Obituary of Jannie Vanderbergh Joubert

The world has become a less bright and fun place to be as we say goodbye to my beloved husband, best friend and my forever, Jannie Joubert. He joined our baby girl Willow over the rainbow bridge August 16, 2024, at the Northern Lights Health Centre.

He was a force of nature— a straight-shooter, with a quick-wit, and unapologetically always himself. He was who he was and didn't care if you didn't like it. His favorite phase was "Do you want the truth, or do you want me to lie to you?" (Normally you didn't want the truth). He was always the life of the party, and his laugh was infectious, his energy a magnet for everyone around him. He made it a point to include and engage everyone, ensuring that no one felt left out.

A natural leader, Jannie thrived in mentoring others. He took immense pride in guiding young co-op students and watched with pride as many of them carved out successful paths in their trades.

As many of you know Jannie’s Favorite sport was Rugby, he played in high school at PGSS and as an adult played a few seasons with the Fort McMurray Knight where if he wasn't playing, he loved to cheer on the team. He enjoyed rugby so much that on more than one occasion he would get up at 2am or earlier to watch the Springboks in World Cup matches, celebrating their victories, particularly over the All Blacks.

He loved fishing, or if the fish weren’t biting, playing bumper boats on the lake. He loved his Harley and his annual bike trips. He especially enjoyed striking up conversations with everyone he would meet (which apparently was not always a good thing, as he met some odd characters). If you knew him you knew he loved his Car (Rose) his dream car a 1981 Trans Am, he was so excited to get it he drove all the way to BC in January weather to get it home.

He was an amazing husband, and an awesome dog dad to Willow who passed in 2023, Bodhi and Milo and incredible person to all who knew and loved him. He will be forever remembered and loved by his parents, Annatjie and Seun Joubert; brothers, Marius (Whitney) Joubert and Hennie (Assunta) Joubert; his beloved Ouma, Chrissie; in-laws, Pam and Ray Lays; sisters-in-law, Amy (Ryan) Lays, Mandy (Evan) Jones, Crystal Lays; nieces and nephews, Charlie and Lucas Joubert, Kalena, Nora and Caroline Joubert and Kattie (Alex) and Morgan Jones, as well as many aunts, uncles and cousins.

A celebration of life will be held September 28, 2024, 6:30pm at Shell Place 2nd level. We invite you to join us in a casual, come-as-you-go gathering where we can share memories, stories and raise a glass to the amazing man he was.

In lieu of flower you can donate to few places to assist other with their cancer journey, or the Fort McMurray SPCA where we adopted 2 of our dogs:

Alberta Cancer Foundation  •  Amy's House  •  SPCA

I would like to send out a special thank you to the staff, palliative nurses, cancer clinic nurses and Doctors (especially Dr. Tomy, who was amazing to Jannie) at the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre.