Obituary
Gail passed away at the Ponoka hospital after a long battle with cancer. With the excellent help from Ponoka Home Care and Dr. Chan she was able to stay at home until the day she passed.
Gail was predeceased by her mother and father Allan and Laurine Shantz; her mother and father in-law Doug and Elsie Bresee; and two brothers-in-law Don Millar and Garry Bresee.
She leaves to mourn her husband Darryl; son Kevin (Laurie – Conner and Peyton); son Scott (Wendy – Colter and Kormac); Donna Yorke (Richard – Jackson and Jessica); sisters Judy, Kathy, and Linda and their families; brother and sister in-law Keith and Donna and their family; and sister-in-law Linda and her family.
A Funeral Service will be held at the Ponoka Funeral Home on Thursday, September 1, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. (livestream link available below) with the Interment at the Dakota Cemetery at a later date.
Gail loved horses. She grew up riding, showing and barrel racing along with her sisters on her dads horses. When she got her own farm along with Darryl, it didn’t take long for the horse population to grow. She brought her own horse to the farm, next year a registered Quarter Horse stud colt was added. Next the stud colts mother was purchased and then two registered fillys. Soon a registered brood band was purchased from South Dakota, a registered stallion from Burns Lake BC and a successful horse breeding operation was started. Trail rides with the Ponoka Light Horse Assoc. was a big part of the summers activities.
Gail farmed right along with Darryl, whether it was feeding cows in the winter, baling hay in the summer, running combine in the fall, taking care of a huge garden and at the same time making sure the boys got educated and didn’t get into too much trouble.
When Scott showed an interest in rodeo, Gail along with Larry Schaber started the Battle River High School Rodeo Assoc. and served as an adult leader for many years. Gail had a lot of fun traveling with Scott on the High School Rodeo circuit and then later with both Scott and Kevin on the amateur and the pro circuit.
She served as coordinator of the Crestomere ECS for several years until the ECS was finally placed under the care of the education system She spent more than 10 years working with Dale Olson putting the Ponoka Stampede Rodeo program together.
In 2015 she was recognized as the UFA Community Ambassador awarded by the UFA Co-operative and the World Professional Chuckwagon Assoc.
Traveling to Mexico, Jamaica, Costa Rica, and Alaska were highlights of her later years.
Thank you to all for the prayers, visits, phone calls and all that went with it and a special thank you to Dr. Chan who has been with us for pretty close to eight years.
If desired donations may be made to Ponoka Home Care or the Dakota Cemetery Association.
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Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Gail Laurine Shantz Bresee May 11 1948 August 22 2022 (age 74)..
Décès pour la Ville: Wetaskiwin, Province: Alberta