Obituary
Peter Douglas Veselinovich
It is with much sorrow that we announce the passing of Peter Douglas Veselinovich on January 1st, 2021. Peter passed peacefully with his wife Tammy by his side. Peter was 58 years of age just 3 days from his 59th birthday.
Peter has left to mourn his wife Tammy, son Curtis 18, and his daughter Mandy 16, his sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Karen Goodridge and Dean Pritchard, Penny and Richard Malegus, Sherri Jacobucci and Randy Dziadek, and many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. Peter was predeceased by his parents Gerritje (Gerrie) Veselinovich and Svetislav (Steve) Veselinovich.
Peter was born in Winnipeg and grew up in the North End. He was very proud to call himself a “North End schlepper”. He went to various schools in the North End because his parents moved several times. He loved driving around the North End looking at the houses that he grew up in and the schools that he attended. Peter loved telling stories about playing with his friends on the streets of the North End and riding their bikes until dark and making friends with the foot patrol police officers.
Peter helped his parents navigate the purchase of a home that they were renting before he was 20 years old. Peter attended the University of Winnipeg and graduated with a major in Economics. Peter started working at a very young age. He was 13 1/2 when he got his first job in the maintenance department at Garden City Mall. He went on to work as a security guard there and worked full time all through university. He loved that job and he always said yes when asked to work extra hours or holidays so the other staff could be home with their families. Sometimes he worked the night shift because it was quiet and he could do his homework. One night he caught a few winks in a sports car that was on display in the mall and he made sure he woke up before his boss came in to work in the morning. After he graduated from university he got a job at Central Guarantee Trust. This is where he met many of his lifelong friends. He then went on to work at Standard Trust before joining Investors Group in 1993. He worked there until his passing. Peter was an immensely smart man and brought so much to the table everywhere he worked. Peter made many business relationships and he was a truly respected leader in the banking industry. Many of those relationships were lifelong friends. He was known as Peter V and he made deals on a handshake and stuck to his word. He was fiercely loyal to his staff and he had their backs. He made a point of talking to all of his staff on his “walk abouts”. He was famous for his ice cream days and popcorn and lemonade days at the office. Two of his famous work quotes were “trust me, I’m a banker” or “I’m from the bank, I’m here to help”.
Peter met his wife Tammy in 1992. They were married in 1995 and they celebrated their 25th anniversary in 2020. It was not the eating and dancing party that they wanted but it was an intimate dinner at a great local restaurant so it was perfect. Peter really was the perfect husband because he was kind, loyal, dependable, patient, generous, forgiving and he had a great sense of humour. Peter and Tammy enjoyed 8 years of marriage before Curtis and then Mandy came along to complete this perfect family. Peter was a proud Dad. He went to all of their hockey games, soccer games, football games, Tae Kwon Do and Christmas concerts. He loved going on camping trips with the family. He got Curtis and Mandy involved in Go- Kart racing and they were members of the Manitoba Go Kart Association. He spent many weekends at the race track with his family and he enjoyed every second of it because that’s the kind of man he was. He was their coach, mechanic and cheerleader. When they won a race, he won too.
Peter, Tammy, Curtis and Mandy enjoyed family vacations to warm locations like Florida and Mexico. On one family trip to Disney the family went in the lineup to go on Space Mountain. When they got to the top Tammy asked the person at the top where the exit was and she took off and left Peter to go on the ride with Curtis and Mandy. He loved telling that story about how Tammy chickened out and he had to go on Space Mountain with the kids.
Peter loved his old cars and he started his collection with a red 2002 retro Thunderbird. He had a red 1960 square bird which was featured in a full page write up in the Free Press which made him so proud. He also had a 1957 Ford Fairlane. It was the car that was used in their wedding and they ended up buying it on their 15th wedding anniversary. Tammy and Peter loved taking the kids for rides in that car to Lockport for ice cream. The kids loved it because it didn’t have seat belts. In 2018 Peter bought his favourite car of all, a red 2001 C5 Corvette convertible. He got his very first speeding ticket in that car. He said it was worth it and he would do it all over again. He and Tammy were members of the Manitoba Corvette Club and they enjoyed their many road trips to all those great restaurants with great friends. He spent many hours in his man cave garage. He was surrounded by his cars, tools and vintage signs. He would be out there for hours just puttering around or sitting on the couch. Tammy had to bring him food there because he didn’t want to come inside. Peter was handy at most things, he was self taught at wiring, carpentry, drywall, body work and mechanics. He had a group of friends who took turns doing renovations and building at each other’s homes. Peter and his friends built a double garage for his parents in one day. His parents couldn’t believe Peter had such great friends who were willing to spend their Saturday from sun up to sun down helping others. The best part of those building days were the meals and the comradery at the end of the day. Peter spent many Friday lunches with this great group of friends which they called the LEOSS group. “Lenders Employed or Still Searching”.
Peter was happy to volunteer his time in the community for many years. He spent 15 years on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Board of Directors. He spent so many hours working early in the morning before work and after work with people from the community on this board who he stayed friends with years after. He also worked on the Board of Directors at the Prairie Theatre Exchange.
Peter enjoyed going out for business lunches with his colleagues and friends. His favourite place to go was Rae and Jerry’s and he had his favourite table in the corner.
Peter was famous for his stories and he would tell them repeatedly to whoever would listen. He loved watching Barret Jackson on TV along with many other car shows. Peter also loved “doing the deal” when he was shopping for a vehicle for himself, Tammy or Curtis. He got so much enjoyment negotiating any deal.
Peter had a special place in his heart for all animals. He had so many pets over the years including his cat Ronnie who used to curl up under the blankets with him. He had a dog named Rambo when he met Tammy and he was the real reason that Tammy fell for Peter. The family had their dog Lucy for 9 years and now Bella and Brixton who stayed with him when he was sick. It was a comfort for him to have his pets with him by his side. Peter and Tammy were so happy to find a home at Eastview Community Church in 2017. They are so thankful and Blessed to be a part of the spiritual community that is so comforting at this time. Peter and Tammy and the kids were so happy when they bought their cottage near Gimli. Peter played and swam in the lake with the kids on hot summer days and spent his time just enjoying the peaceful view of the lake from the deck or patio. Peter was a very strong man and he fought a hard battle.
Special thanks go out to the many friends and family who are supporting Tammy, Curtis and Mandy in this extremely difficult time. The team of nurses, doctors and support workers at the Health Sciences Centre deserve a special thank you. They are extremely knowledgeable and respectful and for that the family is grateful. They treated Peter with much dignity and respect. Also, special thanks to the Spiritual Health Team at the HSC who were there for Peter and Tammy and the family at a moment’s notice. Thank you to the pastors at Eastview Commmunity Church for their continued support. The family would like to thank everyone who has been praying for Peter and his family.
In lieu of flowers please go to Canadian Blood Services to donate blood if you are able. Donations can be considered to Siloam Mission, Cancer Care or Save a Dog Network.
It was Peter’s wishes to be cremated. The service is planned for Friday, January 22, 2021 at 2:00 p.m., you can view the service with the following link youtu.be/CfIMcDzMsHs. A celebration of life will be held in person when it is permitted to do so in the future.
Isaiah 41 verse 10
“So do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”.
Isaiah 41 verse 13
For I the LORD your God,
hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you,
“Fear not, I am the one who helps you. “
For service details and to leave condolences please go to www.gilbartfuneralhome.com.
Gilbart Funeral Home, Selkirk in care of arrangements.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Peter Douglas Veselinovich, please visit our floral store.
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Peter Douglas Veselinovich January 1 2021..
Décès pour la Ville: Selkirk, Province: Manitoba