Mervin Newinger

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the sudden passing of Mervin Newinger, beloved husband of Sheila Newinger, Dad to us, and Poppy to the grandkids that adored him.

Dad grew up in Warner, Alberta and moved in to Lethbridge with his parents and siblings when he was in junior high. He attended LCI and after a brief stint in Yorkton, moved back to Lethbridge where he met mom while working at Agnew shoes in the mall. It took ages for him to finally get the nerve to talk to her as she worked Peoples Jewellers, but we are so grateful he did. They were married September 20th, 1980 and welcomed Nicole (Ryan Phillips) in 1985 and Ross (Charm Ladao) in 1987. Mom always called dad “her rock” — quiet, humble, and strong. The adoration he held for her was a once in a lifetime type of love.

He lost his own dad, Merv Senior, when he was young, his mom, Trudy, in 2010, his sister, Deb, in 2015 and brother, Ken, in 2018. He is survived by his sisters, Pat LaValley and Cathy DeVrye. 

His grandkids were the light of his life and he was blessed with 5: Joven, Mila, Amara, Hugo and Otto. 

Dad worked hard and took any job he needed to provide for his family. Most recently, he was employed as plant manager at Sakai Spice where he made close friends and found satisfaction in a job done right.

He was a reader and worked his way through mountains of books. If he could learn about it in a book, he could do it. He could fix just about anything mechanical and spent a lot of time puttering in his garage and around the acreage they called home for 36 years. 

Dad enjoyed camping, fishing and motorcycles. He got his license to drive a moped when he was 14 and that started a long history of motorbikes and the adventures that went with them. Some of dad’s best stories were of him and his brother Ken on bike trips. They had many adventures and according to him, never started a bar fight but always finished them. 

He loved to travel with family to Montana, Writing-On-Stone, And Fairmont, BC. In more recent years he and mom ventured to Cuba where you could find him in the shade with a book and a rum punch. 

Dad was a quiet person but had a quick wit reserved for those he knew best. He never cared about impressing anyone or what other people thought of him. Instead, he put his head down and lived by example of kindness, hard work, and dedication to his family and friends. 

At dad’s request, there will be no service. If you knew him, you know he never wanted anyone to make a fuss. But if you enjoy a good book, a cold beer, or a hot tub and spare a thought to him, he would have appreciated that. For those who wish, memorial donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada at http://www.heartandstroke.ca