Obituary of Christopher Bird

It is with great sadness we share that Christopher Ryan Bird, of St. Jean Baptiste, Manitoba passed away on October 8, 2024, surrounded by his family after a long battle with cancer. Chris was born on June 17, 1977, to Frank and Shirley Bird in Winnipeg, MB. In 2008 Chris met the love of his life, Jolene. In 2010 they brought their families together and moved to St. Jean to raise their 5 kids in the community they grew to love and call home. Chris always had a love of dirt bikes, ATV’s and fast cars so living in a small town was the perfect place for him to enjoy his hobbies. Chris lived life to the fullest and had so many passions that brought him endless joy. Watching his favorite team the Patriots play, going to Jets games, playing spongee with his friends, working out at the gym, building projects at home and the lake, ATVing, target shooting and most of all travelling with his wife, family and friends. Over the years he enjoyed many trips including Mexico, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Florida and especially Alaska where Chris and Jolene were married in 2012 and went back this past August with their best friends on what became the most memorable trip of their lives. In Chris’s final years the biggest joy in his life were his grandchildren and seeing all his kids grow into the amazing young adults they are. He was so proud of them and the families they are building and loved spending time with them creating memories they will carry with them forever. Chris took pride in sharing his knowledge and skills with the kids, whether it be fixing or building something, sharing his experiences to help guide them through life’s challenges or teaching them to close down the camper to make it easier for Mum. Chris’s greatest accomplishment in life was being a Dad and Grampa, he was so proud of all the kids and took every chance he got to brag about them to anyone who would listen. The simplest things like Sunday suppers and weekends in Eriksdale at the “lake” were so important to him and brought so much joy into such a hard time as he battled cancer. Chris grew up in Transcona and graduated from Murdock McKay High School in 1995. After graduating with a dual diploma in building construction he started his career with Shaw Cable where he stayed for 16 years before moving onto Acklands Grainger. Chris had an incredibly successful career in sales and took pride in teaching and mentoring his staff. Chris is survived by his wife Jolene, his children Kaitlyn (Alejandro), Carlee (Sabastian), Victoria, Garret (Kaitlyn), Lucas (Kat), his grandchildren Daisy (5), Sage (3), Violet (2), Oliver (10 mths) and the much-anticipated Olivia, his parents Frank and Shirley Bird, and sister Carolynn (Tony). He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, in-laws, cousins and close friends who all held a special place in his heart. Chris was predeceased in death by his grandparents Charlie Thompson, Peggy and Frank Bird and mother-in-law Robin Grabowski. A celebration of life and burial will be held on Saturday, October 12, 2024,at 2:00pm at Paroisse Cathédrale Saint. Jean Baptiste at 151 Caron Street, St. Jean Baptiste, followed by a reception at the St. Jean Centennial Hall, 203 Caron Street. The family deeply appreciates your support during this difficult time and asks that you donate in Chris’s memory to the Boundary Trails Health Centre Foundation – Cancer Care in lieu of flowers. We would also like to thank all of Chris’s health care team with a special thanks to Dr. Dhala, Dr. Goldenberg, Dr. Hurton and all the nurses, the palliative care team and support staff at Boundary Trails Cancer Care for their exceptional care and support through his six-year battle.