Graham Fast

To watch the recording of the service, click this link:

https://video.ibm.com/embed/recorded/134473363

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our husband and father, Graham Bradley Fast, on August 5th, 2025. He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 37 years, Joanne; and his children, Hayden, Quintan (Jaira) and Meeka (Brett). He is survived by his parents, Joan and Lindsay Fast; his sister, Sharon (Harish), and their children, Sanjay (Elizabeth) and Kamla; and great niece Ada; his brother, Shaun (Chantel) and their children, Monique (Arden) and Lucie; his mother in law, Diane Duret; his brothers in law: Don (Terri) and their children, Beth and Lena; Marc (Eriko) and their children, Taichi and Suzu; and Mario (Kim) and their children, Amélie and Alex; numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. Graham was predeceased by his daughter, Naomi Helen; his father in law, Laurent Duret; his grandparents, John and Clara Inglis and Bernhard and Mary Fast; his great aunt, Helen Inglis and his uncles, David Jeffares and Raymond Fast.

Graham was born on April 25th, 1964 in Rosetown and raised in Saskatoon. He played many sports as a child, including hockey and basketball, but his real passion was soccer. Graham played soccer throughout his childhood, high school and later with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. He learned to love the English football club, Arsenal, through his first soccer coach, Dr. John Markham. He has been an avid Arsenal supporter from a very young age and has managed to indoctrinate many along the way, including his children. While he enjoyed playing, coaching soccer was a true calling for him. Graham coached all three of his children in community and zone soccer for many years and at many levels. One of his proudest moments as a coach was being involved in Quintan's U14 team which he helped take to Club Nationals in 2015. He became a father figure to many of the boys and young men under his tutelage, with whom he maintained contact and a close friendship with throughout his life.

After high school, Graham attended the University of Saskatchewan, first in Kinesiology, then earning a Bachelor's degree in Science, Physical Therapy. He worked in the private sector as a Physiotherapist in Calgary, Edmonton and Saskatoon, eventually becoming a manager/co-owner of a private clinic. He finished his career in the public sector, with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), having held several director and executive director positions. It always meant so much to Graham to be a public servant and he was proud to serve his community in this capacity. Graham enjoyed working and leading in his many roles and developed close and long lasting relationships and friendships with numerous coworkers over the years. Graham was a strong believer in the public health care system. He always supported and encouraged those who were interested in pursuing careers in the health care field. Graham also took great pride in mentoring coworkers while on the job. As a result, his leadership impacted many throughout the SHA.

Graham grew up tolerating piano lessons, not knowing that music would become a huge part of his life in later years. Over the past decade, Graham helped form a neighborhood garage band, named The Agents of Deterioration. He did vocals and back up vocals as well as played the keyboards, electric guitar, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, and mandolin. Friday nights with the band was always a highlight of his week. It was a real creative outlet for him and he also enjoyed socializing with his bandmates, with whom he became great friends. In addition, Graham played banjo and mandolin with his good friend, Dan on a weekly basis.

While Graham found enjoyment in many areas of his life, true joy came to him through his wife and his children. He married his soulmate, Joanne in December 1987. Together they had four children and this family became the centre of his life. Graham and Joanne were heartbroken when they lost their oldest daughter, Naomi when she was seven years old. Their love for one another helped them grieve and survive. This only reconfirmed for Graham that family is the most important thing in his life. Nothing gave him more joy than his children and he was so proud of them. Graham was happiest at Jan Lake with family, where he could be found taking lures from everyone's catch, driving the "fast" boat, recounting tales of Walter the Walleye and frying up freshly filleted fish in his famous beer batter. Graham also loved to travel, seeing many parts of North America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. His favorite holiday was going to Los Angeles to visit his sister and her family. He looked forward to his first dip in the ocean no matter the season! Over the last decade, Graham met with his childhood friends annually either in BC, Nova Scotia or here in Saskatoon. Rendezvous, as they called it, was a highlight of the summer and involved some serious croquet playing and music making. The last two years, Rendezvous had special meaning for Graham and he was so grateful for the love and support of his closest friends and their spouses.

Graham was diagnosed with cancer in December 2023 and chose to face it with optimism and grace. He wanted to live his best life possible however that looked. As a result, he was able to focus on the things that he loved: spending his days with Joanne, enjoying time with his children and extended family and connecting with his friends. Graham's only regret was having limited time with the people he loved.

The family would like to express their sincerest gratitude to Dr. Ahmed and the entire oncology team at the Saskatoon Cancer Agency, where he received compassionate and quality care every step of the way. Thanks also to the caring nurses and physicians in the Emergency Department and in the Oncology Ward at RUH. The support he received made a huge difference in the quality of his life and we will be forever grateful.

A celebration of Graham's life will be held at Knox United Church on Wednesday, August 20th at 1pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Saskatoon Food Bank, the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency or a charity of your choice.