Obituaries

BRENT GEORGE BUCHHOLZ

Brent George was born with two holes in his heart. Throughout his 58 years he proceeded to steal the hearts of friends, family and even those he barely knew. Now those of us who loved
him, have been left with a hole in our hearts.

On October 11th of ’66, in Thompson, MB., Brent made our family complete. Vivian, David, Linda, Sylvia, Marla and Brent were the Buchholz Clan. George and Agnes were pioneers in the
parenting world of raising a child with an intellectual disability. Down Syndrome was still a mystery to the medical world. Brent’s diagnosis was not confirmed until he was many months
old and their advice was to institutionalize him. Our parents took a a different trajectory with their bundle of joy and for this reason the world has been a much brighter place.

Brent you are every nice word we can think of: Happy. Joyous. Loving. Patient. Accepting. Inspirational. Kind. Gentle. Special and Super Perfect! Over the years we thought we were
teaching you life skills when in fact you were teaching each of us how to live and how to love.

Childhood years up north were with filled family camping trips, fishing excursions, swimming water skiing and lots of outdoor play under the midnight sun. This alternated with
snowmobiling, skating, tobogganing and snow play, with many visits from Lady Aurora. Later, my parents built the family cottage at Setting Lake, where we proceeded to make more
memories for years to come.

Special Olympics began in Manitoba in 1981 and Brent was one of the first Olympians on the roster. He proudly won three Golds and a Silver in swimming that first year. This annual event
was a highlight for Brent, introducing him to more bear hugging friends. The organization rapidly evolved and soon there were many Special O chapters and weekly sporting events
throughout the province. Brent loved bowling, curling, downhill skiing, golfing and the Manitoba Marathon. He bowled his last game just ten days before he passed.

Music and dancing were Brent’s love languages and if you combined the two you better clear the dance floor. He never missed an opportunity to cha cha or sashay his way into a room. He
had no shortage of dance moves that made everyone want to laugh and dance along side. Sandy beaches in Jamaica and cobblestone in Cuba were also excellent dance venues.

Brent loved a good hair cut, a fine suit, colourful ties/scarves and some wild hats. He was the best dressed man whether he was in the Dr.’s office, the Folk Festival, on a boat, or chilling at
home.

Covid created barriers and isolation as we strived to keep Brent safe and well. He found an online dance community, DWP (Dancing with Parkinsons) that filled that void. Every morning
Brent dressed in his shirt and tie, grabbed a mug of coffee, set up his computer and signed in to the most amazing dance community across Canada! The Instructors and dancers embraced
Brent calling him their shining light. They allowed him a platform to not only share his dance skills but his music and movie trivia as well. Brent danced his last dance from his hospital bed
this week. The DWP community dedicated the class to him, played his favourite tunes and wore ties in his honour! It was a beautiful outpouring of pure love.

Brent lived in one of St. Amant’s group homes for the past 14 years. This was Brent’s“Amersham family”. Matthew, his Amersham brother, was there from day one and they shared
special bond with lots of laughs. The St. Amant staff are very special humans that dedicate their lives to making this world a better place for all the “Brents”. We are most grateful for their tender care and eternal patience.

In the early hours of January 30th Brent peacefully passed. He leaves a large family and a huge group of friends to carry on his life’s mission of making others happy.

The dance floor upstairs just got a little more crowded. Brent’s dance card is full as Mom and Dad welcome him home.

Celebration of Life to be held at a later date.

Donations on Brent’s behalf may be made to Special Olympics or St. Amant.