Kindly hitchhiker always had time for others

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/03/2020 (2003 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Clare Haralson of Erickson died this week.

If you don’t know his name, you quite likely know his face. He was a staple in Brandon, Erickson and all along Highway 10, hitchhiking from his home just outside Erickson to Brandon most days in recent years to collect food and visit with strangers and friends he met along the way.

Many people knew him, and many more knew of him as he was a common sight in downtown Brandon or hitchhiking at the 18th Street bridge or along Highway 10. This is why I wanted to let people know he has passed away. Because a lot of people showed him kindness and he showed them the same in return. 

As a photographer for The Brandon Sun, I first met Clare in 2012 and began documenting his daily life throughout the year for a feature we ran that December. We stayed in touch after that as I would see him around town or at his home.

Haralson was born in Sherridon on Jan. 15, 1944, and spent his entire life in western Manitoba, mostly in the Erickson area, with a short stint in Melita as a high school teacher after graduating from Brandon University with a bachelor of science and bachelor of education degrees. From Melita he moved back home to the family farm just south of Erickson and farmed alongside his father for years. In 1971, Clare married Paulette Haralson (Kotyk), who had grown up just down the road from the Haralson farm. They farmed together and had three children, Susan, Wendy and Kenny.

“Clare was an awesome dad,” Paulette said. “He was a really good farmer and a hard worker. We were a good team.”

Clare and Paulette curled together in bonspiels in Erickson, Clanwilliam, Onanole and Sandy Bay, and Clare played fastball with the Clanwilliam Greys. In 2013, the Greys team from 1972-77, which included Clare, was inducted into the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame.

“He was an amazing shortstop,” Paulette said.

In the mid-1980s, Clare and Paulette separated, and Paulette moved to Winnipeg with the three children. Despite the separation, Paulette says they had happy years together on the farm, working the land together. “We had to work hard. … We had a good life.”

Clare stayed on the farm, living the past roughly 34 years with his cats as companions. In recent years, Clare was content to spent time with his cats, cut wood in the forest on his property, tend a small garden in the summer, study the Bible and make his daily trips to Brandon or Erickson to source food for himself and the cats in his care as well as socialize with whoever picked him up or stopped to talk.

His children maintain fond memories of their dad.

“I loved him to pieces,” said his son Kenny. “His love was unconditional.”

Kenny remembers snowshoeing to Erickson with Clare and cross-country skiing the Grey Owl trail at Riding Mountain National Park in the winter. They would also go swimming in Clear Lake at Spruces in Riding Mountain National Park in the summer. In 2014, Ken visited his dad and they went swimming again. Ken also fondly remembers Clare teaching him to drive in the fields around his home and being in the cab of his father’s tractor, falling asleep to the vibrations.

“My dad taught me a lot about how to be a better person, more compassionate and understanding towards others,” said his daughter, Wendy Picklyk. “Ken was right in saying his love was unconditional. … He was so patient with us.”

Like her brother Kenny, her favourite childhood memories include swimming and skiing at Riding Mountain National Park as well as camping at Katherine Lake and Moon Lake.

“He would teach us how to feed the blue jays from our hands with peanuts,” Picklyk said.

She also remembers when her father home-schooled her for one year and days they would go for “class” at Elkhorn, swim in the pool and do some school work at the nearby tables. “I will miss his warm smile and his beautiful blue eyes looking back at me with such love.”

Personally, I will miss running into Clare downtown, seeing him waiting for a ride at the bridge or stopping in at his home for a visit. And I will always remember his kindness. From the outpouring of messages and anecdotes I’ve received from Westman residents this week, it’s clear he will be missed by many.

In 2012, I asked Clare whether he would ever leave his farm.

“There are times when you think about it, but I don’t know where else I would go. I don’t care much for the city. You get a lot of peace and quiet out here. I don’t suppose I’ll ever leave it.”

Clare passed away where he wanted to be; at home on the farm.

» tsmith@brandonsun.com