We are sad to announce the passing of Gene Goodman Wenaas on July 19, 2017 at the Maple Creek Hospital. Gene is survived by his wife, Shirley, married 57 years; his children, Catherine (Shawn) Gryba and Martin (Jean) Wenaas; his grandchildren Eric (Catherine), Sarah and Victoria Gryba, Allan (Krista), Clayten (Lauren), Braden and Lauren Wenaas, and one very special great grandson, Rylan Wenaas. He is also survived by his brothers, Peder and Walter (Bev) Wenaas, sister, Linda (Warren) Seifert and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, George and Esther (Brekhus) Wenaas; one sister, Olga Hogg and brother-in-law, Walter Hogg; and sister Wilma White and brother-in-law, Hubert White.
Gene was a good man, a gentleman, a wonderful neighbour and a friend to all who knew him. He was born on December 30, 1933 on a farm near Robsart. He completed his grade 12 at Robsart School, then moved to Calgary where he was trained and worked as a machinist for the CPR. He moved with the CPR to Moose Jaw where he met his bride to be, Shirley Clark. They married on October 22, 1960 in St. Andrew’s Church in Moose Jaw and moved to Robsart where they farmed for nearly 50 years before retiring to Maple Creek in 2010. Gene was very community minded, enjoyed playing and watching sports, and loved to have fun. He loved horses and woodworking. Gene built a stagecoach, a vis-a-vis, a doctor’s buggy and he and Shirley were called on with the team and buggies for weddings, parades and special occasions, including carrying the Lieutenant Governor when she opened the Grasslands National Park. Gene was the Trail Ride Boss for the Boundary Commission Trail Ride in 1997 from Ravenscrag, Saskatchewan to Etzicom, Alberta, a 7-day trek with over 700 hundred people riding on horses and in wagons. Gene had a well-drilling business, a land-breaking business, as well as a catering business with Shirley where they served at auction sales and brandings. Gene was very proud of his Norwegian heritage. He travelled to Norway twice to see family, and hosted our family from Norway when they came to visit. Lutefisk and lefse were part of our tradition at Christmas dinner. The most important thing to Gene was his family. He loved his wife Shirley and was her number one supporter. He was a wonderful father to Catherine and Marty, and he would often say how proud he was of his grandchildren and how they turned out to be such special people.
The funeral service will be held on Saturday, July 22, 2017 at 10:00 am at the United Church in Maple Creek. The interment will be in the Robsart Cemetery on Sunday, July 23, 2017 at 12:00 noon. The grandchildren will be riding horses, carrying Grandpa’s ashes from Marty’s to the gravesite early Sunday morning. He would have liked that.
The family is requesting that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada – online at www.heartandstroke.ca or mail to the Heart & Stroke Foundation, 110-1525 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON, K1Z 8R9.
To e-mail an expression of sympathy, please direct it to: pattfh@telusplanet.net subject heading: Gene Goodman Wenaas, or you may visit www.pattisonfuneralhome.com and leave a message of condolence.

• Date : 2017-07-19
• Location : Maple Creek, Saskatchewan

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