Obituary of Dwayne Classen

Dwayne Classen lived a good life. Every pizza his wife Michelle ever made was the best. Every loaf of homemade bread was “the best.” He’d never tasted a pie he didn’t like, and he sprinted to the #18 tee box at the golf course every July to ensure Michelle had a steady supply of fresh Saskatoon berries. Dwayne always managed to get the first cappuccino, even when it wasn’t made for him, left an inch of milk in the jug and snagged the last biscotti in the jar. When he received the Steve Jobs book as a gift last Christmas, he shared it by reading great, long sections out loud to his family. Dwayne was known to call his son Carly either Rockey, Keith, or Mick (his brothers’ names), call his daughter, Claire, anyone of his three sisters’ names (Joan, Lois and Catherine), and call his daughter, Natalie, Daisy (after the dog), but he never forgot a customer’s name at the Windsor Plywood store he opened in Lloydminster in 1980. “I will never let you get married,” he said as he first held his oldest daughter, Claire. She managed to defy him and married her husband Paul in the beautiful backyard garden Dwayne and Michelle created next to Bud Miller Park, where his son Carly and wife Brandi were married as well. The garden is still reserved for an occasion of daughter Natalie’s choosing. He delighted in introducing his first grandson, Gus, to the joys of his prized snooker table and looked forward to sharing his love of snooker, golf, tennis and food with newborn grandson, Finnigan, and the baby his daughter Claire is expecting this summer. While Dwayne lived as if life was charmed, he met his share of sorrow. His father Charles died when Dwayne was just 14 years old, the eldest of seven. He took his role as eldest son seriously and throughout his life remained a compassionate, loving, supportive champion for his brothers and sisters. His sisters remember him as the one who wrapped them in consoling hugs when times were tough and celebrated life’s joys with unmatched enthusiasm. Dwayne also modeled the devotion and respect for his late mother, Irene, which characterized his close-knit family. Dwayne and Michelle lost their beloved daughter Emma shortly after birth, as well as a niece, Rebecca, and Dwayne’s brother Rockey. These losses made everyone in Dwayne’s life that much more precious to him. He initiated every conversation with curiosity, exuded positivity and encouragement, and quickly shut down conversations taking a judgmental turn. He passed down his work ethic, and love of wood, to his own children and many of his nieces and nephews as they apprenticed at the store. Dwayne died unexpectedly of a heart attack in Vancouver. After a private graveside ceremony next to the church his father built (St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church in Nanaimo, BC), Dwayne was buried with letters of love from his family…along with his reading glasses. Those wishing to remember Dwayne with a gift are asked to donate to the Canadian Red Cross: www.redcross.ca