I was going through some old files and came across a note from Canadian Christian conservative icon Ted Byfield. Canadian Senator Paula Simons once called Ted the "godfather of Canada's modern Conservative Movement." Ted Byfield was my friend, as he was to my son and my father. Ted's wife Virginia died in 2014, after 65 years of marriage. It must have been like tearing off a limb. I don’t think he ever recovered from losing her. He responded to my wife's and my condolence card.
The suffering he referred to was me enduring 30 years with aggressive MS. But that fire I went through would pale in comparison to losing my wife, LaRee. We are both 71 and have been married for over 50 years. We are one, just as Ted and Virginia were. Ted's gone now: He died at his home on December 23rd, 2021. He is with Virginia and our Lord, the Creator of love and marriage.
“For more than half a century, Ted Byfield was one of Canada's
most significant public Christians, and his life's work included the founding of a religious order, the formation of several Christian boarding schools for boys, a series of influential magazines, laying the groundwork for a political movement, writing books, and serving as editor on a magnificent 12 volume history of Christianity, THE CHRISTIANS: Their First Two Thousand Years. He gave voice to western alienation when there were a few others who would, and help create the consensus that resulted in the first Conservative majority government in decades."
You can purchase one or the 12-volume set here or here. (My son Dean Pickup was the art director for the series.)
Now, nearly three years after his death, an evening to honour Ted Byfield will be held in Edmonton, on September 25, 2024. Speakers include former Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, Albertan Premier Danielle Smith, Canada’s Leader of The Conservative Party and Leader of the Official Opposition in Ottawa, Pierre Poilievre, and a keynote address by Preston Manning.
For tickets click here
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