Obituary of Peter Andrew Sider

April 22, 1957 – Toronto, Ontario

January 3, 2025 – Calgary, Alberta

 

Peter Sider of Calgary, AB, passed away on Friday, January 3, 2025, at the age of 67 years.

 

Peter was born in Toronto, ON, on April 22, 1957, to Bruce and Marjorie Sider. He originally moved to Alberta in 1966, first to Edmonton, then to Calgary in 1972, though he called many places home before returning to Calgary in 2017.

 

Peter graduated from the University of Calgary with a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1978 and was proud to be a lifetime member of APEGGA.

 

Professionally, Pete had many achievements and success in the Petroleum Industry, both domestically and overseas.  After starting his career with Amoco, and moving his family eight times in eleven years, he made the decision to stay put in Calgary, AB, after being offered a position with Grad and Walker. Over the years he would rise to the position of Vice President of Operations and COO. During this time, he met two of his closest friends and eventual business partners. Following the sale of G&W, Peter opened several small companies and had operations throughout Central and South America.

 

In 2006, he was offered the opportunity to move overseas with Vermillion Energy Trust.  After spending two years in the Netherlands overseeing operations, he was promoted and moved to Bordeaux, France, as Managing Director of European Operations.  He was particularly proud of his ability to learn to speak French fluently and conducted all his business and political conversations in the language.

 

Following the success he had in France, he was brought on to oversee projects for other international organizations in Albania and Turkey.

 

Peter’s personal life was marked by a tremendous wanderlust and love for the outdoors. His first job outside of high school saw him spend summers in the Arctic; as a young married couple, he and his then-wife, Jana, took several months and drove across Canada.  With a young family, weekends and vacations were spent in the wilderness; hiking, camping, and quadding.

 

In his forties, he started a ranch and raised cattle in the evenings and on weekends. In his fifties, he took to the seas in his father’s footsteps and found a love of yachting. His treks took him worldwide, including Machu Picchu, the Swiss Alps, and the French Pyrenees, but his most grand and most beloved adventure was completing the Great Outdoors Challenge. This is an unassisted trek, coast-to-coast across the highlands of Scotland, which he completed three separate times, initially with Cody in 2010, as a solo trekker in 2016, and culminating in a final crossing accompanied by both sons in 2022.

 

He will be most remembered for his generosity and willingness to help anyone who needed it. Following the end of his professional career, he dedicated his time to helping those he met and actively volunteering in the community, most recently delivering for Calgary Meals on Wheels.

 

Despite all these accomplishments, the thing Peter will be remembered for most is being the most incredible father to his two sons, Tyrel and Cody.

 

“For us, he was the inspiration for most of the great things in life: a need for adventure, a love of the wild places, a dedication to helping others - we owe it all to him.

He was not just our father, but our best friend, our mentor, and as you would agree if you knew him, the kindest, most generous man we’ve ever known. Our successes are his successes, not only because they would not have been possible without his support and vision, but because of the example he set on how to live.”

 

Peter is survived by his two sons, Tyrel Sider, of Vancouver, BC, and Cody Sider, his wife Kayla, and Peter’s new grandson, Elias Peter Sider, born on Monday, December 2, 2024, in Calgary, AB. He is also survived by his partner, Ewa Moreau, of Calgary, AB, and his best girl, Lucy.

 

Peter is also survived by his two sisters, Penelope Worden and her husband Derek, and Pamela Boon, and her husband Ron; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. 

 

If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to Kidney Cancer Canada, 3 – 251 Queen Street South, Suite 561, Mississauga, ON L5M 1L7 Telephone: 1-866-598-7166, kidneycancercanada.ca.

 

Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed with Peter’s family here.

 

In living memory of Peter Sider, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Calgary Crematorium, 3219 – 4th Street NW, Calgary, AB, T2M 3A6, Telephone: 403-299-0111.