Garnet Gorday

08-21-1951~ 10-24-2024

The family of Garnet Alexander Gorday of Edmonton is saddened to announce his passing on October 24, 2024, at the age of 73. He passed peacefully at Pilgrims Hospice after a courageous battle with cancer.

Garnet was born on August 21, 1951, in Unity, Saskatchewan, to parents William and Elizabeth Gorday. He was the youngest of 3 boys.

The Gorday family moved to Lacombe, AB, in the summer of 1963. Garnet graduated from Lacombe Composite High School and later went on to attend NAIT to obtain his diploma as a commercial baker. It was an appropriate choice as he has quite a sweet tooth, and he pursued this career several times throughout his life. His other love was for farming, and Garnet worked on many farms over the years, primarily cattle and grain. After his retirement, he couldn’t sit still, so he took on something new and started running heavy equipment and doing construction in and around the city of Edmonton.

Besides spending time with his family and friends, Garnet enjoyed many things in his lifetime. He enjoyed traveling and had many opportunities to get away. Over the years, he has traveled to Florida, Mexico, Arizona, California, Fairmont, and his absolute favorite, Hawaii. The latest trip that all 15 of the family loved was to Radium BC, where there were many laughs, rounds of golf, hot springs, and delicious food! He loved getting out for a round of golf and was an excellent curler. He enjoyed reading his Western novels and watching the Toronto Bluejays Curling, the Edmonton Oilers, or the Saskatchewan Roughriders. If he wasn’t watching sports, the TV was tuned into the game show network, often on his favorite show, Family Feud, which drove all the dogs crazy! Anyone who ever knew Garnet knew how much he loved to joke around and play tricks on people. You always had to be on your toes when he was around right up until the very end!

Left to cherish his memory is his devoted wife of 36 years, Donna. His four children, Jason (Trudy) Gorday of Bonanza, AB, Jennette (Boyd) Giesbrecht of Olds, AB, April (Ricardo) Ferreira of Brampton, ON, Dianne (Ardan) Gorday-Burton of Edmonton, AB, in addition to 5 grandchildren Ethan, Anna, Austin, Julianna, and William. He also leaves to mourn his brothers Garry (Marj), Gorday of Lacombe, AB, Melvin (Sherrie), Gorday of Rimbey, AB, and many nieces, nephews, and good friends. Garnet is predeceased by his parents, William and Elizabeth Gorday.

A celebration of Garnet’s life will be held on October 31, 2024, at 11:00 a.m., at the University Club, University of Alberta, 11435 Saskatchewan Drive, Edmonton, Alberta.

The family expresses their thanks for the care and support of the Roozen Family Hospice Centre (Pilgrims Hospice Society). In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Garnet’s memory to https://pilgrimshospice.com/