Daniel Joseph Marcel René Gaboury passed away peacefully in his sleep on April 6, 2026, at the age of 64.
He is lovingly remembered by his wife of 33 years, Kathy (Wudel).
He is survived by his biological family: sisters France and Christiane, and sister-in-law Martine (Mario). Predeceased by his biological parents Gisele Hébert and René Gaboury, and brother Mario.
Daniel leaves behind his beloved foster family: sisters Ghislaine and Marielle (Roger) Leclair, in-laws Marguerite Viens and Yves Messier. Predeceased by parents Isola Grandmont and Marcel Leclair, siblings René, Sylvio and Murielle Leclair, and brother-in-law Gaétan Lamoureux.
He will also be missed by Kathy’s family: sister Sandra (Kevin Schole) and brother Grant (Britt) Wudel, numerous nieces and nephews and their families, god-daughter Juliana Gagné, and many friends.
Daniel was born on Aug. 12, 1961 in Drummondville, Que. He grew up on the Leclair farm in Saint-Germain-de-Grantham. His passion for harness racing began in his youth and led to many years of training Standardbred horses in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.
When not self-employed with the horses, he had various careers: falling trees, butcher, heavy equipment operator (mostly road construction), truck driver, crane operator for CN, and track maintenance for Woodbine Entertainment (both Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds). He held his Class 1 driver’s licence in five provinces. The courage Daniel showed as a young man moving to the west despite knowing very little English, continued as he and Kathy moved frequently in Canada. They lived in Edson, Ellerslie and Falun in Alberta, Surrey, Langley and Fort Nelson in B.C., Churchill in Manitoba, and Campbellville/Waterdown and Ottawa/Gatineau in Ontario.
Cremation has taken place with private burial in the future at Heimtal Moravian Cemetery (Kathy’s home church). A Celebration of Life will take place in the summer or early fall. Details will be announced at a later date on the Serenity Funeral Service, Wetaskiwin website on serenity.ca.
Donations in his honour may be made to the Food Bank or Stars Air Ambulance.
Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Daniel Gaboury.