Gary Joseph McIvor

Gary was predeceased by his son, Gary Jr. (Sonny), granddaughter Skylon, parents Bernice & Walter, brother Walter Jr., & nephew Reynold.

Gary is survived by his wife Sandy, daughters; Kathleen, Roslynn (Lester), & Treena, grandchildren; Precious, Trinity, Denzel, Matthew, Billy Jr., Naudia, Xavier, Gary III, Arielle, Lyndon, Lorielle, Suniyah, Sunrae, Liam & Leland, four great-grandchildren; Takeda, Elias, Giana & Giovana, his siblings; Jocelyn, Pat (Woody), Roger (Donna), Janet (Karl), Jerry, Barbara (Rene), Melody (Blair), Donna, Nelson (Tiffany), & numerous nieces, nephews and in-laws. Gary had many aunts, uncles, cousins & extended family. He was a godfather to many.

Gary & Sandy have been together for 47 years & were blessed with 4 children. He was very proud of his children, grandchildren & great-grandchildren. His great-grandchildren affectionately called him Papa.

Gary was a man of many talents including being an excellent musician, professional carpenter, talented artist, knowledgeable mechanic, bus driver for 30 plus years & a skidoo racer. As a boy, he spent numerous hours mastering Kung Fu moves & made his own nun-chucks. He was an avid fan of Bruce Lee.

Gary studied Autobody Repair at Assiniboine Community College. He didn’t work in this field but put the training to use as a hobby at home. He was an expert drywaller which he loved doing and did this for many years until his health declined.

Gary was meticulous in everything that he did. He took pride in the work he did on his classic cars & excelled in his carpentry work. Gary always kept his school bus in immaculate condition, spending countless hours cleaning & polishing his bus. Gary always made sure his young passengers arrived at school and back home safely.

Gary enjoyed the outdoors, playing with his kids & grandchildren, tinkering with his cars, doing yard work with his son, jamming in his shed with his son, family, friends or just enjoying the fresh air! He taught many people, including his kids, brothers, nieces & nephews how to master the guitar.

Gary had a vast collection of things he loved, including old records. He developed a keen interest in music at a young age. In fact he made his own drum set when he was only 11 years old with a tub, hub caps & whatever else he could find in the yard! His parents nurtured this musical talent & surprised him with a set of drums! Gary played on his drums non-stop & started his musical career! Gary mastered “Wipeout” on his drums which was everybody’s favorite & his most requested song. He was an avid guitar player as well, which also started at an early age. Gary & his music buddies formed a band & were known as “Country Connection”. His band was very popular and played all over Manitoba. They played all types of music from country to Rock & Roll. Country Connection was always a special attraction at all the local talent shows. When Gary tragically lost his best friend & singer, Boxer Mousseau, he lost his desire to perform for a time. But after some time to heal, he started jamming again, & drummed with the Mike Malcolm Band. In the many, many years of his musical career, Gary made numerous lifelong friends, who shared his love for music! He had a family of musical friends that were like a second family!

Gary made it a point to spend quality time with his wife & family, & loved visiting with his siblings, extended family & friends.

Gary had a great sense of humor and loved a good joke! He was friendly with an infectious laugh. He was very family-oriented, respectful, generous, supportive & very kind. He was a great man! Gary touched the hearts of many people & will be dearly missed by everyone who knew him.

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