Obituary of Raymond Gannaw

GANNAW, Shorty (R. P.) April 23, 1923 - August 24, 2010 Shorty Gannaw of Lashburn, Saskatchewan passed away at Pine Island Lodge in Maidstone, Saskatchewan at the age of 87. Shorty is survived by his daughters Paula Gannaw (Ken Bowman) of Ottawa, Ontario and Carla Gannaw (Randy Jordan) of Morinville, Alberta; granddaughters Kirsty (Rick) Allen of Gull Lake, Alberta and Hollis Bowman (Andrew Dowell) of Ottawa, Ontario; great granddaughters Kara and Braelyn Allen; great grandson Hugh Bowman-Dowell; brothers Hank (Mic) of Paris, Ontario, Allan of Paris, Ontario and George (Rose) of Lloydminster, Alberta; several nieces and nephews and numerous friends. Shorty was pre-deceased by his wife Ione (nee Mitchell), son Peter, brother Peter; sisters Florence Smith, Mary Greer, Francis Gannaw and Josephine Gannaw and brother-in-law Bill Mitchell. Shorty was born in Big Stone, Alberta and came to Lashburn as a tiny baby. He grew up during the depression and as a young man enlisted in the army and served overseas in WWII. When he returned he worked for Roy Bell and the RM driving a road grader/snow plow. He met, and in 1948, married Ione Mitchell. For a time he ran a trucking business hauling primarily gravel and farm equipment. After a few years they purchased farmland southeast of Lashburn and moved on to their second career, farming. Shorty always tinkered with trucks and machinery and eventually turned it into a very successful third career in the truck wrecking business. Shorty and Ione loved to fish and spent a significant amount of time at their cabin at Ministikwan Lake. They were also very avid rodeo fans and frequented most of the local rodeos. For many years they travelled annually to the Canadian Finals Rodeo and also the National Finals Rodeo in the states. Shorty made many friends through his various interests and endeavors and will be dearly missed by those that knew him. Donations in memory of Shorty may be made to the Lashburn Sportsplex or to a charity of the donor's choice. A Memorial Service was conducted from the Lashburn Community Hall on Monday, August 30, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. A private family interment took place in the Lashburn Cemetery. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster, Alberta administered the funeral arrangements. Card of Thanks The family of Shorty Gannaw would like to thank friends, neighbours and relatives for the support shown to us after the loss of our dad, granddad and great granddad. Thanks to all those that attended the service and especially to those that shared their memories and "Shorty stories". Thanks to everyone that sent cards, flowers and donations to various charities. Thank you to the staff at Pine Island Lodge for the care you gave Shorty, Jo Klassen for playing the organ at the service, the UCW for supplying lunch and Dave, Glenn, and the rest of the staff at McCaw's. Extra special thanks to Sharon and Ian Carruthers for all the help and support you provided - we couldn't have gotten through it without you. Shorty would have been pleased with the send off we gave him, Paula, Ken, Carla, Randy, Kirsty, Rick, Hollis, Andrew, Kara, Braelyn and Hugh. Donations in memory of Shorty may be made to the Lashburn Sportsplex.