In the early morning hours of Tuesday, September 8th, 2020 we said goodbye to our husband, father, grandfather and friend George Wiebe, following a brief illness.
George was born on August 7, 1947 in Durango, Mexico. As the baby of the Wiebe family of nine, he always joked his parents waited for perfection and then broke the mould when it was finally achieved. Six years later, the little blonde-haired boy with overalls and no shoes hopped on a Greyhound bus with his family who had decided to return to Canada to settle in Southern Manitoba.
Some years later in the mid 60’s, Dryden became his home when he went to work building houses with his brother Dave. This transitioned into his career in concrete and he always laughed about giving the people in Dryden something solid to believe in. He was always quick to remind us there is a difference between cement and concrete (powder vs. mixed product, you know!), and it became a long standing joke that he poured concrete at this place or that one, 25 years ago, even though that number has grown over the years. His love of concrete made the Confederation Bridge a thing of wonder for him and he talked about it since construction began in 1993. In 2015, Jenna made his dream of seeing it in person come true by presenting him with this trip of a lifetime on his 68th birthday.
The seasonal concrete business led to winter bush hauls and later full-time mill-to-mill woodchip hauls. George could back up a set of B trains with his eyes closed but give him a half ton with a boat trailer and chaos would ensue! He loved driving truck and cherished all the friendships he made with his fellow ‘gear grinders’.
In more recent years, mornings were spent at the seniors’ centre in Vermilion Bay, sharing ‘nothing but the gospel truth’ over coffee and toast with the boys.
For many years camping was one of his greatest pleasures, enjoying relaxing around the fire at the lake with family and friends where he always pondered the question “What is it about a fire?”
Left behind in his memory: his wife Karen, his daughters Jenna, Stacy (Rick) and Bri (Karen’s daughter), his son Dave (Kelly), his granddaughters Michelle (Grandpa was always making sure her knee caps were properly tightened) and Haylee, and his furbaby Katherine George (aka Katie). He is also survived by four sisters, one brother and numerous nieces and nephews.
Cremation has taken place and we are hoping for a casual story telling gathering in summer 2021. If you have any stories or pictures that you would like to share, we would love to hear from you. Please send them to WiebeMemories@gmail.com.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Happy Go Lucky Seniors Centre in Vermilion Bay through the Stevens Funeral Homes P.O. Box 412, Dryden ON P8N 2Z1. Condolences may be posted at www.stevensfuneralhomes.ca
Gone but not forgotten – byeloveyaseeya until we see you again.
