WIEBE, John “Johnny”

JOHN WIEBE 1946 – 2024 John (“Johnny”) Clayton Wiebe passed away peacefully on October 8th, 2024, at the Coaldale Health Centre in Coaldale, AB. John was well known for his personal and professional generosity and for his enduring support of Coaldale’s community events and the development of the town.
Born in Chilliwack, BC in 1946, John grew up in Coaldale where he was raised on the family farm with his siblings Vernon (“Vern”), Edwin (“Tex”), Wesley (“Wes”), Ernest (“Ernie”), Richard and Charlotte by their parents Jacob (“Jake”) and Justina (“Jessie”) Wiebe. After attending Lethbridge College, John engaged in a variety of professional pursuits over the years including becoming a diving coach and a land surveyor.
In 1983, John took over the Coaldale Meat Market where he had worked for Myron Rak as a teenager. After a few years, John rebranded his business as Wiebe Sausage Works, which he owned and operated for decades to come. The company’s reputation for trustworthiness and quality spread far and wide based largely on the popularity of John’s original Mennonite Sausage, but also on his endearing personality, friendly demeanour, and unique sense of humour.
John enjoyed fishing, taking walks by the Oldman River, watching the Lethbridge Hurricanes play hockey, riding the Harley Davidson he won from the annual Kinsmen Harley Raffle, tending to his yard and garden, filling up a Christmas hamper for the Coaldale Food Bank every year, cooking and baking at home, and making countless occasions special and memorable for his immediate and extended family. He was passionate about, collected, and spent untold hours listening to music. He also played guitar and bass guitar in a variety of local groups. He passed this love of music on to his children.
Those left to cherish John’s memory include his wife and life partner Patricia Wiebe; his children: Lynsey (and Robin Duda), Marshal (and Carolina Diaz Romero), and Melissa (and Micheal Ostrom); and his grandchildren, whom he loved dearly: Evelyn, Samuel, and Sophia Rose.
When John sold Wiebe Sausage Works in 2015, he donated many historic items from his butcher shop to the Gem of the West Museum where he gained an honorary lifetime membership. These items are currently on display and will be available for viewing at John’s Celebration of Life. This Celebration will take place on Wednesday, October 16th at the Gem of the West Museum, located at 1306, 20th Street, in Coaldale, AB. Family, friends and the public are welcome to come-and-go anytime between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Refreshments, light snacks and some of John’s favourite home-baked desserts will be served.
John sat on the board of the Birds of Prey for over twenty years and believed in the value of organization’s mission. In lieu of cards or flowers, donations can be made in John’s memory to Coaldale’s Birds of Prey at the following link: burrowingowl.com. A bird will be released in John’s honour at the Birds of Prey in the Spring of 2025.
Condolences may be sent through www.edensfuneralhome.com