Deschouwer a tireless champion of sport

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This article was published 21/01/2019 (2796 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Wayne Deschouwer was a man who liked to talk on the phone — and as a tireless volunteer and builder within Manitoba’s hockey and baseball communities; he had a lot of people to talk to. 

Deschouwer served as general manager and then president of the Charleswood Hawks from 1994 until his passing on Oct. 1, 2018. He was 63.

“I would talk to Wayne on the phone every day, sometimes it was about hockey, sometimes it was just for some friendly banter,” said Stephen George, a former coach with the Hawks who has taken on the monumental task of following in Deschouwer’s footsteps as president. 

“I’m trying to do the best I can to keep everything maintained the way that Wayne used to do it.” 

The Hawks won 12 Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League Championships with 

Deschouwer at the helm, but his impact went well beyond the banners hanging in the Eric Coy Arena. 

Deschouwer was born in Holland, Man., and grew up in Mariapolis — a community of just 100 people in south central Manitoba. Growing up in a small town with a father who was actively involved in the community helped instil a love of sports and volunteering early on.

His philosophy about volunteering was illustrated during a memorable phone call with his brother Dale. 

“When my daughter first started playing ringette and, as all parents, I phoned Wayne and was complaining about the coaching and all of a sudden I heard a click,” Dale said. 

When Dale called back to find out why he had been hung up on, Deschouwer explained that “If you don’t want to get 

involved and help out with the team you have no right to complain.”

“I’ve been involved in sports, helping and organizing, ever since,” Dale said, laughing. 

Deschouwer met his wife of 40 years, 

Clémence, while attending high school in Notre Dame de Lourdes. They married in 1978 and settled in Gladstone where they raised three children. When the couple decided to move to Charleswood in 1994, finding a team to volunteer with was his main concern — more important, it seemed, than finding a house to live in. 

“He got on the (Hawks) before he even had a house purchased, that was his priority,” Deschouwer’s son Marc said.

Hawks senior advisor Larry Ring recalls his interview for the general manager position fondly. 

“He was so enthusiastic that we had a great deal of difficulty getting him to exit the interview room,” Ring said. “Once he did exit we all quickly agreed that he was the man for the job, and boy were we ever right.”

Deschouwer’s leadership skills made him a natural role model for others in the organization, including Hawks head coach Kyle Nixon.

“Wayne has had a really big impact on my life,” Nixon said. “Where I’m at right now I definitely owe a lot to him and his trust in me and his support in helping me grow as a coach and a leader.”

At the time of his death, Deschouwer was also president of the Tiger Hills and the Southeast Hockey Leagues and was heavily involved in the province’s softball community during the summers. He served as an umpire for more than 45 years and has twice been inducted into the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame. 

Stephen George’s father Reg is vice-president of the Hawks and was a close friend of Deschouwer’s. 

“We both umpired so we spent winters and summers together,” Reg said, adding that the two friends became known as the “dream team” in the umpiring community.

Reg describes Deschouwer as a generous friend to everyone who “lived a great life and did all the things he wanted to do.” 

“He’d give me the shirt off his back if I asked for it… he always wanted it back though,” Reg said laughing.

Clémence said her husband had an easy way with people and they would run into people he knew wherever they went.

“Anyone who met him instantly liked him because he acknowledges people, it doesn’t matter how old they are, especially if they’re involved in sports,” she said. “He was a jokester, he just made you feel comfortable — I heard that quite often.”

Since his passing, the organizations Deschouwer was involved with have paid tribute to his legacy in a variety of ways — something Clémence says would be at odds to her husband’s humble nature.

“He never wanted any kind of recognition; he never bragged about anything, it was amazing,” she said.

Awards have been named in his honour and a section of Oakdale Drive is set to be honorarily renamed Wayne Deschouwer Way.

“Those accomplishments are his impact and it’s a great honour for us that he’s going to be remembered in the community for his legacy,” his son Marc said.

The Charleswood Hawks will be raising a banner in celebration of Deschouwer’s life on Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. at Eric Coy Arena.