Hugh Conrad Denham

With a heavy heart we announce the passing of Hugh Denham.  Hugh passed away on December 24, 2025 in Wetaskiwin at the age of 93.

Hugh was born on September 15, 1932 in Wynyard, Saskatchewan.  Hugh was the third born of 17 children, growing up in poverty on a farm during the Great Depression.  Hugh would help his father look after the horses and farm animals and haul cordwood into town to trade for groceries.  He would only get a sixth-grade education before leaving the family farm at age 14 to work at various other farms and eventually the seismic drilling industry.  He bought his first drilling rig in 1957, which ignited his entrepreneurial spirit and led to a lifelong passion for business, which culminated in a peak of 39 seismic rigs and, later in life, ownership of 13 automobile dealerships.

Hugh loved to travel, especially to his mother’s homeland of Iceland with his siblings, and explore new places with his family, orchestrating family trips all over the continent and Europe.  He enjoyed reading, golf, and visiting his dealerships.  He always looked forward to coffee or lunch with his “buds” – of which he had many.  He was quick with a joke and had an astounding memory and a gift for storytelling.  Hugh reached an incredible milestone in 2025 when he celebrated 55 years of sobriety.

“Grampa” was extraordinarily close with his family – becoming a hockey fan to support his grandsons, reading his legendary Christmas stories, and providing mentorship in business and in life.

Hugh was predeceased by his mother, Jonina and father Cecil.  He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Lucille; his daughter, Shelley (Ron); his grandsons Nick (Laurel), Jordan (Jill), and Quinn (Jamie) and six great-grandchildren (Beckett, Harper, Rory, Cameron, Chloe and Taylor).

Hugh’s sense of humour, stories, leadership, core values and devotion to his family will be dearly missed and always fondly remembered.  

A Memorial Service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on January 9, 2026, at Calvary Baptist Church.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Hope Mission School Lunch Program (P.O. Box 6207, Wetaskiwin, AB, T9A 2E9), the Heart and Stroke Foundation or STARS Air Ambulance.

A recording of Hugh's service is available below.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Hugh Conrad Denham, please visit our floral store.