Dale Gregory Keith Pinette

Dale Gregory Keith Pinette, of Winnipeg, Manitoba died unexpectedly in Gilbert, Arizona while vacationing on Sunday, March 3, 2019 at the age of 62. Dale was born on June 16, 1956 at the St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, MB. Dale will be greatly missed and forever remembered by his mother Georgina Pinette (nee Schmidtke); wife Carmen Pinette (nee Beltran); children / grandchildren: Greg (Audrey), Landon, Payton and Anabel; Jeff (Kaleigh), Jayce and Sloane; Brianna (Chad), Aria and expecting baby; stepchildren / grandchildren: Linda, Joshua and Kathleen; Marianne (Dave), Morgan (Riley) and Parker; Jennifer (Steve), Mason and Kailum; and siblings: Garry (Elaine), Sharon (Joe) and Michele. He was predeceased by his father Maurice Pinette (1970), and also leaves behind a large extended family. Dale was extremely proud of his large blended family, often bragging about all of his children and grandchildren. He was very much looking forward to meeting his 13th grandchild this summer. Dale was a retired locomotive engineer at CN Rail, where he worked for 37 years. At the time Dale was hired at the railway, he was one of the youngest to ever qualify for the position of locomotive engineer. During his career he spent time as an instructor training new engineers at the previous training facility in Gimli, Manitoba. Dale's last trip as an engineer was December 9, 2011. As a young man Dale found golf, a sport he loved to play. He also had a passion for camping and fishing. This enjoyment of the outdoors was evident with their abundant flowers and garden at home; you could always find Dale and Carmen in the yard covered in mud. Dale was a sports fan, but his true passion was hockey. His love for the game started at a very young age. He would walk miles with his equipment over his shoulder making his way to the Luxton Community Centre. His playing days later turned into coaching once his children starting playing sports. His passion for hockey spread to his children and now grandchildren; he loved watching them play. Years of coaching led Dale to volunteer his time as an executive member and eventually becoming president of the Transcona Minor Hockey Association, which he did for many years. He also served on the executive of the Winnipeg Minor Hockey Association. Dale was a current member of the Respectful Hockey Policy Committee with Hockey Winnipeg; he was recently asked to renew his position which he was intending to do. One of his greatest personal achievements was establishing the Winnipeg East Saints, later renamed the Winnipeg East Railcats. It took him and Don McIntosh three years to establish the amalgamation of the Transcona Regents and the St. Boniface Seals at the AA level. He cared about kids, fair play and having the opportunity to be competitive. The first year the Railcats (Saints) were established, all six teams made the playoffs; he and Don were very proud of this. He was the first chairman of the Winnipeg East Railcats (Saints) which he did for five years from 1999 to 2004. Dale was a huge fan of the Winnipeg Jets. He very seldom missed a game. Whether he was in town or on vacation, he always made sure there was a way to watch each game. He was on a mission to see the Jets play in every NHL arena. He recently witnessed the Jets beat the Las Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dale was a smart, witty, dedicated man who loved his family very much and was always willing to offer his advice and help. He loved spending time with his family and the door was always open at their home for friends and family to drop in. Celebration of Life service will be held on Friday, March 15, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. at the Covenant Christian Reformed Church, 653 Knowles Avenue, Winnipeg, MB. Please dress casual and wear your Winnipeg Jets' apparel. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Crohn's and Colitis Canada. The family would like to thank the hospital staff at Banner Gateway Medical Centre for their efforts and Christian at Falconer Funeral Home in Gilbert, Arizona for his compassion and care.