Grant Russell Peden

It is with great sadness we share the passing of Grant Russell Peden on June 18th, 2026 in Athabasca AB.  

Grant was born in Maymont, Saskatchewan on a family farm where he learnt the values of hard work and helping your neighbours.  After graduating high school and a short stint operating equipment at the Diefenbaker Dam, Grant jumped at the opportunity to work at his cousin’s farm in Alberta. He cherished the next decade of working on the Hamilton farm, which included being a big brother to their 4 kids, Jaime, Wendy, Gavin and Rob. He had a considerable talent for fixing machinery and pursued his trade certificate for mechanics. Grant then joined a paving spread as their mechanic travelling around Alberta. This is where he met his wife of 46 years. Working road construction ignited Grant’s desire for adventure. This would continue to the gold mines in the NWT keeping the ice roads open, oil fields in Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union and the heat of Africa in Sudan.  

When he wasn’t globetrotting for work, Grant enjoyed lake life at Baptiste Lake with his family. Endlessly pulling kids waterskiing wake boarding and tubing or long snowmobile rides in the winter. However, his Saskatchewan farming roots got the better of him and he found the need to buy some land and start a tree farm. This satisfied his downtime from work and gave him the excuse to buy old equipment to fix. All these experiences gave him a library of stories.   

One of Grant’s greatest gifts was storytelling.  He loved to relay his adventures of working on the ice roads, the oil fields of Sudan and Russia and tree farming. 

In his retirement years Grant’s joy was watching the grandkids grow up; playing in the lake in the summer, snowmobiling in the winter. He cheered for them at many soccer, ringette games and ski competitions. He loved nothing more than an afternoon in the shop teaching the grandkids how to use his tools. Grant held an open-door policy at his shop where he held “safety meetings” to discuss anything from mechanical issues to solving the world’s problems. He also spent his time restoring old tractors and was proud to display them on Baptiste Drive where he would visit with anyone who stopped.  He was a member of the Westlock Vintage Tractor & Machinery Club and could be seen at the Annual Tractor Show on his quad directing all the entries.  

Grant will be remembered by his loving family. His Wife Cammy, Sons Russell (Ashley), Wade (Kailey), grandchildren Brielle, Kye, Sage, Indy, and Wren.  Along with sister's-in-law Leona, Belinda, Susan, Donnie and brother-in-law Wes, cousins, nieces and nephews. Grant is predeceased by his parents Mary and Edwin, Brother Ron, Sister Kathleen, and nieces Rhonda and Lesley.  

Grant will be cherished for his positive outlook, hard work ethic, his sense of humour and his ability to accept people for who they were. He lived a full life, loved by many, and loving those who he held close to his heart.  In lieu of flowers, honour Grant’s memory spending time with those you love telling stories about your adventures.  Or, consider a charitable donation to the Westlock Vintage Tractor & Machinery Club.  Cheques can be sent to PO Box 5414, Westlock, T7P 2P6.

A Celebration of Life will be held July 17 2026 at 1:00 p.m.at the Athabasca & District Senior Citizens Society,    4810- 48th Street,  Athabasca .

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