Gary Omer Sweetnam
was born in Calgary, Aberta on February 27th 1964
Passed away in Sicamous, British Columbia on December 7th 2024
Columbia Shuswap Regional District at the age of 60
Your life was a blessing,
Your memory a treasure,
You are loved beyond words
And missed beyond measure.
Gary will be lovingly remembered by his grieving Partner/Spouse Naomi Laughlin, his Eldest Brother Garth & (Alice) Sweetnam, Sister Shari Sweetnam and Brother Greg Sweetnam, his Nieces, Sarah Gudbranson(Husband Erik and their Children Benny & Zoey) Alexis Whitaker (Husband Drew and their children Everette & Theo)
Jill Herbert (Husband Dwayne), Jenna Sweetnam & Taylor Sweetnam, as well as many other family members, teammates and great longtime friends that adored and loved him, Gary will be deeply missed by many.
Gary was predeceased By his Father Victor Samuel Sweetnam & his Mother Shirley Joyce Sweetnam (known as Joyce)
Gary was born and raised in Calgary Alberta and eventually moved to Sicamous BC in the summer of 2003 where he resided on Mara Lake. Gary was a such vibrant and spirited man, he is loved and will be dearly missed by so many that were shocked by his sudden and unexpected passing. He touched the lives of many of whom would agree it was a blessing to know him.
He gave the best hugs, always one to lend a hand, and offered some of the best advice with his wisdom and grace, and had the most soothing voice that could calm anyone especially animals,
There is no doubt that he is now playing fetch with all of his beloved pups Meesha, Cinder and Crystal and is being cuddled and snuggled by his cherished cat Tessie wrapped around his shoulders. Gary was a great story teller and was full of charisma and charm, his smile lit up the room, his laughter and giggle were so contagious along with his witty sense of humor. Gary had a gentle and kind heart, he was driven by hard work, anything he set his brilliant mind towards he would excel at doing. He always strived for perfection and at times he could be quite hard on himself if things didn’t turn out quite as planned.
Hockey, Skiing both snow and water and Scuba Diving were just some of his passions. Gary loved nature, being in the sunshine and near the water. You would find him picking up unique rocks to bring home…he came by that honestly, being a true Pisces. With a love for all genres of music, mostly early classic 80-90s rock, you could find him chilling by the fireplace or a bon fire outside gazing up at the universe. You would catch him singing or rocking out playing air guitar (he always wanted to learn how to play the guitar) . Piano music would sooth his soul as it reminded him of his mother, she was his best friend and biggest fan. His ability to remember lyrics to songs was like no other. You would often find him mid conversation breaking into song which led to singing and then to a couple of his famous dance moves that were contagious and could lead to a dance party.
During Gary’s Hockey year he became known on the Ice as The Original SWEETS! He absolutely Loved Hockey, He grew up on the ice with his father as his first coach along his mother being the biggest support there cheering him on. At the young age of 5 you would find him playing with the big boys and holding his own. TINY MITE “C” 1973-74, Smith-International Chiefs 1979-80 National Midget Royals 1980-81, Calgary Spurs Hockey Club, Alberta Junior Hockey League 1981-82-83-84-85. Gary went off to play on a full scholarship while also studying business for the Ferris State Bulldogs in Big Rapids Michigan 1985-86,1986-87. He played 1 year Professional Hockey for Kempten in West Germany 1987-88.
You could find Gary, picking up a game of Hockey for fun with the some of the local Sicamous boys back in the day.
Gary worked as a heavy equipment operator as an Excavation Specialist for 33yrs. He worked on many different projects around BC as well as in Alberta, He was a member of the Operating Engineers Union local 115
In his recent years he worked on, the project on the TransCanada Hwy in Golden BC, The Trans Mountain Expansion Project, Clearwater BC (Banister), The Coastal GasLink Pipeline Project, Houston BC (OJ Pipelines)
Not only blessed with good looks he was very handy, he was a measure twice cut once kind of guy and was was very methodical with a patient mindset. His coworkers spoke very highly of him and have many fond memories of his happy go lucky positive personality. Gary mentored some and was known as a great teacher.
A celebration of Gary’s life and legacy will be held at a later date yet to be announced.
please free look up to reflect on one of the many poems he quoted quotes from A Psalm of Life, By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Gary, rest in peace and know that you will be forever remembered.
