Obituary of Peter Hideo Onagi

Surrounded by family, Peter Hideo Onagi passed away peacefully at Concordia Hospital on March 24, 2023 following a short period of declining health. Dad was 93 years old. Dad was born on July 20, 1929, in Haney (now Maple Ridge), British Columbia. In 1942 at the age of 13, along with other Japanese-Canadian families living in the province, Dad and his family were forcibly relocated from British Columbia to St. Pierre where they worked on a sugar beet farm. It was during these years, Dad developed his strong work ethic and dedication to family. After the war, the family moved to Winnipeg where Dad met and later married our Mom, Patricia, in 1953. Dad had a lifelong passion for cars and was a skilled body man and painter, working in the auto body industry for most of his career. In the early 50’s, he built a stock car and enjoyed success racing it at Whittier Park Speedway in St. Boniface. After years of working in, managing and owning body shops, he joined Autopac in the mid 70’s as an estimator. Dad’s vast experience in the auto repair industry paid off when he literally wrote the book on Quality Control for MPI and became an Inspector until his retirement at age 65. Dad’s other great passion in life was travel. While still working, the family took annual three-week long summer road trips, undertaken by the family car pulling a succession of trailers of increasing size, ending with a motorhome. The family covered most of Canada and the lower 48 states over the years. In addition to his parents, Dad was predeceased by our Mom Patricia and siblings Aster, Harry, Allan and Ruby. He is survived by his daughter Jody; son Dwayne (Margaret); grandson Tanner (Dad’s beloved “Junior” to his “Senior”); his “kid brother” Harold (Nancy); and many nieces, nephews and friends. The family would like to thank Dr. Marie Ewonchuk and Marietta for their extraordinary care and concern for Dad in his later years. We would also like to thank all the family who spent time with Dad prior to his passing and reminded him he was well loved. A private celebration of Dad’s life will be held at a later date.