Vern Klassen retires after 50 years
BY JOAN JANZEN
joanjanzen@yahoo.com
Vern Klassen at TD Canada Trust, Kindersley branch, spent his last day at work on Monday, July 6, 2020, ending fifty years of dedicated service to that institution. His office was appropriately decorated for the occasion, and a golden toilet was stationed outside the front door of the bank.
“My first day was July 6, 1970, at Rosetown, exactly 50 years ago. My mom took a picture of me when I walked in the branch in 1970, and I’ll get a picture of me walking out of this branch exactly 50 years later, to the day,” Vern said. “I started on a Monday, July 6th, and I will be done on Monday, July 6th.”
Vern has worked at the Kindersley branch for twenty-five years, but prior to that he worked at numerous locations. From his first six-month post at Rosetown, he moved on to Winnipeg, staying until 1971. From there he headed to Thompson, Manitoba.
PHOTOS BY JOAN JANZEN
Vern Klassen in his office on his last day of work.
This golden toilet was positioned at the entrance of the bank.
“I had an opportunity to go way up north to Thompson, Manitoba. I spent the best six months at Thompson, because it was the summer months,” Vern chuckled. “That was the same month we no longer needed guns in the branch to protect our assets. I think it was more for insurance purposes, however they pulled them all out, thinking it was no longer a requirement. I even bought shells for the gun, and was going to take it to the police shooting range, and then I got a note that we needed to send them all back that day. I never did get a chance to play with it.” Vern laughed.
From Thompson, Vern journeyed to Estevan in the fall of 1973, staying until November of 1975. “I went way north to way south,” Vern explained. “They wanted you to have a range of experience, so it wasn’t uncommon to have them move you every two years.”
“I moved to Regina in November of 1975. That’s where I met my wife; it was an office romance and we married in 1978. We stayed in Regina for 13 years, at which time I worked at three or four different branches.”
From there, the couple moved to Moose Jaw in 1988, and then on to Yorktown in 1992. “We developed a real taste for perogies and cabbage rolls there,” Vern said. “Every event you went to there were cabbage rolls and perogies.” Vern added.
In 1995 the couple moved to Kindersley, where Vern worked for 25 years. “We bought an acreage, had horses, and our kids were going to school,” Vern said. “I’m originally from Rosetown, so I knew people in the area.”
Vern witnessed many workplace changes throughout his career. He recalls getting people to sign a loan note, recording the loan note on a card in pen and giving the note and card to the manager to initial.
“It was a major change when computers came in the mid-1970’s, and we no longer had to manually calculate interest, which took days,” Vern said. “Back then we couldn’t have imagined that cell phones and mobile banking would be possible.”
Speaking with Vern, it’s obvious he loved his work. “I loved dealing with all the people I came in contact with, providing financing and being able to help fulfill their dreams,” he explained. “It became more special in Kindersley because we were actually helping several generations, sometimes three generations. I watched generations go into farming.”
“More than anything, I enjoy the interaction with customers. One customer told me, we’re going to miss you; you were like family,” Vern said.
Though Vern is leaving the bank, his work is not yet done. “My wife’s to do list is coming out. It’s not a list anymore; it’s probably a book,” he said. “I always told my wife I’ll get to it when I retire.”
So if you’re looking for Vern Klassen, you may find him at a campground, or on his acreage taking care of his wife’s to do list, looking after his horses or doing some work on his tractors. Nevertheless, I’m sure he’ll take time to stop and chat with friends and past customers.