Wayne Astrope

Wayne Astrope

1959 - 2021

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Wayne

Obituary of Wayne Astrope

Wayne Robert Earl Astrope was born on February 7, 1959, to Bertrum and Ola Astrope. He was the sixth of their nine children. He spent his early years enjoying street hockey, fishing, passing the time playing kick the can and putting coins on railroad tracks for fun. As a teen he enjoyed attending youth group, talking cars, and getting into mischief with his friends and siblings. He made a decision for Christ at the age of 16 and was Baptized. He lost his Dad at the age of 15 and later entered the work force to support his family.

He met my Mom on March 28, 1978, at an Easter Rally youth group event. They dated for just over two years, and they were married on a hot sunny day at Kirkfield Park Baptist Church on July 12, 1980. They purchased their first home on Moncton Ave, in 1979. It was an old home with a lot of character. In March of 1982, they started their family with their first son Adam. Joshua soon arrived in May of 83, and in March of 85, Nathan was the last child born to the family. In 1987, they left the city of Winnipeg and moved their family to the small town of Richer MB. Their new property allowed them to try their hand at raising animals, including chickens, rabbits, pigs, and goats. For many years they lived the hobby farm dream.

Fostering children was important to Mom and Dad even before they got married. When they were settled in Richer, they knew it was time to begin their journey into fostering. Mom and Dad didn't just shelter fosters, they provided a home full of love to all of their children over the years. Soon, Mel and Irene joined the family and it was obvious more space would be needed. Saying goodbye to the farm life, the family moved from Richer to Mitchell in 1994. Never the empty nest type, in 2008 Mom and Dad welcomed Jovaun into the house, completing our family.

In addition to being a family man, Dad took pride in his professional career as well. He started off working in the Furniture, Cabinet, and Manufacturing industries before landing long term with Fairway Ford in Steinbach. In his 30's he chose to further his education, and went to Success Compu College, graduating with a degree in the IT field. His first job after College was at Centra Gas before he moved on to a long term position with Granny's Poultry in Blumenort. Working in their IT department for 10 years let him put his degree to good use. He wound down the last five years of his career with Loewen Windows. Due to COVID Dad spent the last two years working from home which the family really enjoyed.

Dad also enjoyed giving his time to the church, particularly with youth groups. He spent many nights teaching and mentoring teens from the many churches they were part of. Being good natured he was often the brunt of teenage pranks. One of the best stories involves him backyard camping with some of the boys, them pulling the tent poles out, and him sleeping in a collapsed tent. He was a youth leader for 14 years which included church leadership at Richer Fellowship Church. For the last several years Mom and Dad have regularly attended Calvary Church.

As a lifetime Jets and Bombers fan he took his children to many games and events. We learned to love sports from his enthusiasm and passion. Some of Dad's other favourite activities included: beach days, Grey Cup and New Years parties, sports in the driveway, tobogganing, trike rides, and Christmas tree hunting. Many of these outdoor activities resulted in a classic Dad look – icicle moustache! Dad had few vices, but among them were Candy and Coca-Cola!

Later in life Dad and Mom enjoyed going camping. They purchased a camper, spending many weekends and vacations on the road. They also travelled west, with stops in Calgary to visit Adam and Becca, continuing on to Invermere to visit Nathan and his family.

In the spring of 2021 Dad was admitted to the hospital with jaundice. One of the scans he had while being treated revealed a tumor. A working diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma was provided, and in August it was confirmed the cancer had spread. It was a tough fight, with Dad in and out of many hospitals over the following months. At the beginning of October, he was admitted to Bethesda Regional Health Centre in Steinbach. Due to COVID restrictions, only one person was allowed to be on the approved list to see him. Mel gave much of her time to visiting and facilitating video calls with Dad and was with him everyday for the last few weeks. Mom was added to the approved list and spent the last few days with him. He passed peacefully on October 23, 2021, with Mom and Mel holding his hands.

Before he passed, he made some notes about his life in his own words, and I wanted to share them with you. To him these were the important moments in his life: His first job after leaving school, the day he became a Christian, the Christmas his dad passed, getting married, the birth of his children, buying a house, becoming a foster parent, the day his mom passed, and his own diagnosis.

He didn't realize it at the time but growing up with friends and family in his childhood neighbourhood were some of the best years of his life. He also treasured the early years of his marriage to Mom. He felt the most alive when with family, camping and doing outdoor activities, when everyone was happy and together.

 

Cremation has taking place and an interment will follow at a later date.

Wayne’s service will be live streamed on Friday, October 29, 2021, at 1:00 p.m.