Peter Marbes

1941 - 2020

has gone fishing.

Peter Marbes, age 79, passed away on October 20, 2020 at the TBRHSC, after fighting the good fight against cancer.

Born on June 4th, 1941 in Bergedorf, Germany, he made the difficult journey to Canada in an old navy warship called the Goya, with his mother and sisters Renate and Heike. It was the longest ten days of his life, probably the scariest trip for any little kid. And, according to sister Renate, the ship was not even fit for humans.

Sister Heike said her fondest memory of Peter took place on that horrific trip. Peter, nine years old at the time was nominated to take Heike, who was six, to one of the crews ‘restrooms' and entertain her. It had been five days and she was so bunged up. Peter thought he could make her relax by entertaining her with one of his magic tricks. He would pull the toilet paper out very fast and then Heike would say "stop!". Then he would quickly tear off a sheet of paper perfectly, much to Heike's amazement! But, sadly his efforts didn't work and Heike had to wait until she got to Canada before she could finally ‘go'.

Renate, on the other hand, being the older sister, has memories of when they were just wee little kids in Germany and literally had no toys, except for an old spiky metal wheel they found. Renate thought it was a hoot to toss it up in the air. It was too heavy for Peter to throw (he was only three) so she offered to throw it up high for him and oops - it smashed Oma's window. She decided to blame it on Peter, because she figured little Peter wouldn't get into as much trouble as she would have. Peter, Renate wants you to know, she's still really sorry.

George said mom would often tell him a story, of how Peter had always wished he had a little brother, but every time mom got pregnant it was another girl. Then finally little George came along. Peter's first words were, "forget it, you're 20 years too late!" And yet Peter was a great brother and mentor to George, introducing him to the wonders of the outdoor life, giving George many of his firsts in fishing, hunting, canoeing and camping which he carries on to this day.

One of Karin's best memories was when Peter came to visit her in the mountains a number of times - often when he was in Calgary on business. He surprised her with his cross country skiing skills and willingness to climb to a mountain summit in his running shoes and jeans. One memorable adventure was when he and Karin decided to paddle the Bow River from Banff to Canmore. They were dropped off at the put-in just below the Banff Springs Hotel. It was the month of June and the water was high. Karin, a decent paddler had taken her whitewater courses but on this trip deferred to Peter and he paddled stern. She explained to him the hazards of high-water and early season paddling on the river and he was confident. The first big sweeper they encountered he steered right into and over they went! Back packs, car keys, wallets, cameras, paddles and everything was whisked away on the current. It looked like they were done for. Suddenly Peter popped up out of the water and went after the canoe and by some miracle got it back. It had one paddle lashed in and so they paddled the rest of the (long) way with one paddle. It was an odd sight when they made it back to Canmore walking, the canoe over their heads up the path back to the house, hoping no one would notice that the river had ripped her pants off! The finer points of the differences between lake and river paddling were discussed at dinner that night.

Peter, as many will remember him, could be a very stubborn guy, but he had his soft spots, too. He used to work for INCO in Sudbury, and little sister Margaret (he called her Margi) remembers her anticipation escalating on the weekends when Peter would arrive home with drill core samples of "special rocks" from the mines for her and Georgie, too. She thought they were beautiful treasures. But she never felt as special as when Peter would take her in his ‘67 blue Mustang to the Dairy Queen on Hodder Ave and actually buy her an ice cream with his money. Mostly because she begged him to, but he did it anyway.

Peter attended Hillcrest High School, and then graduated from Lakehead University as a Certified Engineering Technician. After LU, he worked for Abitibi Paper Company, involved in timber cruising, then Stead and Lindstrom Construction. From there, he worked for INCO in Shebandowan and later in Sudbury. He was instrumental in the ventilation systems and surveying the shafts. Peter's construction and technical abilities led him to work for Trans Canada Pipeline as a Construction Manager, Compression Projects, until he retired in 2000.

Always the athlete, and a pretty good one, he was chosen to attend the Ontario Athletic Leadership Camp at Lake Couchiching in 1959. He really loved his golf and you'd often find out about all the trips he made south just to hit a ball and meet his friends. But he always came back to his true passions of hunting and fishing; a true outdoorsman to the end. You might even think Peter had a second family out at Sowden Lake the way he talked about his good friends Gayle and David and their daughter Shannon. He always loved a family gathering and he had the best appetite to make any cook proud. He especially loved his sister Renate's cooking, a close second to our mom's. Peter was a pretty good cook himself and when he wasn't fishing, cooking, gardening or building something, (Oh, did we mention what an amazing carpenter Peter was?), he was hanging with his close buddies, Lincoln and Jerry, at least a couple times a week, playing cards or cribbage, enjoying a good cigar and generally just being guys. Thank you boys, for being there for him, when his health tried to knock him down you were always coming around to check on him and help him out. He could always count on you to take his mind off his real problems and let him just enjoy life. And thank you to neighbours Michelle and Gord, Kathleen (for all the baking you brought him) and Charlie across the street, you kept your eye on him, too. I'm sure I've missed some but we know Peter had really wonderful neighbours.

Peter is survived by his sisters Renate (Gord) Sawiak, Heike Pamment, Karin Wallace, Margaret (Don) Jewitt and brother George (Merja) Dikun, nieces and nephews David, Jason, Douglas, Karen, Erin, Heather, Glory, Lucas, and Melody, as well as many great-nieces and nephews.

Predeceased by his father Franz Marbes, step-father George Dikun and mother Maria Dikun and Pebbles, the cat.

Thanks to Dr. Aseyev and Dr. Dykstra for your care. And, a special thanks to Dr. Simpson; your compassion and kindness are greatly appreciated. To nurses Miranda, Ryan and staff on 1A. You are amazing. Also, many thanks to Madison (St. Elizabeth nurse) for your wonderful care.

No service will be held, but if it's Saturday morning and you're reading this, as per his wishes, it's likely that Peter just went up in a puff of smoke. We'll have a toast in his honour.

If friends so desire, donations to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences - Cancer Care, the Canadian Down Syndrome Society or any charity of your choice would be super nice. Or just pay it forward with a coffee, Peter would like that.

Online condolences may be made through
www.nwfainc.com