GILBERT JACOB HEDLEY WIEBE

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GILBERT JACOB HEDLEY WIEBE

Recently, after a lengthy illness, Gilbert Jacob Hedley Wiebe died peacefully at the Poseidon Care Centre in the City of Winnipeg.
Gilbert was born on December 19, 1938 in Winkler, Manitoba, as the youngest child in a farm family. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Lillian (nee Maloney). He will be very much missed and remembered with affection by Lillian, his two children, Greg (Sherri) and Trevor (Renee), and his much-loved granddaughter Angelina.
After having been educated and accredited as a professional engineer, Gilbert worked with the Greater Winnipeg Gas Company (as it was then known) but a few years later developed a broader interest in business and finance, which led him to accept a position with the Industrial Development Bank (also as it was then known). Through his interactions there with a local land development company called Ladco Company Ltd. he decided to accept an offer to enter the business of land development, and his activities in that business and with that company continued until he retired his executive level position in 1992, at the age of 54.
Gil very much enjoyed his retirement years, the winter seasons of which were spent for the most part on the golf course in Mesa, Arizona, and the summer seasons of which were spent doing a lot of fishing in the waters by the family cottage near Kenora, Ontario. Always an avid fan of the outdoors, Gilbert relished every opportunity to go fishing, whether when tent camping, trailer camping or seasonal camping, and in his younger adult years generally with larger groups of friends. Hunting and fishing had been obsessive interests of his since his childhood, when his older brother Alvin would regularly take him on outings. Those experiences were particularly meaningful for Gilbert, as his father had passed away when Gilbert was young. Over the years, he often spoke to his family with fondness of those times, as well as about all of his siblings, whom he loved deeply.
During his life, Gilbert also took the opportunity to travel. Although not a particularly zealous or adventurous tourist by nature, this changed somewhat when the opportunity to visit his lifelong childhood friend Jack Zacharias' family in Europe came along. With that crucial support coming from familiar faces, travel became not only palatable to him, but even exciting. Gilbert never forgot those experiences and was forever grateful for the gracious hospitality that had been shown to him and his family. Those who came along on these travels found them extremely memorable and, particularly in the case of his children, deeply formative and meaningful.
Gilbert was known for his very sharp intellect and very strong views, and he was never shy about discussing any topic, no matter how controversial. This sometimes resulted in struggles in social settings, but those who knew him knew that he could always be trusted, that he was always impressed by and happy about the successes of others, and that he always held very intense feelings of loyalty to, and admiration for, his family and closest friends. With a decidedly atypical view of the world, his communications sometimes missed the mark - sometimes to hilarious effect - but Gilbert gave to his family and friends many emotion-filled memories imbued with images of his keen, and sometimes mischievous, sense of humour, as well as his unique brand of enthusiasm. Those who knew him best will treasure those defining memories of him, for they truly capture his particular way of expressing his love, gratitude and enjoyment when with family and friends.
Due to the current public health circumstances, in lieu of a more formal or public ceremony, the family will be holding a private service during which his ashes will be scattered at the site of his beloved Winnipeg River, near Kenora.
Gilbert's family would like to thank very kindly the staff of the Poseidon Care Centre for their professional and attentive care and warm support during his final years.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 27, 2021