A former mayor of Estevan who was also a long-time member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders has died.
Galen Wahlmeier died on July 26 in Kipling at the age of 84.
He was born in Jennings, Kansas, in 1934, and moved to Saskatchewan in 1957 to play with the Riders. He was a division all-star that year.
After taking a year off, he rejoined the team in 1959, and remained part of the club until 1967. Wahlmeier played centre, linebacker and long snapper.
He was a member of the Riders Grey Cup-winning 1966 team, although he missed the game due to a knee injury.
In addition to playing football, he was a teacher, and after retiring from the Riders, he moved to Estevan with his family to continue his teaching career.
He was also involved with numerous boards and organizations in the Estevan area and southeast Saskatchewan, including Estevan city council. He was elected as an alderman in a by-election on Dec. 15, 1971 for a two-year term, and was re-elected in 1973 for three years.
Wahlmeier became mayor in the 1976 civic election, defeating Ida Petterson, and was re-elected in 1979, also by defeating Petterson. He was defeated in the 1982 race by Gerald Ross.
He then had another term as an alderman from 1985 to 1988.
While he was a very busy individual, his daughter, Constance Wahlmeier, remembers her father as a dedicated family man.
He also loved living in Saskatchewan, which is why he remained in the province after he retired, despite opportunities to return to the U.S.
“He enjoyed giving. He was a giver. He liked to work hard and figure out things. He loved the outdoors, or starting something new, or creating or working on something.”
Next week’s edition of the Mercury will have more on this story.
