Reginald Clive Wightman

Our Dad was born to Reg and Alice Wightman on August 5, 1931. At the time, Reg was a pharmacist and a politician, and Alice was a school teacher. The first many years of his life were spent living in St. James with his parents and his younger sister Anita - whom he adored until she passed away in February of this year. His life growing up was idyllic in many ways. He was allowed to drive underage at 15 with a ‘permit’ from the Chief of Police in the ‘City’ of St. James, and he even had horses in the family garage as a youngster.

He met his wife Patricia when they were both in medical school at the University of Manitoba, and he and Mom moved to Toronto in the early 1960’s where he took on a surgical residency for 2 years. He then came back to Winnipeg to practice surgery at the Grace Hospital for the next 35 years, many of them as their Chief of Surgery. It was there that he became renowned for his superb skill, speed and congenial bedside manner.

In 1965, he and Mom had settled into what became our family home. That is where they raised us four kids - Clive (Kim), Bob (Daniela) Reg (Kim) and Nancy (Chris). He and Mom were… ahem... very busy let’s just say, as all four of us arrived between 1959 and 1961! We provided him with 11 grandchildren whom he adored (Jade, Mikaela, Holton, Anthony, Dominique, Benedict, Ali, Nic, Grace, Faye, Libby). He loved his grandchildren very much and took delight in watching them develop into the fine adults they are today. He spent many years watching their exploits in the local hockey arenas around town. When great grandchildren (Rose, Nora, Clive) came along, he couldn’t believe his good fortune.

Throughout the years, he was known to strum a classical guitar on occasion - Anne Murray and Gordon Lightfoot being two of his favorite song writers/composers. And he was athletic into his older years. After teaching all of us kids how to ski in Banff and Lake Louise as children/teenagers, he continued to ski with his buddies up until his late 60’s in Vail and Aspen. In his retirement years he also embraced a variety of new interests. He played pool in several of the pool halls around town with his dear friends and his kids. He even learned how to navigate his way around a golf course pretty nicely, Falcon Lake being his favorite course.

His true love was his and Mom’s summer retreat at West Hawk Lake - from 1937-1969 on Island # 3 and then over to Moonlight Bay, where he continued to spend his summers up until the last few months. He loved putzing around down there fixing anything that he could. And he loved watching his kids grow up at the lake- boating, swimming and having a good time with their friends. The place was a beehive of activity for him and us every summer, as our friends were always welcome too.

By his latter years, he had become known as the West Hawk Lake ‘trout fishing guru’, as he was one of only two or three guys on the lake that knew how to catch trout on the lake. Heck, he was even a mainstay of the ‘Wighty Open’, our annual golf and poker tournament at Falcon Lake up until recently, putting up with all the debauchery and shenanigans that take place when you get 16-20 men together in one place without their wives for a weekend.

We couldn’t have asked for a better Dad. He was a loving father - supportive, forgiving, and full of great advice. Some of the best advice he gave us was that ‘there is no shame in failing…there is only shame in quitting’. He instilled the values in us that we all hold true today - work hard, always tell the truth, be considerate of others, and conduct oneself with honor and integrity. We are truly grateful for his love, and we will all miss him beyond what words could ever describe.

A memorial service for Reginald will be held Saturday, November 25, 2023 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Thomson "In the Park" Funeral Home, 1291 McGillivray Blvd, Winnipeg, MB, followed by a reception from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM.

For those who wish to join virtually can select "join livestream" below.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.thomsoninthepark.com for the Wightman family.