The family of Gary Sand is sad to announce his sudden passing on August 8th, 2022 at the age of 65, in Calgary, AB. Gary was born in Princeton B.C., and was the middle child of 5 siblings. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Rutland. He lived out his high school years in Rutland then moved to Calgary soon after. While in Calgary he met his partner, Gwen Shepherd and her family.
After some time had passed, they had their son Tyler whom they both adored. Gary was a very proud Dad, Tyler and his family were very special to him and he had two grandsons which he loved very much.
A real character he was. Real in the sense that he could strike up a conversation with anyone and at the end it would feel like they had known each other for years. He was genuine and passionate about the people and things he cared about, such as family, friends, and the Calgary Flames.
He worked at Enterprise Paper for 20 years, which he had just retired from. He really enjoyed his job as warehouse manager and built lasting relationships with many of his coworkers.
Gary looked forward to summer vacations where he returned to Kelowna to visit with family and friends, soaking up the warm Kelowna sun with a cold Lucky beer in hand. He would always tell stories reminiscing about his school-time friends from the ‘good ol’ days’ and if you knew Gary he was a very animated story teller.
Gary is survived by his son Tyler Sand (Lisa); grandsons Mason and Thatcher; brother Allan (Dorothy); sister Patsy (Rob) Rein; brother-in-law Andy Stishenko; sister-in-law Roxanne Sand; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family and friends. He is predeceased by his partner Gwen Shepherd, parents Arnold and Helen, sister Sharon Stishenko, and brother Dale.
We are going to miss so many things about Gary, his charismatic personality, his wittiness and sense of humor when telling his hilarious stories. Most of all we will miss his unconditional love for his family and friends.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to Make-A-Wish Foundation Southern Alberta (
www.makeawish.ca
) or another charity of your choice.
A Celebration for Gary will be announced at a later date.