Whitney Gaber

On Tuesday, October 30, 2018, at Health Sciences Centre, Whitney, beloved husband, father, brother, and uncle, passed away peacefully with family at his side at the age of 64 years.

Whitney was born in Russell, Manitoba in August 1954. He grew up on the family farm in Leonard surrounded by a large family including his parents, Jim and Lena and siblings, Byron, Devron, Darwent and sister JayJay. Life on the farm was busy and all of the kids had to pitch in – milking the cows before and after school. Whitney’s fondest memories of the farm included his mom’s homemade bread and perogies and of course family – and these both became reoccurring themes in Whitney’s adult life.

After finishing high school Whitney began his career with CN in Winnipeg where he met his future wife, Ava. After a whirlwind romance, they were married in June 1975. Ava and Whitney moved to Gillam to start their life together. It was during these few years in the far north that Whitney began his lifelong journey in carpentry – the career he loved so much.

After a few years in Gillam, Ava and Whitney moved back to Winnipeg in order to enroll at Red River Community College to become a Red Seal carpenter. He successfully met all of the requirements for this 4-year program in less than half the time thanks to his experience in Gillam and of course to his world-renowned work ethic.

Whitney proved to be an extremely hard worker. He could easily spend 12+ hours per day on the job, and rarely take coffee breaks. Whitney’s personal motto should have been “good enough is never good enough”. His attention to detail and craftsmanship was second to none and many homes and businesses in Roblin are a testament to his excellence in carpentry.

Thanks to his mom, Lena, Whitney developed another passion - cooking. He had a love of making traditional dishes such as perogies, pancakes, Romanian dish called “alavenche” and beet leaf rice rolls. No one ever went hungry with Whitney in the kitchen.

Life in Roblin for Ava and Whitney centered on raising their sons Todd and Max, spending free time in the Valley, golfing, tending the backyard garden, fishing in the Lake of the Prairies, picking mushrooms and Saskatoon’s, and in the winter, cross-country skiing and downhill skiing at Asessippi.

While Whitney may have focused on long hours, hard work and master craftsmanship, he knew that his most important accomplishment in his life was being a loving provider for his wife, Ava and sons Todd and Max. Their 43 year long marriage is a testament to Ava and Whitney’s commitment to their family unit. Whitney, by working hard to provide for his family, instilled a strong work ethic and workmanship in his sons. He was very proud of both of his sons who have started their adult lives on Vancouver Island - Todd with wife Amanda and Max as a student at VIU. Whitney ensured that both Todd and Max were grounded in the traditions of family, and understood the importance of hard work. He was pleased to know that his son’s had grown into wonderful human beings who are caring, thoughtful and selfless. Whitney’s greatest accomplishment has to be his role as a father and husband.

Whitney leaves to mourn his wife, Ava (Kwiatkowski), sons Todd (Amanda) and Max, siblings Byron (Brenda), Devron (Frank), Darwent and JayJay (Doug), in-laws Linda Parkes (Don), Mark and Laura (Joseph), nieces and nephews Felix (Nancy), Leon (Tonya), Nigel (Kayla), Jordan, Dexter, Dylan (Marisha), Tyler (Melanie), Teri (Vic), Alicia, and Michael; great nieces and nephews, Owen, Eric, Charlotte, Ethan, Liv, Atlas, Maximiliano, Alexis and Logan; special friends, Henry and Marge Zubriski and their children, Stephanie (Bryan) and Aileen. He was predeceased by his parents James and Lena Gaber and in-law’s Mike and Stella Kwiatkowski and brother-in-law, Paul Kwiatkowski. He will be greatly missed by his family, relatives and many friends. The family would like to thank Dr. Beiko and the neurosurgery team of doctors and nurses at the Health Sciences Centre GA-5 and GB-5 Units and CancerCare Manitoba for all their help and support. To all the family and friends who stayed round the clock with Whitney in the hospital, your love and support means more than words can express.

Prayers were held on Tuesday, November 6^th, 2018 and Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Wednesday, November 7^th,  2018 from Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church with Reverend Father G. Bastin presiding and Stan Ostafie as musical director. Scripture readers included Lynda Ostafie and Kayla Gaber. The church choir sang “On Eagles Wings” and “Here I am Lord”.

Donations in Whitney’s memory may be made to the Roblin Community Foundation or CancerCare Manitoba or to a charity of your choice. NairnChyz-Wolkowski Funeral Service was in care of arrangements.

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