For Posterity's Sake         

A Royal Canadian Navy Historical Project

In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar 

SHOEMAKER, James (Jim) - It is with heavy hearts we wish to announce the sudden passing of our husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle, Jim Shoemaker. Jim leaves to cherish his memory his wife of 51 years, Donna Shoemaker (Goethe); children: Christine Parfeniuk (Garth), Mark Shoemaker (Julie) and Laura Koster (Jamie); grandchildren: Casey, Jenna, Joel, Kyle, Talon and Kendall. Also remaining to remember him are sisters: Valerie (Victor) Nissan of Courtenay, BC, Brenda (Bob) Fiddler of Somerset, MB and Monica (Ken) Flamond of Brandon, MB; brothers: Darryl Shoemaker of Medicine Hat, AB, Kevin Shoemaker (Cindy Burkett) of Winnipeg, MB, and brother-in-law Ronald Goethe of Brandon, MB, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Jim was predeceased by his parents, Fred and Effie Shoemaker, infant brother Mark, sister-in-law Jeannie Goethe, as well as his sister-in-law Rhonda Shoemaker who passed within hours of his passing. Jim grew up in Elkhorn MB, the oldest child of Fred and Effie. He left Elkhorn in 1965 to join the Royal Canadian Navy in Halifax, NS. On September 21, 1967 he married the love of his life, Donna, and they spent another three years in Halifax (where their daughter Christine was born). In 1970 Jim and Donna moved to Winnipeg (where their son Mark was born). In 1972 they then returned home to Elkhorn where they farmed until 1987. Their daughter Laura was born in Virden in 1978. Jim also worked on the oil rigs while farming. In 1987 Jim and Donna made the decision to move to Steinbach where Jim was employed with Friesen Driller's until his retirement in 2011. Along with Donna, he was a fixture at all of the grandchildren's activities, some of which took them as far as Germany, numerous cities throughout the mid-western United States and across Canada. He enjoyed his gardening in the summers, various model projects, tinkering around with many odds and ends and attending Winnipeg Jets games. His favourite pastime may have been teasing and fooling around with his grandchildren. Winters were spent travelling to hot destinations and for the last few years he and Donna enjoyed their winters in Florida. Cremation has taken place, and a private family gathering will be held at Woodville Cemetery. A Celebration of Life will be held at the Elkhorn Legion on Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 2:00 p.m., followed by a luncheon. (Winnipeg Free Press 10 Apr 2019)