Stan Doerksen

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STAN DOERKSEN
January 2, 1968 - March 7, 2016

Stan Doerksen was the youngest child born to David P. and Maria Doerksen, on January 2, 1968, in Steinbach. He happened to be the New Year’s baby of that year.

Stan got involved with the law at a young age. By the time he was four, he had a ride home with the cops already. See, he wanted his mom to take him to town to get jaw breakers and I guess she had said no. So off Stan went. He grabbed his money and walked to town. Well, after he made his purchase and started walking back home, a cop car pulled up beside him and decided this little boy should be brought back home. Then, by the time he was 5, he had driven his mom’s car down the ramp into the civic building and into the side of his Uncle Pete’s house. Which is really ironic when you think about it, that later in life he became a commercial truck driver.

Stan attended school at Elmdale, then the Junior High, and then graduated from the SRSS in 1986. After he was done schoo,l he began working at various jobs. He worked for his brother-in-law, Arley Barkman, McDonald’s, Chicken Chef, the Frantz bar, KGCage, and custom harvesting with the Gagnon brothers’ crew but to name a few. Boy, the stories he would tell about being out of town with the KGCage crew. One particular was when his cousin Elmer had cooked chili the night before for supper. The next day, I guess, Stan was pretty stinky, and the guys couldn’t stand it, so he was confined to his own room in the barn for the rest of the day. He always joked about how much barley consumption there would be wherever the crews were working. After KGCage, he began going custom harvesting with Gagnon harvesters. It was his first taste for being away from home for long periods of time. His first trip out, he hated it. Then the crew had come home for a bit, and he was like, I think I will go again. I think this is how he got the itch to start trucking.

Stan enrolled in a commercial driving school in Winnipeg, and in 1991 he started driving big rigs. He worked for various companies in his early days of driving including Trans X, Bison and various drivers at Penner International, including Roy Penner and Jac Doerksen, to name a few. Out of this grew the itch to get his own truck, and so he did. He began his owner op career at Penner’s and later switching to Funk’s Livestock. During this time, he made lots of friendships and bonds with people. You see, I think it takes a special breed to be a trucker, and as he would say, not just a steering wheel holder.

Stan had resorted to probably staying a bachelor by this time. Then while having a haircut at Jo’s, she had asked him what he was looking for in a woman and with a smart ass grin, he had said someone with a heart beat. Well, Jo set him up on a blind date that would change his life forever. In December of 2003, Stan met a girl named Cari Heckert and by September 2005, they were married. Shortly after they married, Stan got off the road and started working in safety and compliance at Funk’s Livestock. He worked there until just before his son Markus was born. Markus was born on June 1, 2009. He had many health issues and so a week after his birth, Stan and Cari decided to take him off life support. Stan and Cari spent that summer together trying to make sense of what had just happened. So what better way to do that then spend time together and go golfing. They played at many different courses in Manitoba and USA. So, when it was time to go back to work, he went back to what he knew, and that was trucking. He started working for Plett Transport in the fall of 2009. Tim and Jenny were awesome to work for. Shortly after starting driving again, Stan found out he was going to be a dad again, and on August 3, 2010, they were blessed with a beautiful baby girl named Sara. After Sara was born, Stan longed to be home to see his baby girl more. So, he took another safety and compliance job at Hylife. Shortly after starting there, on December 6, 2011, they were blessed with another beautiful baby girl named Emily. Stan enjoyed his time with the girls, teaching them to gold in the backyard, going to the park, and going on bike rides, to name a few things. Just a couple of weeks ago, he had stayed home a couple of days extra just so he could take his girls to Disney on Ice. He also enjoyed golfing with his cousin Ray, and friends Ian and Roger. This past summer after losing his job, he stayed home and enjoyed some family time. We even went on our first camping trip out to Watrous, SK, to attend the Hildebrand reunion. Stan had an awesome time golfing and catching up with the old crew, Rick, Tim, and Ray. I think this was the highlight of his trip. As summer ended, and he needed to get back to work, he went back to Plett Trucking, to do what he knew best. He was excited to get started and by mid September, he was on the road again. Tragically, on March 7, 2016, on his way home from a short trip to Saskatoon, he was killed instantly near Plunkett, SK., at the age of 48. His last text to Cari read, “I’ll be home tonight. I’m loaded and rolling again. See you between 10 and 11.”

Left to mourn Stan’s passing is his wife of 10 years, Cari; his daughters Sara & Emily. Also left to cherish his memory are his siblings: Helen & Cornie Fehr; Linda & Arley Barkman; Dennis & Dianna Doerksen; Willie Doerksen, and their families. As well as, Cari’s family: Toni & James Sobering; Mike & Kim Heckert; Larry & Tina Sobering and their families.

He was predeceased by his parents David and Maria, his brother Eddie, and his son Markus.

Rest in Peace Stan. You have touched many, many lives and you will never be forgotten.

The funeral service will be held on Monday, March 14, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Steinbach, MB. The burial will follow at the church cemetery.

If friends so desire, donations in memory of Stan may be made to a trust fund for his girls Sara & Emily.

Arrangements by
BIRCHWOOD FUNERAL CHAPEL
1-204-346-1030 OR 1-888-454-1030

As published in The Carillon on Mar 17, 2016