It is with great sadness that we share the news of Michael’s passing on August 5, 2021 at the age of 73.
Mike/Dad/Grampa will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Although his time with us was much shorter than any of us would have liked, we are so very grateful for the time spent with this wonderful man. When talking about Mike with others who knew him, one personality trait that comes up consistently is his easy-going nature. He had a way of going with the flow that made everyone around him feel welcome and at ease. He adapted to changes in his life without question and made the best of whatever life handed to him. Even following his recent cancer diagnosis, he approached the news with curiosity and acceptance, followed by a deep appreciation for time spent with family.
Mike grew up in Norwood Flats where he developed a lifelong love of basketball, which he played late into his late 50’s. He attended Nordale School and Nelson McIntyre Collegiate, followed by the University of Manitoba. He then went on to have a 30 year career at Manitoba Hydro, from which he retired in 2011.
Intellectual curiosity has been a consistent theme throughout Mike’s life. He exemplified a love of learning that was rare and admirable. This drive (and sometimes preoccupation) to learn new things and to “figure it out” inspired many impressive DIY projects over the years. It has also been the source of his lifelong interest in science and mathematics, his early adoption of technology and the Amiga computer, and most recently his interest in Bridge. He was an avid Bridge enthusiast throughout his adult life, playing during lunch hours at work, socially with friends and family, and at the club level. He was proud to have attained the rank of ACBL Life Master in 2018.
Even though Dad didn’t always have the words, his unconditional love for both of his daughters (and later grandchildren) was felt until the very end. He never showed his daughters any judgement, and went out of his way to instead show encouragement. He came out to all of their sports events and concerts in highschool and all of the music and arts events later in life. Despite both of his daughters insisting that university convocation “wasn’t really that big of a deal”, he made his attendance a priority, even buying plane tickets to show his support. Dad was also forever practical. If you needed help with anything physical he’d be there without question. However, he didn’t often know what to do with discussions surrounding problems that didn’t require “fixing”. Being the quirky and endearingly awkward person that he was, big life announcements (i.e. getting engaged or expecting a child) were often met by a high five or enthusiastic “good job!”. Even though he gave the impression that he didn’t know how to be sentimental, every once in a while a profoundly thoughtful and loving statement would come out, catching the recipient off guard and melting them into a puddle. His daughters are so grateful to have had a dad who wasn’t scared to talk about feelings. (Love you too, Dad. We always will).
In 2007, Mike met Donnie and they started building a life together soon after. Realizing they had many shared interests, the relationship moved ahead, even though over the years they determined that Donnie was not interested in the high level of bridge Mike wanted her to play at, and that Mike hated kayaking. Dancing was OK, as long as he didn’t have to learn ballroom dancing. New common interests developed such as working on the Saturday New York Times crossword puzzle together, taking long road trips, enjoying live music and volunteering at Folk Fest. Donnie‘s children and their partners always felt welcomed and grew to love him for his easy-going nature. He was “Mike” to Donnie’s granddaughter Helga. He cheered her on at hockey games and made camping trips in the trailer possible. He was delighted to meet each of his grandchildren (Elijah, Fiona, Arcadia and Eleanor) as infants and to spend time with them when it was possible. He was fascinated with how they were developing unique personalities. The recent backyard visit with all of them present meant so much to him after the long separation due to COVID-19. Mike and Donnie were married July 8, 2021, a beautiful punctuation mark of the all too brief time they had together.
Mike was predeceased by his parents Marian and George Gillis. He will be lovingly remembered by his wife Donnie (Donalda) Fridfinnson, his daughter Phoenix (Peter Schnabl) and grandchildren Elijah and Arcadia, his daughter Veronica (Garrett Samm) and grandchildren Fiona and Eleanor, and his daughters’ mother, Marianne Gillis. Also by his brother Wayne (Sharon Nitschke) and nieces Grace and Kathryn, and his brother Greg (Margaret Redmond) and nieces Meagan and Jillian. He will be missed terribly by Donnie’s daughter Davian (Brock) and granddaughter Helga, son Jeffry (Erin), son Stefan (Caleigh) and daughter Freyja (Dan).
A celebration of Mike’s life will be held at a later date.
If you are interested in attending, please sign up for notifications using the link below. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations in Mike’s memory to Cancer Care Manitoba or to the charity of your choice.
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Michael Gillis Thursday August 5th 2021..
Death notice for the town of: Winnipeg, Province: Manitoba