Obituary of John Thomas Wasney

With heartfelt sadness, we share the passing of John. He is survived by his wife, Rita, daughters Krista and Leah Azevedo (Denny), and grandsons Tiago and Nico.

Also mourning his loss are his sisters Carol Riva (Gianfranco), Janet (Bob Tinker), and Tricia (Richard Dyck), brother-in-law Mark Zimmerman (Diane) and several nieces and nephews. John was predeceased by his parents, Frank and Michaelene Wasney.

John was born on June 3, 1948 and spent his entire life in East St. Paul. He attended both River East and Miles Mac Collegiates. John met the love of his life during his high school days while attending a Grey Cup Party. John and Rita (Zimmerman) married May 20, 1972. John’s family was always his first priority. He adored being a dad and had all the answers and advice for his girls, and would drop anything to help them. Becoming a papa to his two grandsons made his life even better. John was an animal lover and after saying goodbye to the family dog, Soda, he swore off getting another pet. And then some grand-pups entered his life and they brought him so much joy.

John began his 41-year career at SMS Engineering straight out of high school and worked himself up to being a well-respected partner of the company. He was very proud of the various projects he had a hand in designing within Manitoba.

John’s love of snowmobiling began in 1967 with his first sled, a Ski Doo: Olympic 370. He became an excellent mechanic and would be the guy all his friends brought their sleds to. John raced snowmobiles with the Manitoba Snowmobile Association in the late 60s and early 70s, with races taking place all over the province and beyond. He held the position of Competition Director of the MSA for several years. John owned a total of 19 snowmobiles over the years, with a brief love of Polaris, before returning back to Ski Doo in the 2000s.

John was a Charter Member of EK Y’s Men Club and spent countless hours on the Christmas Tree Lot. He had numerous hobbies that kept him busy, especially during retirement. John was a member at Pine Ridge Golf Club for over 25 years and enjoyed playing many rounds on a sunny (windless) day! He had so much fun golfing with the “Potato Heads” on Thursdays. John got into motorcycles in 2003 and purchased his first Harley in 2008. He absolutely loved road trips with friends across Canada and the northern US, even taking in Sturgis a few times.

John enjoyed fishing and treasured his time out at Gammon River. He was the go-to-guy for the camp’s opening and closing weekends and always completed a “to do” list of chores before getting some fishing in with friends.

John took pride in having one of the nicest yards on the street, spending hours outside – making sure the lines were straight while cutting the grass and no weeds left in the shrub beds.  

To know John was to understand how meticulous he kept his vehicles, “toys”, and garage. Friends often teased him that you could eat off the garage floor! John was a man that could fix anything. He first developed his skills while renovating his and Rita’s first home. Krista and Leah could rely on him to help out around their own homes and then build photobooths, craft market displays, and a zipline platform for the boys.

John, Dad, Papa: you will always be in our hearts.

Thank you to all the staff that cared for John in the GH3 ward at HSC during his final two weeks. 

Cremation has taken place via Alterna Cremation. A Celebration of Life will take place at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, March 14 at Neil Bardal Funeral Centre: 3030 Notre Dame in Winnipeg.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to the charity of your choice would be greatly appreciated.