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Obituary of Eugene Kenneth Semenzin
On Tuesday, August 26th, 2025, we said goodbye to Eugene Kenneth Semenzin. Known to everyone as Gene, he was a beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather, and uncle.
Born May 2nd, 1943, in Coleman, Alberta to Lily and Secondo Semenzin. The family moved to Kimberley, BC in 1953 where Gene graduated from Selkirk Secondary in 1961. He headed out to Calgary shortly afterwards, where he attended SAIT and started working in various mechanical services. On a fateful day in 1966, on the bus ride down from Sunshine Village after a day on the slopes, he met a young beauty named Sherry Moody. By Christmas of that year, the couple were engaged. For the next 9 years they had many adventures with family and friends around Calgary and in the Okanagan.
In 1975, they welcomed their first child, Daneen. Gene didn’t want to raise a family in the big city so he took a job with Cominco at the Sullivan mine in Kimberley, where he would remain until retiring in 2001. Soon after the move, their son Michael was born in 1976.
For the next 40 years, the adventures continued until Sherry sadly passed away in 2016 after a lengthy battle with cancer, during which time, Gene never left her side. 9 years later, Gene fought his own brave, but ultimately unsuccessful, battle with cancer. He opted for MAID with the full support of the family as it became clear that he would not be able to return home to the acreage he loved. He wished to thank all the doctors and nurses at both the Cranbrook and Kelowna hospitals. A special thank you to Dr. Kate Buddo as well as NP Kayla and Nurse ‘Mo’ for their care and compassion in making the MAID process as fast and as easy as possible.
In his later years, Gene would mention that he always checked the obituaries just to see if he was in there. Now you can stop looking, Dad. He also spoke of finally being able to dance with Sherry again after 9 long years apart.
He is survived by his children, Daneen and Mike; grandchildren Kole, Avery, Payton, Quinn, and Beckett; brothers Rick (Cheryl) and Gary (Audrey); sister Wilma; in laws Wendy and Frank; plus numerous nieces and nephews.
An Open House / Celebration of Life will be held at Gene’s property in Meadowbrook on Saturday, September 27, 2025, starting around 1pm.
