GEORGE RICHARD WONNACOTT

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GEORGE RICHARD WONNACOTT May 30, 1932 Feb 23, 2011 It is with great sadness we announce the passing of George Richard Wonnacott on February 23. Dad went peacefully in his sleep to be with his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Shirley; children George, Bill, Tim (Ursula), Bob, Alice (Glenn) and Lance; grandchildren, Amber (Chris), Barb (Steve), Lydia, George, Vikki, Tim (Ashley), Jenny (Guillaume), Lana, Adam, Jonah, Jessina, Samantha, Madison, Shelby and great-grandchildren Ivory, Kyana and Aurelia. He is also survived by his sisters Martha and Ethel; brother Alan and aunt Grace. Also left to cherish his memory are sisters-in-law Hazel, Doris and Elsie and brother-in-law Bill (Ileen) and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, George and May Wonnacott; brother Leo; brothers-in-law Archie, Paul, Alex, Frank, Harry, Arnold, Don, Raymond and sisters-in-law Vivian, Ruth, Verna and Lorena. Dad was born in a log cabin in what is now the Grand Beach Provincial Park and was raised there on a farm. He started working as a store clerk at the age of 13 and had various jobs through the 1940s and 1950s including woodcutter, short order cook, servicing trains, milk delivery and steel worker. Some of those jobs were in BC, Alberta and Ontario. He married Shirley, the love of his life, on March 15, 1958 and settled in Grand Marais, MB. In the 1970s he started working for the Winnipeg Free Press as a traveller until May of 1981. He enjoyed working in the Restaurant business and in the early eighties he operated the Hilltop Restaurant in Grand Marais and the Thunderbird in Scanterbury. He became owner/operator of the Blueberry Patch Restaurant in Grand Marais in 1985 until 1995. He enjoyed talking to people and always greeted everyone with a happy smile and kind word. Dad had many interests which included historical research, writing poetry, reading, gardening, playing guitar and violin. After his retirement he loved being outdoors cutting grass, cutting wood, carpentry and was Secretary-Treasurer at Wayside Gospel Church until his illness prevented him from continuing. He was a firm believer in being an individual and a free thinker. He loved children and often said that kids were the best people in the world. The family would like to thank Dr. Lindenschmidt and the staff at Selkirk Hospital for the care given to him during his stay there. The family would also like to extend a special thanks to his homecare workers, Lisa, Lucy, Tracy and nurses Susan, Collette and Elaine. A funeral service will be held at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Grand Marais, MB on Monday, February 28, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. Burial will follow at the Balsam Bay Cemetery and luncheon will take place at the Grand Marais Hall. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lung Association or a charity of your choice. Gilbart Funeral Home, Selkirk in care of arrangements. www.gilbartfuneralhome.com

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Feb 25, 2011