Peter DeBona

1940 - 2023

Peter John DeBona, passed away peacefully in his sleep in Provost on Tuesday, July 25, 2023 at the age of 82 years.

A private Funeral Service was held at Southland Funeral Chapel on Monday, July 31, 2023.

Peter is survived by his eldest daughter Kerry Sonnenberg of Leduc, along with her sisters Brenda and Audrey of Drumheller; grandchildren Dustin Sonnenberg and Jocelyn Sonnenberg, and great granddaughter Abigail Sonnenberg all of Leduc; sister-in-law Pat DeBona of Taber, uncle John (Diane) Sekura of Innisfail as well as numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents Tresa and Peter DeBona and three brothers Tom (Mary) DeBona, John DeBona and Joey DeBona and sister-in-law Mary DeBona.

Peter was born in Lethbridge on November 27, 1940 to Tresa and Peter DeBona, the eldest of four boys. He grew up in Taber, spending the majority of his life on the farm, but not always on his own farm. About forty years ago, he began working on the Varty family farm in the Provost/Edgerton, Alberta area becoming a special member of their family.

Peter’s favourite pastimes were watching Canadian football and hockey. He loved to throw the football around with his grandson. If you ever called him on a Saturday night he’d be watching “the hockey game”. He would take the time to chat, all the while watching the game and giving frequent updates about it during the phone conversation.

Playing crib was a must in Peter’s free time, he was a superb crib player, though very modest about it. He never missed out a road trip, liking it best if someone else would do the driving so he could gaze at the countryside and assess the progress of the crops. A true farmer at heart, cattle and crops were quite often a topic of conversation. A couple other main interests Peter had were his love of food, especially pumpkin pie with any homemade meal, tiger ice cream (the messier the better), watching the news, reading everything he could get his hands on, pronouncing words backwards - a talent he passed on to his grandchildren. He also enjoyed any general conversation and was happy to tackle any topic. His lifestyle was very down to earth and his family was the most important part of his life.

If friends so desire, memorial tributes in Peter’s name may be made directly to the charity of one’s personal choice.

Peter’s family would like to offer a special thank you to the staff at Provost Health Center and the Varty family for the fantastic care and kindness offered to Peter.

At the end of every conversation, Peter would say, “See ya down the trail...”.