Elmer Stalkie

1934 - 2021  (87 years)

• Name	Elmer Stalkie
  Born	28 Mar 1934
  Gender	Male
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-121939
  Died	8 Nov 2021
  Person ID	I121939	Generations
  Last Modified	6 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	Carl Gotlieb Stalkie,   b. 1899,   d. 1982  (Age 83 years)
  Mother	Imgard Broseman,   b. 1903,   d. 1994  (Age 91 years)
  Family ID	F60612	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Marilyn
  Last Modified	7 Apr 2024
  Family ID	F60613	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Lifetimes: Musician Elmer Stalkie and his brother, Rob, delighted Ali Baba diners By Valerie Hill Special to the Record If you were dining at the iconic Ali Baba Steakhouse in UpTown Waterloo during the 1970s, you'd certainly remember the warm tones of two remarkable musicians, brothers who were self-taught. Rob and Elmer Stalkie, a duo known as "Carl's Sons," performed weekends in the restaurant's Golden Earring Supper Club, usually to an audience that had come as much to hear the music as eat the food. "They were a musical family," said Elmer's wife, Marilyn Stalkie, who is reeling from the death of her husband on Nov. 8. Rob died in 2006. Neither Rob nor Elmer ever had a music lesson and couldn't read music, yet they were both talented multi-instrumentalists, a skill inherited from their mother. Rob had been playing since he was young but Elmer didn't pick up his first guitar until well into adulthood and quickly became a master. Elmer was born March 28, 1934, one of six children. His father, Carl Stalkie, moved the family to Waterloo when he landed a job at what was then Waterloo Lutheran Seminary as chef for the students' boarding club. Elmer left high school to work and was soon driving city buses and trolley cars before becoming a heavy equipment operator for the Region of Waterloo. Elmer met Marilyn Smith at a church event and was so smitten he whispered to his friend "that's the girl I'm going to marry." And he did, in 1957. They had three children: Jeff, Sue and Mark. The gig at the Ali Baba had come about quite unexpectedly, according to his family. Henry Krebs, owner of the new restaurant, was looking for instrumentalists to entertain diners and when he met the Stalkie brothers he recruited them. Of course, Henry had no idea the guys only knew 10 songs. Their repertoire quickly grew to dozens of songs, all easy listening instrumental music, from pop to Broadway musicals. In the mid 1970s, they recorded a couple of albums including, "Loving you from a distance." Rob's wife, Isabel, and Marilyn made all their husbands' stage outfits, including the flashy sequined jackets. Daughter, Sue Stalkie, remembers having to help her dad blow dry his hair before a show, "so he looked good on stage," she recalled. She was also called into service when her mother was away and Elmer's shirt needed ironing. "I put a big iron burn on it," she added. The duo launched their career in 1967, playing together every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night year-round except for two weeks in the summer. This partnership went on for 10 years before Elmer left and was replaced with another musician, Warren Dobson. Rob and Warren continued performing for another decade. Though Elmer had given up his stage performing career, music remained a part of family tradition. Marilyn remembers house parties where all their friends would bring instruments and jam together. Elmer retired from the region in 1994, freeing the couple to travel. They visited China, Costa Rica and wintered in Texas for 17 years until Elmer's health declined. The couple moved to Mount Forest seven years ago to be closer to family. Elmer was a devoted family man. "He always had my back," said Sue, remembering how her father would go after kids he thought were bullying her. And she appreciated that he tried, really hard, to enjoy the music she listened to as a teen, recording artists such as Alice Cooper. His children spoke of their father's sense of humour, his kindness and his playfulness, which endeared him to everyone. After retiring, Elmer took up, of all things, cross stitching, creating dozens of pieces for his family. New babies would have their name and date of birth emblazoned on one of his works. Jeff gave him a photo of a beloved dog and his dad did an exact replica in stitching. His brother, Rob, had also taken up a hobby: three-dimensional paper tole pictures. This was a highly creative family. Cousin, Don Brose, a Northern Ontario Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, admired Elmer, not just for his musical abilities but his determined spirit. "He lived on the edge," said Don. "He'd do anything." Don and his wife, Alice, stayed with Elmer and Marilyn in Texas, in 2009. They formed a performance group with another musician and spent the winter entertaining in seniors' homes, wherever they were needed. Don said music was how his cousin "took care of people." "He was a marvellous man," Alice added. "Lifetimes: Musician Elmer Stalkie And His Brother, Rob, Delighted Ali Baba Diners". 2021. Therecord.Com. https://www.therecord.com/life/2021/11/15/lifetimes-musician-elmer-stalkie-and-his-brother-rob-delighted-ali-baba-diners.html.