Above Photo: (From left to right) Skyler Skappak, Cody Hok, Gracelyn Hok, Courtney Peterson, Brett Peterson, Mason Mehl, Fletcher Layton, and Levi Woodruff from RME Oyen show off their freshly shaved heads following the head shaving event in honour of Keith Mitchell. (Photo credit: Courtney Peterson)

Keith Mitchell was an integral part of RME Oyen’s Parts department for 19 years. He was also devoted to the game of curling and to supporting agriculture and local 4-H clubs at every opportunity.

Born in 1959, Keith was raised in Francis, SK. Growing up surrounded by curling and 4-H, Keith had the opportunity to play in the 2000 Pacific International Cup while living in Abbotsford, BC. Later on, he made the decision to turn his passion for agriculture into a career and opened up Mitchell’s Farm Supply in Weyburn, SK, before relocating back to Francis. Eventually, Keith found himself spending the remainder of his career with Rocky Mountain Equipment in Oyen, AB, as a Parts Sales Manager.

In early 2021, Keith was diagnosed with cancer and unfortunately, had to step away from the branch and made the decision to move to Taber, AB, to be with his two daughters Bethany and Alexandra.

Keith Mitchell passed away on October 5^th, 2021.

Not only did he make a large impact within his community, but Keith also left a legacy at RME Oyen that the branch wanted to honour by hosting a Keith Mitchell Memorial Fundraiser and a head shaving event to raise money in his name. This event was the brainchild of Branch Service Administrator Courtney Peterson and Journeyman Ag Equipment Technician Brett Peterson.

“Keith was quiet but a wealth of knowledge and very strong-willed. There are still customers that call for him because they know he could always find out what they needed no matter how old their machine is,” said Courtney. “He was always up for a good time; he could throw out one-liners with such ease, it would take you a few days to figure out that he was just messing with you.”

Keith was a force to be reckoned with when it came to parts knowledge, according to coworker Brett Peterson.

“Keith had the parts book for most machines inside his head. He could rattle out so many parts numbers without even having to look at the book or the computer.”

After Keith’s passing, Courtney came up with the idea to host the event to honour him and raise cancer awareness. She and Brett started off by creating a GoFundMe and Facebook page, followed by hanging up posters around town and using word of mouth to gather people together.

When approached by the idea, a few others decided to get involved and shave their heads for the cause. This included Fletcher Layton, Cody Hok, Mason Mehl, Levi Woodruff, and Skyler Skappak, all of whom are RME Oyen employees.

“Personally, I’ve never done something like this before,” said Brett. “I’ve donated to causes in the past but have never had the opportunity to be this involved, before. When you do it for someone who meant something to not only RME but to the Oyen community, every bit of it is worth it. I’d do it all over again.”

Knowing how much Keith loved curling, it was easy to determine what the raised funds would go towards; the Oyen and District Curling Club. All the hair that was shaved off was donated to the Angel Hair Foundation, including Courtney’s astounding 29 inches taken off.

“We received amazing support from the community, friends, and family. After the head shaving event, donations continued to roll in.”

In total, over $12,000.00 was raised in honour of Keith Mitchell, which included a $3,000 donation from the RME Community Investment fund. The Oyen and District Curling Club are now trying to organize a bonspiel in Keith’s name to honour him for years to come.

“It was very fitting; the last donation we received was in the mail from Keith’s parents.”

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Keith Mitchell worked at RME Oyen for 19 years as a Parts Manager. (Photo credit: Courtney Peterson)

Branch Service Admin Courtney Peterson and Gracelyn Hok were all smiles after getting their heads shaved. (Photo credit: Courtney Peterson)