Obituary of Glenn Allan Beebe

It is with deep sadness and broken hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Glenn Allan Beebe, on May 20, 2024, at his home, surrounded by family; exactly as he wished.

Glenn was born on June 24, 1965, in The Pas, Manitoba but was raised in Wabowden, Manitoba. Born to a single mother who passed when he was only 18 months old, Glenn and his younger brother Barney were raised by maternal grandparents along with many aunts and uncles who were essentially brothers and sisters.  He spoke of a life with very few extras, but always the necessities, and an immense amount of love.  Throughout his adult life, he continued to feel a strong connection to his aunts and uncles and loved the times of connection with them and his cousins.

At the young age of 18 he knew there were bigger things out there for him and he left Wabowden and headed for Fort McMurray. He eventually landed a job with Syncrude in 1993 and began a career as a process operator.  To know Glenn was to know he loved his job but hated work. He spent his entire career with Syncrude before cancer forced him off.  He was ready to ‘push the button’ and retire but he never got the chance.  Ironically, Glenn had every intention of retiring early because he had watched so many co-workers work until later in life, then finally retire and die soon.  He vowed that wouldn’t be him.  When he and Luana returned from vacation in July of 2021, Glenn had made the decision to retire.  Instead, a terminal diagnosis was waiting for him.

Glenn was a lover of sports, but none more than golf. He was proud to say he did rounds at some prestigious courses including Torrey Pines, Shadow Creek, Southern Highlands and The Sanctuary. He pretended to be humble when beating people, but quietly he would always let Luana know he kicked someone’s ass. He bought his “last set” of clubs, three times. He shared a love hate relationship with his Oilers and it was so fitting that they would go on to advance to the Conference finals the night he passed away.  

Glenn developed a passion for travel and felt blessed to have experienced so many different adventures.  With his family or his closest friends Sandy & Al Grandison along for almost every adventure, Glenn and Luana enjoyed two to trips to China, cruises around the Caribbean, Europe and Hawaii, visits to 14 European countries; one accidentally thanks to Al’s bad driving, and jaunts to various States in the USA.  But no place was more special to him than Las Vegas where he spent a lot of time golfing with his friend Chad, watching Chad’s son Dash play hockey and going for supper with the Dixon family; whom he loved like his own.  Secretly he took full credit for turning Dash into a Canadian boy and having him fall in love with hockey.

Above all, Glenn was a family man in every sense of the word. He was a devoted husband to Luana whom he called “my girl” and rarely by name. To know Glenn was to know that he absolutely cherished his wife. His biggest worry since his diagnosis was Luana and there wasn’t a friend or family member who wasn’t told to take care of her. He was deeply proud to be her husband and of her.  

Glenn loved his boys, Ryan and Brett fiercely, and was as an engaged father as there ever could be. He was never too tired to play, coach a hockey team, build high end rabbit cages for the bunnies, help with any school project, and would stay up after night shifts to take them to school just to spend that extra time with them.  As the boys got older, he was determined to teach them every skill needed to maintain a home and the importance of having every tool ever made. He was extremely particular and there was a ‘right’ way to do home maintenance and that was usually the most labor-intensive way. He was proud when both boys advanced from holding the flashlight to possessing the skills he felt they needed to get the job done right. He cherished his time with them as adults, enjoying times fishing, watching hockey games together and travelling. Anytime was the right time to spend with his boys and they never left the house without hearing “love you my boy”.

The past 18 months saw the arrival of his pride and joy, granddaughter Harper, whom he referred to as “Grandpa’s girl”.  In his final days, with the pain intense, he found the strength to have meaningful time with Harper and give her a final kiss and tell her “Grandpa loves you”; a video that will always be cherished.

Glenn adored his nephews Mitchell, Jacob and Blake Bussieres. He was as proud of them and their accomplishments as he was his own boys.  Many know the Bussieres family all lived side by side and while many would cringe at living so close to in-laws, Glenn loved living beside family. Uncle Glenn was the go-to guy for all bike and toy assembly and repair.  He was the street and stick hockey teammate.  He was a golf and fishing partner in later years, and always let them know he loved them and was proud of them.  In sister-in-law Kelly he recognized a woman filled with compassion and caring and he admired her for this and was grateful for everything she always did to help. He shared a unique relationship with his brother-in-law Lance which was equal parts throwing jabs and insults, and exchanges of appreciation and love. He was grateful to Lance for the help with mowing the lawn and clearing the snow; although he never understood why he didn’t just wait for it to stop snowing before shoveling, or why the grass needed to be cut as often as it was. But he knew it was Lance’s way of helping and showing he cared. He was equally annoyed with Lance when he didn’t get the Christmas decorations up in a timely fashion. He would bark at Lance, Lance would laugh, Glenn would rage, Lance would laugh, Glenn would get it done. 

Glenn is survived by his wife Luana Bussiere; sons: Ryan (Trina Janvier) & Brett (Shae Dauphinee), “Grandpa’s girl”, Harper; Brother, Barney Chartier; Brother & Sister-in-Law, Lance & Kelly Bussieres; nephews: Mitchell, Jacob & Blake Bussieres, and numerous maternal cousins, aunts and uncles, coworkers, and friends.

The family would like to thank Glenn’s oncologist at the Cross Cancer, Dr. Jessica Pettigrew, primary care physician Dr. Katumba, home care staff Nadine King and Jennifer Parsons for moving mountains near the end of Glenn’s life, Dr. John O’Connor for his friendship and guidance to Luana and the team at Wood Buffalo Pharmacy—particularly Hanna, whose endless support and help navigating systems and answering questions helped keep Luana sane in this awful journey.

A very special thank you to Advanced Life Support Paramedic Ethan Lacusta for your help during the early morning hour call on May 19^th/20^th and recognizing and administering the PEOLC Glenn was entitled to.  We trust you understand the impact of your action and kindness during that difficult situation at home.

Finally, our deepest and most heartfelt thanks to Advanced Life Support Paramedics Clay Mercieca and Aileen Vranas.  You both displayed nothing but kindness and compassion in Glenn’s final hours. Your stay with Glenn for over 3 hours, diligently working to bring him comfort. You never once forgot he was a person in need; vulnerable and in pain, and consistently treated him with the dignity and respect he deserved.  Your gentle words when speaking to him, with every action you took, did not go unnoticed.  You are both role models in your field and the family is forever grateful.

For those who are unable to attend the Celebration of Life for our late and great friend, Glenn, please click on the link below to watch the Facebook Livestream:

Watch Glenn's Celebration of Life Here