeanne (Reggie), “he helped to initiate the wheelchair athletes movement and the Paraplegic Sports Association in Edmonton.” Joe became a paralympic athlete in his own right, taking on the sports of riflery, archery, javelin, shot put and table tennis. “He represented Canada at the Pan Am Wheelchair Games ” recalled Reggie, “he won two gold medals for archery.” Joe also participated in the American Wheelchair Games. A cabinet in the dining room of Joe and Reggie’s home displays the many pieces of hardware won by him over the years. Alongside is a trophy cup presented to him by the City of Edmonton for winning the Canadian Paralympic Sport Championship in 1969, and 1972 through 1975. “Those activities gave him a reason to carry on,” said Reggie, “between the paralympic games and his volunteer Joe Reichert was a big part of the Keremeos Rodeo for more than three and a half work, decades. He died Friday, May 2, at age 79, following complications of pneumonia he contracted last winter. found purwhere she had been working in the extended pose.” care facility that Joe resided in. Joe’s involvement in the paralympic “Joe was participating in wheelchair games continued until 1979, when he comathletics at the time,” Reggie said, “he was a peted in his last organized event before retiring. continued on page 3 Joe met Reggie in 1977 in Edmonton,