Gordon Kent Graham was born to Gordon and Irene Graham on July 24, 1952 in Quill Lake, SK. He grew up in Quill Lake and graduated in 1970. He attended St. Peter's College for one year before graduating from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Education Degree in 1975. While attending St. Peter's college, Kent played hockey with the Junior A Humboldt Broncos. Kent married Loree Ann Holaday on August 2, 1975 in Watson, Sk. They moved to Hudson Bay where they started their careers as teachers and raised their five children, Tim, Julie, Dee Ann, Rena and Cody. Kent taught grade 6 at Stewart Hawke school for 30 years until his retirement in 2005. He continued to work as a Financial Advisor until 2018, and drove semi part time.
Kent was a very active member in the community. He has been a dedicated member of the Lions' Club since 1985. He was a recipient of the Paul Harris Fellowship Volunteerism Award. Over the years, he served on the executive of the Hudson Bay School Division Teacher's Association. He refereed hockey and football, coached minor hockey and served on the Minor Hockey Executive, coached high school curling, was the President of the curling club, and was an active member of the Eastern Pony Chariot and Chuckwagon association, and was a Red Deer Saddle Club member.
Kent was an elite athlete. He played many sports, such as hockey (Junior, Senior, and the Old Bulls), baseball, curling, golf, and water skiing. He also enjoyed fishing, quadding, snowmobiling, horseback riding, chariot racing, boating, hunting, and gardening. His garden was the envy of the neighborhood. Summers were spent camping with his family. He was a diehard Saskatchewan Roughrider fan and loved watching NHL hockey, NBA basketball (The Raptors), and elite curling, all of which he coached from the couch.
In his retirement years, Kent and Loree Ann enjoyed travelling to many tropical destinations. In the winter, he spent time snowmobiling with a group that called themselves the Antique Roadshow. Walking every morning to coffee row was a regular part of his day. Many afternoons, he enjoyed playing crib and visiting with friends. You could often find him cheering his grandchildren on at their various activities.
Kent was a thoughtful, caring, and kind man, who stood for what he believed in . He was soft spoken and had a way of turning each situation into a teachable moment. He had a quick wit and was always ready with a joke. As a teacher, he made sure to build relationships with his students. He had a way of making everyone feel important. You knew he really liked you if he teased you or gave you a nickname. Kent had a special relationship with each of his children and grandchildren and he was their biggest supporter in anything they did. He had unconditional love for his soul mate, Loree Ann. They had a relationship that many could only dream of.
In April 2009, his long- fought battle with cancer began. Kent then made the commitment to become Catholic. His strong faith, positive attitude, fighting spirit and his humour gave him the ability to fight for almost 11 years. He supported others on their cancer journeys and inspired all those around him.
He will be dearly missed by his wife of almost 45 years, Loree Ann, their children, Tim, Calli, Kesler, Ryder and Mason; Julie (David) Graham, Chase, Montana and Levi; Dee Ann (Curtis) Sywenky, Hunter, Raia, Austin and Ella; Rena (Courtland) Huston, Kane and Nash; and Cody (Trent), his mother Irene, sister Landis, brothers and sisters-in-law, Dale (Diana), Gerard (Cheryl), Ron (Norma), Kerry (Donna), Brian (Mark), aunts and uncles, numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Kent was predeceased by his father, Gordon (2019), parents-in-law, John and Regina Holaday, sister in law, Denise Dube (2016), grandparents, numerous aunts and uncles, and cousins.