Wayne Gordon McKenzie

Wayne Gordon McKenzie 

May 6th, 1939 – Feb. 9th, 2026 

Wayne passed away peacefully on the family farm near Nesbitt, MB on Monday, Feb 9th, at the age of 86. Wayne will be remembered as a wonderful family man and horseman by all that knew him. 

Wayne leaves to mourn his passing his loving wife Wanda (nee Wight); four children, Alan (Shannon), Tanya (Don) Granger, Terry McKenzie (Bill Park), and Michael (Laura), son-in-law Marcel Lanoie, all of the Nesbitt area; and eight grandchildren, Zac, Adi, Dylan, Kaitlyn, Adrian, Eden, Logan & Connor. 

He is also survived by a brother Bill McKenzie of Grandview, SK, sisters Ruth Bell of Singhampton, ON, Emma Wiens of B.C. as well as numerous extended relatives & friends. 

Wayne was predeceased by his daughter Tammy McKenzie (2025), parents Robert & Annie McKenzie, brothers Murray, Don, Lorne, Chuck and Archie and by a sister Anna Mae McKenzie. 

Wayne was born to Robert and Annie McKenzie in Brandon, MB in 1939. He was the third youngest of ten and grew up around the Nesbitt area. In 1947, Robert and Annie moved their family to what is now the family farm, where Wayne spent most of the rest of his life. He spent many hours training horses and working with other livestock.  He, his brothers and friends loved riding their horses down in the wildlife whenever they weren't working. He also enjoyed competing in horse shows and other horse competitions. 

In 1973, he married Wanda Wight and they started their family. Wayne and Wanda shared their love of horses and the outdoors with their five children, Alan, Tanya, Tammy, Terry and Mike.  They spent many hours working with and riding their horses.  Wayne and Wanda founded Hedgeville Arabians and have been raising  Arabian horses for 50 years. As a family, they competed in competitive and endurance trail riding. Wayne was instrumental in starting the Ghost Riders 4-H club and enjoyed sharing his knowledge of horses as a leader with many young horse enthusiasts. He competed in two competitive trail riding national championships, once in 1990 and again in 2003, with his family.  

Wayne trained and rode many horses over the years.  His favorites by far were Tara and Chance.  He spent many hours and covered thousands of miles making, cleaning, and marking trails in the wildlife for everyone to enjoy.  In prep for the 1990 championships that were held in the Souris Bend Wildlife Area, he even used a 200 -foot rope to measure the trail on horseback to make sure that it was the correct length.  

Wayne spent many hours working the fields of the farm and loved being a farmer and passed this love onto his children and grandchildren.  When he started farming, it was with horse-drawn equipment, and by the time he retired, it was with tractors and combines.  Even as things modernized, he still enjoyed riding and driving his horses. 

Wayne always found time to spend with his family, whether it was horseback riding, cleaning the snow off the dugout to make a skating rink for the kids, going for one of many canoe trips down the river, going to ball practice or just going for walks down the road to look at the stars.   

A Graveside Service will be held on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 2:00 pm at the Margaret Cemetery, with a reception to follow at the Nesbitt Community Hall. 

Memorial donations can be made in Wayne’s memory to the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, Unit 4B, 457-9th St., Brandon, MB, R7A 1K2. 

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