Greg Batters

With his family by his side, Greg Batters, (David Gregory Batters), a current resident of Kenora and long‑time resident of Thunder Bay, passed away on March 29, 2026, at Lake of the Woods District Hospital, at the age of 76 years.

Greg is lovingly remembered by his wife of 53 years, Debbie; his son Travis and wife Andrea; and his cherished grandchildren Daphne and Jethro. He is also survived by his sister Melanie Adduono (Rick); his in‑laws Betty Lafontaine (Leo) and Klaus VanVeller (Margaret); as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and their children. Greg will also be greatly missed by his close friends, whom he considered part of his extended family.

Greg was predeceased by his parents Terry and Frances Batters; his parents‑in‑law Gwen and William Boress; his brother Randall Batters; and his brothers‑ and sisters‑in‑law Carol Bath (Roy), Darlene VanVeller (Klaus), Billy Boress (Bev), Diane Adams (Jim), and Rick Boress and niece Marilyn Skene.

Born in Port Arthur (Thunder Bay), Ontario, Greg grew up in Thunder Bay and began working alongside his father at Batters & Co. Cartage. In 1973, he began his career as a firefighter at the Thunder Bay Airport, where he went on to serve as Fire Chief and Manager of Safety and Security before retiring in 2005.

In his younger years, Greg spent countless hours at Candy Mountain Ski Hill, where he was a member of the Ski Patrol and coached young skiers through the Nancy Greene Ski Program. His passion for coaching later carried over into hockey, beginning with coaching his son and continuing across many levels and teams over the years. In the latter part of his coaching career, alongside his close friend and right‑hand man J.P. Heino, Greg focused not

only on developing strong hockey players but, more importantly, on helping young people become the best versions of themselves.

In retirement, Greg found great joy experimenting with recipes on his smoker, griddle, BBQ, and trusted charcoal Weber. He loved his many dogs and never missed an opportunity to strike up a conversation with anyone willing to chat. Above all, Greg cherished time spent with family, and he will be fondly remembered for the laughter and warmth he brought to family and friends’ BBQs and gatherings.

Greg later moved to Kenora with his wife Debbie and their dog Cub to spend as much time as possible with his grandchildren Daphne and Jethro. He especially loved driving them to the rink, the ski hill, and friends’ houses, watching them on outdoor rinks, and talking with them about all their activities.

A Celebration of Greg’s Life will be held at a later date for family and friends and will include a large BBQ, in keeping with Greg’s wishes.

The family extends their heartfelt thanks to the medical staff at Lake of the Woods District Hospital for their compassionate care over the past number of years, with special appreciation to the dedicated staff of the ICU Unit for their exceptional care and support.

In Greg’s memory, donations to the Lake of the Woods District Hospital Foundation https://lwdhf.com/donate/ or A Dog’s Life Kenora https://adogslife.cc/ would be greatly appreciated.