Obituary of Robert William Garbutt

It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Rob Garbutt with his family at his bedside. Rob is survived by his wife Beth; son Andrew; daughter Maegen (Dave); and grandson Malcolm. He will be sadly missed by his siblings Jill (Darryl) and Bruce (Tracey) and their families; in-laws Gene and Carol, and Chuck and his family; and his best fur friends Maggie and Aspen. Rob was predeceased by his parents (Norma & Gordon) in 2008 & 2009. Rob was born in Winnipeg and grew up at the family cottage at Victoria Beach. Life was exciting with his many adventures as a member of the VB Sailing Club. Sailing his laser in Lake Winnipeg sometimes brought on nail biting stress for his parents during some wild weather he experienced. Later on this passion for sailing extended to his love for wind surfing. An avid downhill skier at the age of 18 Rob decided he would go to Banff and be a ski bum for a year. This passion for skiing continued throughout his life & gave him the opportunity to go on a Back Country Ski Trip with expert skiers. He was so proud to tell anyone who would listen about his experience. Slalom waterskiing was another passion Rob had and could often be seen showing off his skill at his cabin on Bird River. Rob was diagnosed with IPF (Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis) in 2011, but he didn’t let that slow him down. He was determined to continue his love of outdoor sports. As the disease progressed over the years he figured out ways to accommodate so he could still be active. He bought a recumbent trike, hooked up his POC (portable oxygen concentrator) to the back and off he rode with his best friend Maggie leading the way. Rob received a double lung transplant in July 2022 in Edmonton. Although a challenge in recovery, he managed to cross country ski & skate a couple of times before his health took a downturn. The family would like to thank the Winnipeg IPF support group, CPFF (Rob’s story can be seen on their website), Edmonton Transplant team, HSC Post Transplant team, & the HSC ICU doctors and nurses for their care & compassion. We also would like to thank the family who donated their family member’s lungs to give Rob a second chance in life. In lieu of flowers, donations to CPFF (cpff.ca) would be greatly appreciated. To register for organ and tissue donation in Manitoba please check out https://www.signupforlife.ca/ Cremation has already taken place. A celebration of life will be held at later date.