September 22,1946 - May 30, 2021
John Michael Opdebeck of Devon, Alberta passed away at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta on May 30, 2021.
Mike was born in Hanna, Alberta, and grew up nestled in the foothills of Cochrane, at the foot of ‘his’ Tunnel Mountain, at the shores of Cold Lake, in sunny California, and back again to the big ‘cow town’ of Calgary. His further journeys eventually took him to all three coasts of Canada.
In Halifax, while applying for a dock job, a clerk noted his high test scores and instead put in his application for air traffic control, which brought him to Ottawa. While there he noted the next-door class of upper air technicians sounding like they were having way too much fun, so he left his books and went to join what eventually became his incredible weather family. His training took him to Scarborough, ON where he met his wife, Patricia, and they travelled together to his first posting in Goose Bay, Labrador where they married. Their adventures then led them to Fort Nelson, BC where they gave birth to their only child, Kirsten, and finally they put down roots in Devon, AB where Mike helped to grow the Devon Public Library.
He worked for Environment Canada at the Edmonton International Airport (YEG) and later at the Edmonton Weather Office. Mike held multiple positions throughout his career some of which included briefer, technician, and weather forecaster. While semi-retired he worked part time for Stratus as a weather observer at YEG. Many folks will recall his colourful humour, friendliness, generosity, and insight from his interviews on local and national media. His off-the-cuff stories and quotes often made it into publications, especially of note his one-time advice on travel to Calgary during a severe winter storm was to ‘Make sure to sign your organ donor card.’
He is survived by his daughter Kirsten (Diana), sister Patricia (Marcel), nieces Karen (Warren), Pamela (Johnny), Lynn, and nephew Frank. He was predeceased by his wife Patricia ‘Patty,’ brother Neil (Christine), and nephew Michael. For details about the memorial service please contact [email protected]. The family would appreciate donations in Mike’s name to the Heart & Stroke Foundation www.heartandstroke.ca
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