Obituary of Wayne Unger

With his family by his side, Wayne Unger peacefully passed away on April 27, 2025. Wayne was born May 18th, 1946, in Winnipeg, MB, and is survived by his wife Barbara (Ewacha) whom he married June 24th, 1967, their three children Tanis (Tim), Jason (Oihana), and Elliot (Vicky), along with seven grandchildren Brittaney (Lucas), Justin, Jessica, Viena, Sofia, Elysiana, Nahia, and one great-grandchild Christian.

Dad was the oldest with eight siblings and gained another six through marriage, and over the years many nieces and nephews would form part of his extended family.  He wore many hats that included husband, dad, grandpa, great grandpa, brother, uncle or friend where he was loved by all and will be greatly missed.

Dad enjoyed socializing with a gift for the gab and was known for his long and strong bear hugs.  He enjoyed social activities like golfing with family and friends, but for him fishing was king. Some of our best memories of dad involved annual camping trips to Blue Lake, and later Lac Lu, where fishing would always be a big part of the mix. He passionately hunted channel cats on the Red River during the summer and then chased elusive muskie in the crisp autumn air of Vermillion Bay. More recently he had enjoyed adventurous fishing trips on the Winnipeg River with his best friend Lawrence. Dad was also actively involved in the community as his kids were growing up, where he volunteered countless hours coaching soccer and hockey along with being involved with the board at East Elmwood Community Club. As his kids grew older, mom and dad sought opportunities for travel, starting with a European vacation in 1990, followed later with trips to Alaska, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, The Czech Republic, Disney World, Ireland, Spain and the United Arab Emirates. A treasured memory for us all was a 2013 trip to San Sabastian, Spain, where together as a family we celebrated the marriage of Jason and Oihana.

His most recent trip was to Northern California, to spend time with Jason and his family, who had just re-located there. We know dad was thankful to have had that time with his youngest grandchild Nahia, as he knew how precious his moments were becoming. Dad loved nothing more than being a grandpa. He was the best at snuggling the kids when they were little and regularly attended all their activities. Whether it was soccer, recitals, concerts, graduations, or just simple visits, his eyes would light up around them.  Even as his Parkinson’s progressed, he would load up his walker and be a fixture at whatever event was taking place that day.  He would get frustrated as it became more difficult for him to do these things, but it gave him motivation to keep getting up and moving forward, in the best way that he could.

The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and staff of the Grace Hospital ER and 3 South for their care and compassion.  

A celebration of life is being planned with details to come later. 

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, you would consider donating to the U-Turn Parkinsons, Parkinsons Canada or to the Grace Hospital.