Decades of long hours and hard work that kept him on the road were finally starting to pay off for Paul Gullacher’s father, Noble.

As a CP Rail conductor, the job carried him away from home for up to 40 hours at a time, bringing him back for just long enough to catch some rest and to catch up on chores.

“His whole life, he worked himself really hard, at a job that provided for a family and there was a cost… you just kind of absorb it as a father, as a provider for your family and then I think he really got a chance in his final 10 years to have interests and be available,” said Gullacher.

Noble went by the name, Butch. After he retired, Gullacher’s two children — aged nine and six — had spent every Friday night at their grandfather’s place for sleepovers over the last five years. Every Sunday night, they had dinner together. They also cheered on the Riders.

“When he became a grandpa, I think he really unfolded into the person he was always meant to be,” he said.

The payoff didn’t last.

On April 10, Noble became the fourth person in Saskatchewan to die during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to what the province called “complications related to COVID-19.”

He was 69-years-old.

Gullacher said his father was taken to the emergency room on March 19.

Two days later, he would be put into an induced coma, which he would not wake up from. Gullacher said he was turned away from the emergency room and never saw his father for a last time before that all happened. Instead, they talked over the phone, the son dialling in from the hospital lawn.

“He was sorry I had to explain this to my kids. He wasn’t sure how that was going to work. And just that spending time with them was the most important thing in his world,” he said.

In the final week he was around, Gullacher said his father spent time with him as he coached senior boys’ basketball. While he was going through pregame activities, Butch stuck around to watch the girls.

While growing up, his dad would be the one volunteering to drive the team.

“At the time, you’re totally embarrassed. Why couldn’t he be like the other dads? They never show up for any games. I don’t even know what they look like. Everyone knows my dad. Embarrassing right?”

How Butch became sick is a mystery to Gullacher. While he had diabetes and was waiting for a kidney transplant, Gullacher said his father was otherwise well enough to manage tasks like tire changes and clearing snow. He had recently gone on a road trip to Calgary with his wife.

He rules out travel, saying his father was in no shape to fly, so he believes he might have contracted the illness while running errands or making a trip to the grocery store.

By sharing this experience, Gullacher hopes that others will take COVID-19 seriously.

“There’s real costs. There’s real irreversible consequences to our actions and the hope here is that by making good choices, this story doesn’t have to be the norm. This story can be rare, if we take the necessary precautions.”