Mr. Tracy William Halliburton

On Tuesday, June 22, 2010 Tracy William Halliburton passed away as a result of a motor vehicle accident at the age of 49 years.

Tracy was predeceased by his father John (Jack) Russell Halliburton, his father-in-law Joe Girardin and his brother-in- law Kim Thorarinson.

Remaining to forever cherish his memories are his wife Jackie, son Shane, mother Jeanne Halliburton, mother-in-law Bea Vouriot (Gerry), sisters Barb Thorarinson, Jackie Johnson, brothers John (Irene), Brad (Gale), brother-in-law A.J. Girardin (Lynne), sisters-in-law Annette Novak (Todd), Cheryl Hacault (Ernie) and many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Tracy was born September 27, 1960 in Ontario and moved to Winnipeg when he was very young. He graduated from St. Paul’s High School. He married Jackie Girardin in August 1985. Shane was born in 1987 and Tracy chose to stay home with him until Shane started school. He then became a school bus driver which he loved doing until health reasons prevented him from working.

After Shane was born, the family moved to La Salle where they lived for 21 years. Tracy was very active in the community. He was a founding member of the La Salle Chamber of Commerce, was on the curling club board for many years, was a junior curling instructor, baseball coach and Scout leader.

Tracy enjoyed all sports. His favorites were football, Nascar racing, golf, curling and poker. He loved spending time with his family. He especially loved family weddings and gathering at Falcon Lake and Lake of the Woods.

Shane was Tracy’s pride and joy and the majority of his energy was devoted to supporting Shane in achieving his goals. Tracy also found time to help those in need even when most had given up and he never expected anything in return.

We will all miss his smile, his sense of humour and his independent spirit. His zest for life was contagious. A more complete history of Tracy’s life can be viewed at www.thomsoninthepark.com

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.

A celebration of Tracy’s life was held on Tuesday, June 29 between 7:00 and 9:00 pm at Thomson “In the Park” Funeral Home, 1291 McGillivray Boulevard with a reception to follow.

Biography

Tracy William Halliburton was born September 27, 1960 in Cooksville, Ontario. His parents were Jeanne Neville and Jack Halliburton.

Tracy moved to Winnipeg when he was very young. He lived in St. Norbert where he attended school. Starting in grade 9 he went to St. Paul’s High School. After graduating from St. Paul’s, Tracy moved out on his own at the age of 17. It was while working at Pollard Bank Note that he bought his first house when he was 19 years old. He attended Red River College and took an automotive technician course. Though he did graduate and had an offer of employment, he chose instead to work as an assistant manager for A&W. He did this for several years and then attended the University of Manitoba for two years. He also worked for Guest as a dispatcher and did the payroll for a couple of years.

It was while at University that Tracy married his best friend Jackie Girardin August 24, 1985. They were a good match but what sealed the deal was that Jackie finally found someone who could beat her in Scrabble.

Family was very important to Tracy. He chose to stay home with Shane until he started school. In 1991 he became a school bus driver for the Red River Valley School District which he loved doing until health reasons prevented him from working.

After Shane was born in 1987, the family moved to La Salle where they lived for 21 years. Tracy was very active in the community. He was a founding member of the La Salle Chamber of Commerce, was on the curling club board for many years, was a junior curling instructor, baseball coach and Scout leader, where he was given the name Eagle Trace.

In the mid 1990’s while still a school bus driver, Tracy started a painting business with his brother and father. It was quite successful while it lasted. Also during this time Tracy was a volunteer for three provincial elections with the Progressive Conservative Party. He got to travel all over the Province. When asked what he did he would joke that he had to test the food for Gary Filmon and let him know what he should eat.

Tracy enjoyed playing and watching all sports but his favourites were football, Nascar racing, golf, curling and poker. Tracy’s favourite NFL teams were the Colts and Vikings. During Colts games you would always find his Colts hat on top of the TV. This past October he finally got to go to his first ever NFL football game with Shane and Jackie. This was something he wanted to do since he was a kid. For many years Tracy and Shane spent most Tuesday evenings playing poker with friends.

Tracy loved trees and rocks. He spent hours exploring the outdoors wherever he was. He would always hug the big trees he came across. On holiday trips, he would fill the car or his suitcase (and anyone else’s suitcase that was with him) with lots of rocks. Tracy also loved collecting elephants and coins. If you didn’t know what to get him for a gift, an elephant would always make him happy.

Each year for many years Tracy went on a fly-in fishing trip in northern Ontario with his brother in-law A.J. They first drove to Pickle Lake and then flew out to different fishing camps each year. Others who joined them over the years were Pete, Todd, Andre, Uncle Ben, Don, Lynne and Jackie. The last three trips included Shane. He was looking forward to a trip again this year.

Tracy loved spending time with his family and friends. You would always have fun playing games and cards with him. You were sure to laugh if Tracy was around. He especially loved family weddings and gatherings at Falcon Lake and Lake of the Woods. He was the best man for his friend Ernie (twice) and both of his brothers.

If you needed to know something, there was a good chance that Tracy would know the answer. His intelligence encompassed a broad range of subjects. He was an avid reader of National Geographic and Reader’s Digest. He was also very interested in history and astronomy. He taught many people how to read the constellations. Crossword puzzles that were difficult to most were easy for him. He prided himself on being able to do the evil level Sudoku without any notes.

Traveling with Tracy in a car was always an adventure. He hated using the main highways and roads. He seldom used a map. Instead, you would travel in the direction you needed to go and if the road ended then you would simply turn until you found another road that put you back in the right direction. If you came upon a hill you can bet he would stop to climb it. He liked to find out what he could see from the top.

Basically, Tracy was a big kid at heart. Shane gave him an excuse to play. He had a great smile and sense of humour. He had an independent spirit and some might even say he was stubborn. His zest for life was contagious.

Shane was Tracy’s pride and joy and the majority of his energy was devoted to supporting Shane in achieving his goals. His happiness was evident and at times he would be even more excited than Shane when goals like provincial championships and academic awards were achieved by Shane.

Tracy always found time to help those in need. Countless hours of his life were spent helping his family and friends and he never expected anything in return.

Sadly, Tracy’s life was cut short when he died in a motor vehicle accident on June 22, 2010 at the age of 49.

Tracy was predeceased by his father John (Jack) Russell Halliburton, father-in-law Joe Girardin and his brother-in- law Kim Thorarinson.

Remaining to forever cherish his memories are his wife Jackie (nee Girardin), son Shane, mother Jeanne Halliburton, mother in-law Bea Vouriot, Gerry Vouriot, sister Barb Thorarinson and her children Kristjanna, Kimberlee, Tracy, Terry; sister Jackie Johnson and her children Jessa and Jacob, their father John; brother John (Irene) of Victoria BC; brother Brad (Gale) and their son Bradley; brother-in-law A.J. Girardin (Lynne); sister-in-law Annette Novak (Todd), their children Cody, Cole and Avrianne; sister in-law Cheryl Hacault (Ernie) and their children Nicholas and Patrick. Tracy was also a great uncle to nieces Alika and Dylan (their father Thomas), and nephew Odin (his mother Tesla).

His memory will live on inside everyone who was touched by his kindness and love. He will be missed.