DR. JOE MEEK

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DR. JOE MEEK

It is with profound sadness that we announce the sudden and unexpected passing of our deeply loved father, Papa, brother-in-law, uncle and trusted friend on March 30, 2026 at the age of 88. It is the end of an era for our beloved "Doc". A man who was the epitome of honour, kindness and a true gentleman.

Left to mourn is daughter Stacey (Vic), grandson Hudson, granddaughter Jessica (Steven), granddaughter Sydney (Seth), great-granddaughter Everly, sister-in-law Cindy, sister-in-law Linda (Dick) and nieces, Debbie, Wendy, Keely and their families along with Melissa who he considered like a second daughter.

Joe was predeceased by his wife Diane in 2002 and son Jeff in 2025.

He was born on September 4, 1937 in Cannington, Ontario to Sidney and Audrey Meek where he spent most of his childhood. A couple of years were spent living in Thunder Bay and Toronto but the family, including brother Ken, returned to Cannington.

From a young age he was an extraordinary athlete excelling in track, baseball, hockey and football. He prided himself with his athleticism. Along with great success in sports also brought his competitive spirit.

He came from an impoverished childhood and at times lived with barely a roof over their heads. He realized early in life about the importance of hard work and even had small jobs from the age of 5 to help bring in a little money for his family. His resilience to survive was instilled in him for life.

Summer jobs in Ontario included working construction, delivering ice cream for Silverwood Dairy, raising chickens and working for Ontario Hydro.

He worked some of those very jobs to save enough money to put himself through school and graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 1964 with his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. In university he played both hockey and football which was unheard of at the time all while studying for his degree.

After a chance meeting with Diane, originally from Domain, Manitoba, who was working as a flight attendant in Toronto, he decided to move west to Manitoba to start his practice in Arborg.

Together they worked as a team providing around the clock services for both small and large animals in the Interlake area. Pay was received at times in the form of chickens when farmers had no money but that didn’t matter to Joe as long as he could help.

After a few years in Arborg they moved to Winnipeg where Joe opened the McPhillips Animal Hospital. Realizing that he missed working with large animals he took a job as the Commission Veterinarian with The Manitoba Horse Racing Commission at the Assiniboia Downs and stayed for 53 years.

During this time he also worked full time as the Chief Field Veterinarian for the province for over 20 years, was a member of the Manitoba Veterinary Board and was a key influence in the PMU Industry. He also worked as the on staff vet at Weiller & Williams at the Winnipeg Livestock Auction Mart.

Interested in the idea of flying Joe pursued his pilot’s licence in 1975 and to this day still keeps that same licence in his wallet.

He retired from the Assiniboia Downs at the age of 85. Retirement was very difficult for a man who only knew about hard physical work. An issue with vestibular loss forced this decision because we know that otherwise he would have been getting ready for another race season.

Joe had a kind and gentle spirit. He was quick witted. A man of his word with a generous spirit and a love for rural Manitoba. He loved all animals and was thankful for many years to have cattle of his own throughout Manitoba. He was an avid sports fan, incredibly handy and took great pride in taking care of the things around him.

He lived a very full life far too filled to summarize. He knew that the importance of life was not in what you had but rather who you had. Thank you Dad, for being an amazing role model and demonstrating what it means to be a good person.

The family wishes to acknowledge special friend Charlie. His daily Tim Horton’s tea buddy. Thank you for your amazing friendship with Joe especially over these last few years.

A Celebration of Life will take place on Monday, June 15, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. at the Assiniboia Downs.

Tributes: www.ethicaldeathcare.com

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Apr 11, 2026