Randy Shaver

30 January, 1949 – 22 January 2025

On January 22, Randy Norman Shaver of Bengough, Saskatchewan took the exit at mile marker 75 and is headed for the adventures of his afterlife. We are taking our time to remember all the drives that we took together over the years, especially the ones when he let you sit behind the wheel and invite you to come with us on the road trip down memory lane.

Survived by and navigating, his wife Marina Dyck; along for the ride his children Amy (Tim Hayes), Nathan (Kendall Dudley), Rebecca, Charity (Doug Greenley), Sara (Desmond Parkinson), Logan, Jordan; at the roadside turnout his grandchildren Sierra, Daniel, Eryn, Brooklyn, Robert, Stella, Cohen, Judah, Owen, Jolene; as backseat drivers, sister Janet Blackmore, brother Monty Shaver (Valerie), brother Corry Shaver (Gina); catching a ride are nieces and nephews, Dixy, Cody, Roxy, Jeff, Kimberlee, Cody, Carly; and we are hitting the brakes for his Aunt Claire & Uncle Don, along with a special mention for cousins Wendy, Ellen, Charlene (the 49ers) and Joan.

Predeceased by his son Randy Aaron Shaver, parents Norman Wilfred Shaver and Stella Irene (Gravelle) Shaver, sister Darcy Jean Shaver, brother-in-law Lyle Blackmore, first wife Marlene Joan Gurskey, father-in-law Herman Gurskey, mother-in-law Ida Gurskey, and brother-in-law Don Gurskey, with a detour for the adored aunts and uncles on the Gravelle side, Margaret, Jean, Calvin, Clifford; and the Shaver side, Harvey, Archie, Bob and Ken.

Randy was born in Regina, Saskatchewan and his childhood memories are of being on his Grandparent’s (Jay & Jean Shaver) farm, surrounded by Jean’s art and the trees and gardens there. Over the years he took any opportunity to return there for a visit or to explore the Big Muddy Valley and its history of the wild west. Randy shared many stories of riding horses and adventures with his siblings and cousins on the prairies. He was somewhat relieved when he upgraded to a bicycle from the ornery set of horses on the farm, and even happier when he got behind the wheel of a car. Randy established that hard work was easy, adventures were a necessary part of life, and his main goal was to drive as fast as he could in any direction, although he seemed to prefer the west.

The first time he headed west, he worked with a stucco company and then with a Seismic company and travelled all over Western Canada, Yellowknife and into the US. He then attended SAIT in Calgary and did summer work in the Northwest Territories, driving taxi and working construction, then picking up a position at Beaver Lumber in Lethbridge after he finished his studies, eventually heading back to Regina to find work in concrete inspections.

Back in Saskatchewan again, he married Marlene Gurskey in 1972, moving to the hamlet of Rivercourse, AB and working at Nelson Homes in Lloydminster. He had a stack of other jobs, selling Electrolux, PeavyMart, some dairy farming and the job that would lead him into the kitchen cabinet business. He set up that first business in Weyburn and then moved it to Halbrite for 11 years of Shaver’s Kitchen City. The first new house build happened there and then when business slowed in the bust of the 80’s, he loaded Marlene and 8 kids into the van and headed west to seek new opportunities and have some adventures together In Alberta.

Randy’s skill set had him working at Elite Wood Products, Adora Kitchens, Thunderbird building supplies before making a career change to Rehab which he really enjoyed. This set up a series of some house flips including a church rectory in Forget, SK, and two new house builds in Magrath, AB (’92 and ‘2000) and some moving around and heavy lifting for some of the younger kids.

The next career change in Lethbridge was in getting certified in Power Engineering and taking on property management. That experience leads him into his last and very notable move west when he was hired by the Boys & Girls Club South Coast BC to be the year-round caretaker Camp Potlatch, where they host their summer camps. Randy and Marina packed up in December 2007 and headed to the completely self-sufficient camp which was only accessible by boat and took the first of many trips across Howe Sound. Randy ran the camps power plant, water treatment, and building and vehicle maintenance. He enjoyed learning about the tides and continued his love of driving by learning to drive a boat on the ocean. He enjoyed living in his ocean front property with a salmon spawning stream 300m from his front door, watching bears, deer, cougars and other wildlife wander through his front yard until March of 2017.

When he realized it was time to retire, he moved back to Saskatchewan and lived on his parent’s farm and focused on spending time with Norman & Stella who had moved into town. Eventually he also moved into town, buying the house that Norman had built for the Stella’s parents, and where he had stayed in wintertime during his High School years. His time spent back in the stomping grounds of his youth for his last years, surrounded by his extended family and the community was very enjoyable for him, and we let off the brakes here with a nod to the whole Bengough area and surrounding community.

Randy talked about cars and his family with almost equal measure, but family was really his top priority. He loved sharing stories with everyone and sending out his newsletters and photos keeping loved ones updated on his life. He loved his parents and was happy to be back in Bengough near them again for the last few years of their lives. He was proud of his kids and loved nothing more than a visit, a phone call, or to receive updated family photos in the mail that he could put up on his walls and enjoy. His grandkids were endlessly entertaining to him, and he loved everything about being a grandpa. He kept toys on hand, would fix up something the kids could drive, relished a game of chess with them, and quoted his grandkids as if their words were iconic movie lines. He kept in touch with extended family, always planning visits and phone calls to check in on how people were doing. And he valued his family heritage and had spent decades collecting historic family photos, information and stories, and doing genealogy charts going generations back.

Randy was an all-round car guy, and he knew more about cars than almost anything else, and the timeline of his life was often recalled by which car he was driving. He loved going to car shows and collecting models of every car that had ever crossed his path. He is survived by a very cherished ’57 Dodge Suburban, a ’92 Dodge Caravan, and a ’64 Plymouth Belvedere and predeceased by a ’57 Dodge Mayfair, ’57 Dodge Crusader, ‘80s Toyota Corolla, ’84 Chevrolet Camaro.

A summer event will be planned to celebrate Randy’s life, and we look forward to sharing more stories and memories with you then. Details to follow.

A special thank you for the paramedics, helicopter pilots and healthcare teams that assisted with the emergency calls, transport and hospital stays in BC and Saskatchewan for Randy since 2017.

We appreciate you sharing your memories and stories with us and in lieu of flowers, you may make your own tax-deductible donation direct to the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada, or you can support the kids at Camp Potlatch through the Boys & Girls Club of the South Coast BC.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy for the Shaver family may be shared at www.rossfuneralservice.com. Arrangements entrusted to Ross Funeral Service, Assiniboia, SK