Date of Death: October 21, 2023
Gerry Gartner (83) of Ottawa, ON, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
Gerry was born in Indian Head, SK to Joseph and Emelia Gartner. He attended school in Peebles and Oxbow, then the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon where he earned a Bachelor degree in Science in Agriculture and a Masters in Agricultural Economics. 1968 took him to the University of Wisconsin where he earned a PhD in Agricultural Economics and Marketing. He dedicated his 60-year career to public service, including serving as Deputy Minister of Agriculture under the Blakeney administration and in Manitoba. He held executive positions with Canadian Egg Marketing Agency, Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Saskatchewan Milk Control Board and the Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick. He led projects in Bangladesh, Guyana and the Eastern Caribbean. His public service experience is preserved in his memoirs which are published in The Innovation Journal.
Gerry’s athletic career included pitching for a provincial championship baseball team which was inducted in the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and marathon running.
Gerry is survived by his wife, Val Gartner; his sisters Loretta Tuchscherer (Josef) and Joyce Angelski (Wally); his daughters Terri Gartner (Brad) and Kelly Wharton (Gary); grandsons Damon Lestage (Brittany) and Liam Wharton; great-granddaughters Dollshay and Nadia; and many beloved nieces, nephews, colleagues, neighbours and friends.
A memorial will be held in the spring in Saskatchewan.
