Obituary of Kenneth "Wayne" Gaalaas

Kenneth 'Wayne' Gaalaas of Camrose passed away peacefully on March 5, 2016 at the age of 75 years. He will be lovingly missed by his wife, Marlene; son Jeff (Julie); daughter Jill (Colin Grindle); brother Gary (Lois) and sister Diane Burnett of Red Deer; and sister Faye Sollid of Edmonton. Papa will also be sadly missed by Grandchildren Cassidy, Olivia, and Leif Gaalaas; Taylor Hancock, and Colby and Austin Grindle. He is predeceased by his father Orvild Gaalaas and mother Madeleine Bentley; and brothers Allen and Dale Gaalaas. Wayne was born in Camrose August 5, 1940, the second youngest of 6 children. He married the love of his life, Marlene, April 30, 1966. He began his Health Journey shortly after, starting renal dialysis in 1967. Through this time, Wayne was able to begin his own business, Battle River Builders Supply, while traveling to the University of Alberta for treatment. Through the kind generosity of the community and many friends, under the guidance of Ken and Rita Nyback, Wayne was able to start dialysis at home as the first patient in Alberta to do so. It was during this time that Wayne and Marlene were blessed with the births of Jeff and Jill. In 1978, the ultimate gift of life was received from his sister, Faye, when she donated her kidney. This allowed Wayne to spend time with his family while enjoying work, travel, and volunteerism. Wayne's health was a big influence on how he lived his life. He was driven to live everyday as if it was his last. He loved his work, the people he worked with, and the friends he made along the way. He sold Home Hardware and retired at the age of 55 feeling that he'd already been living life on borrowed time. He spent the next years living his dream of enjoying golf, traveling, and winters in Arizona. But we all know he never really retired. Wayne was eternally grateful of the role the community played in his life. He continued to volunteer his time to Uncles at Large, Coaching Sports and enjoying many years with the Rotary Club of Camrose. Wayne had a wonderful sense of humor. If you ever played a practical joke on him, be prepared to be 'one-upped' and then some. Wayne was a wonderful father, husband, and grandfather. Family was everything to him. The family would like to thank the physicians and nurses at the University of Alberta Hospital transplant team, the Dialysis unit, Mazankowski Hospital, Cross Cancer Institute, Camrose Homecare, and St. Mary's Hospital. At Wayne's request there will be no public service held. The family would like to express their gratitude for the love and support received during this difficult time. If so desired, donations are gratefully accepted to Stollery Children's Hospital, The Kidney Foundation of Canada (Northern Alberta and the Territories), or the Camrose Hospice Society.