Obituary of Brian Victor Acton

Brian Victor Acton, more commonly known as “Barney”, was born July 26, 1963 in Unity, Saskatchewan to Lorne and Irene Acton. He was the oldest of four boys; Jim, Alan, & Murray. In 1985 he married his high school sweetheart and wife of 36 years, Heather, or Fezzy as he liked to call her. During that time, they raised three boys, Jeremy, Jordan, and Garrett. After high school, Barney moved to Saskatoon where he studied Farm Machinery Mechanics and graduated in 1983. He then moved back to Unity where he had a brief stint at John Deere before taking his skills to Unity Farm Power in 1985 where he stayed for 13 years, eventually working his way up to Service Manager. During those 13 years he amassed hundreds of relationships that turned into lifelong friendships, one of which was a chance encounter with Brian Carter that seen him moving to Provost to try his hand in the oil patch. It didn’t take long before Barney moved the rest of the family west, where he bought his first hydrovac. This took him all over Saskatchewan and Alberta where he made endless friends and memories. For the last few years, he could be found working for Big Rack Vac out of Coleville, Saskatchewan. Barney was a “give you the shirt off his back” type of guy who helped friends and family with anything and everything they needed. He was a social butterfly and loved spending time with his friends and his family any chance he got. Throughout his years he coached many hockey games, helping with power skating along the way. He was a hunter, a fisherman, but his most coveted hobby was spending time at his and Heather’s lake lot in Brightsands. Barney accomplished many things in his lifetime, but nothing made him more proud than becoming a grandpa on January 8, 2020 to his grandson Axel Lorne Acton. In his final days he talked often about retiring so he could spend time with his grandson and soon to arrive grandchild that Jordan and Anya are expecting any day. Sadly and unexpectedly, Brian passed away on Saturday, April 30, 2022 at the Provost Health Centre at the age of 58 years. Brian is survived by his wife Heather and their children Jeremy of Red Deer, Jordan (Anya) of Edmonton, Garrett (Kailey) of Provost, and grandson Axel; parents, Lorne & Irene; brothers, Jim (Melissa), Alan (Suzun) & Murray (Shelly); as well as numerous other relatives and friends. He is predeceased by his infant grandson, Jackson; in-laws, Joan and Leonard McCubbing. A funeral service for Barney will be held on Monday, May 9, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. at the Provost Recreation & Cultural Centre. A time of fellowship and refreshments in Barney’s honour will follow. For those unable to attend in person, the funeral will be live streamed through the Gregory’s Funeral Home Inc. website – www.gregorysfuneralhomes.com For those who would like to offer a gesture of kindness, in lieu of flowers, donations are being gratefully accepted to the Provost Fire Department ~ Victim’s Assistance Fund.