UNCLE JASON D. B. SURBEY

Condolences & Memories (2 entries)

• Hymie...thank you. I often read this and it brings me tears of joy. I remember one time you had just left and Jason had a little grin on his face and Lana said "what?", and Jason said, "Hymie's nice." I never saw him say that about anyone. - Posted by: Skye (B) on: Jul 14, 2020

• I met Jason, or Sid as we usually called him, in the fall of 1991. I was fresh out of high school in small-town Manitoba and moving to Winnipeg to live in residence at the University of Manitoba. He was a few years older and lived about four doors down in "Rat Alley." Even though he was from Winnipeg he moved into residence to, as he put it, "party with the young guys." We had a fantastic group of guys on Rat Alley that year and Sid was in the middle of everything. He dragged us to lots of places we wouldn't otherwise have gone and became a very good friend. And even though he partied with the best, he had a real inner resolve. He decided at one point to stop drinking for a year, and he just did it. It didn't change anything else and he still hung out and went to parties with us, just choosing not to drink. We stayed friends after we both left residence and I spent time with him at his family's cottage at the lake, staying up after the bar watching Apocalypse Now as I recall. I can also remember a few other places he lived over the years, including a unique arrangement at an apartment off Osborne where I think his bedroom was a reclaimed closet, painted all black. We also spent a lot of nights during the 1994 playoffs watching games in his basement lair. I hung out with Skye and Lana many times and met other members of the Surbey family. Sid didn't seem to care if you were family or not, you got included. He was never afraid to push the envelope a little bit (or a lot) and had lots of opinions. He was also a very loyal friend and I still miss him like hell 17 years later. I left Winnipeg a few months after he died and have been fortunate to have my own family and career and travel and all of the experiences of the last 17 years. It just sucks that he didn't get those chances. He would have done amazing things. But at least there's no way that anyone who knew him could ever forget him. I've never met anyone else remotely like him, and don't think I ever will. Hope this helps somebody else remember you. Rest well, Sid. - Posted by: Jamie (Friend) on: Aug 17, 2012