Gilbert Peters
Obituary
Gilbert (Gil) Peters, 83, of Steinbach, MB. passed away peacefully on Thursday, November 8, 2018 at the Bethesda Regional Health Centre, Steinbach, MB. Gil was surrounded by those most important to him, his family.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Anne, daughter Carmelyn (Ray), son, Ross (Sandra) and four granddaughters, Carla, Hailey, Amy and Cassidy, one brother, Jac (Rose), two sisters, Annie and Ellen (Ed), sister-in-law Shirley, two stepsisters, Leona and Louella, and numerous nieces and nephews and their families.
He was predeceased by his parents, Jacob H and Maria Peters, stepmother, Tina Peters, two grandsons, brothers Edmar, Henry and Ert, sisters Tina, Aurelia and Marie, six brothers-in-law and one stepsister.
Gil’s career spanned 35 years in the car business. He worked in a variety of dealerships including Penner Motors, Banman’s (Volkswagen), Funk’s Toyota and took the lead in opening the Harvest Honda dealership.
Gil’s personality lent itself well to meeting new people. He also had the uncanny ability of being able to remember the exact year and model of a vehicle bought by a specific customer years after the deal was made. Gil received numerous awards, among them recognition by Volkswagen for professional salesmanship and top sales across Canada. These awards resulted in several trips to sunnier destinations.
After retiring from the auto business he moved into long distance trucking for his brother-in-law, covering many miles across Canada and the US. He also transported trucks for Trucks Unlimited.
Gil loved his relationship with birch wood; cutting down trees, sawing them into manageable lengths, hauling them to the cabin and then hand splitting many cords throughout the winter. It was not unusual after an evening shift at work for him to rush home, change, dash to the cabin and with the aid of his truck lights put in a good hour or two with axe in hand. In this way he could save his days off for other hobbies such as fishing, hunting and snowmobiling. These hobbies strengthened family ties and friendships as laughs were shared. He had many ingenious ways of making sure his hobbies remained fun. He could have a nap by running his fishing line through the intermittent wipers which would do the jigging for him.
In his earlier years Gil was an avid participant in hockey and football. Together with Dennis and Helmut, they formed Steinbach Huskies’ own hotline. The change of season gave Gil the opportunity to play football with the Steinbach/Landmark Dutchmen. He continued his love of sports by facilitating Ross’ hockey progression. It gave him great pleasure to take the family to all those weekend hockey tournaments. Later on, he rarely missed a Jet’s or Bomber game on TV.
Family was always of utmost importance to Gil, whether it was siblings, children, or grandchildren. All were welcomed with open arms. He looked forward to family celebrations, whether they were for Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, or for no particular “reason at all. He was a strong proponent of the “Peters Boys Annual Steak Supper” held at Gil’s cabin. Much to the chagrin of some, he always insisted on canned peas.
Although not his preferred musical choice he supported Carm’s musical endeavours and attended virtually every one of her concerts and musical performances. Dad was always willing to lend a helping hand at Carm’s house. Whenever repairs and maintenance were needed, he would be there at a moments notice; doing anything from fixing the whipper snipper to pulling long blonde hair out of the clogged bathroom drains.
Gil basked in his role as a grandpa. He loved to spend time with his four granddaughters and found ways to become an important part of their lives, whether they needed a sounding board, a shoulder to cry on, or a ride. Gil attended the girls sporting events faithfully – competitive swimming, soccer, and cheerleading, even though they were not necessarily his sport of choice. As the girls grew up and started making life choices such as work, school or travel, he chose to see the value in each decision they made.
As Gil became more frail and home bound, he so appreciated every single visit from family and friends. Special thanks to Dr. Jessica Allen and the nursing staff at Bethesda Regional Health Centre.
A come & go viewing will be held Tuesday, November 13, 2018 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m., at Birchwood Funeral Chapel, Steinbach, MB.
A celebration of life service will be held Wednesday, November 14, 2018 at 11:00 a.m., at Birchwood Funeral Chapel. A private family burial will take place prior to the service.
