Mr. Speaker, on May 28th, 2022, David Roger Gargan, passed away at the aged 71 years old. David is survived by his wife Jean, his daughter Renanne, two sons Joseph and Jay, his five grandchildren, two brothers and three sisters, as well as numerous great grandchildren, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
David grew up in Jean Marie River and Fort Simpson. In his younger days, he enjoyed being on the land with his parents and siblings. Besides the traditional way of living, he loved to play sports, especially hockey. This is how I had the opportunity to meet him in 1992, as part of the Rangers hockey team. He was always early for the games and was chatting up the team getting us ready to play whoever. As I got to know him, he was always talking about how much he enjoyed playing with his brother Alex. They were dynamite together. Always knowing what the other person was going to do.
Mr. Speaker, as much as he enjoyed playing hockey, his true love and passion was his wife Jean. She was his high school sweetheart. After every game, he would quickly get dressed and head out. One day we asked what the rush was, and he said that he had to get home so he could spend quality time with his better half. When we asked Alex was David always like this, he said yes, especially when it came to his wife and children. Later, his love and passion was expanded to include his grandchildren and great grandchildren.
David was a hardworking person who enjoyed all aspect of work he did. He took pride in getting things done right the first time. If he needed help, he would ask. I can tell you he was always respected by his coworkers and bosses. He worked hard to get things done in a timely manner.
David was well known for his humour. He enjoyed telling stories and he had a long list of stories. I can tell you, there were many times when we lost track of time because of these stories. On top of his humour, there is one thing that stood out was David's generosity. If he was able to part with something, he would do it. Like the old saying, he would give the shirt off his back; this was David. I can tell you that he had a lot of friends all over the North and will be sadly missed by many.
The Lafferty and Gargan family would like to extend their gratitude and appreciation to all those who come to pay their respects to David. Mashi for showing him support, love and compassion. The family are grateful for everyone's kindness, prayers, and words of comfort and support during this difficult time. Mr. Speaker, he will be sadly miss by us all.
