June 24, 1940 - January 24, 2020
Born June 24, 1940 in Carshalton England, in the London Borough
of Sutton. Bob immigrated to Canada in 1948 with his parents, Frank Victor and May Mafeking Mary Francis, along with his siblings Ron, Frankie (Iris), and Johnny. They settled in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island.
Bob, our Dad is survived by his loving wife Lillian and his oldest brother Ronny. Dad has an extensive family of 4 children, Jeff, Janice, David and Robert who have given him many wonderful grandchildren.
Bob worked much his life in Chemainus in the lumber industry from a young age and retired in 2000. He loved to help people and would drop whatever he was doing to assist anyone in need. He gave of himself generously. He was unquestionably one of the kindest, most giving individuals anyone could meet, and everyone was better for knowing him. If you were lucky enough to have met him you knew to be prepared for a good long talk...
Without intention, he taught his children how to respect, have patience, give kindness towards others and have incredible common sense. He was a master at keeping our family running and possessed an incredible ability to repair anything. You could count on Dad... There wasn't a moment in our lives where he wouldn't drop what he was doing and come running to his family's aid. He was a true superhero in our hearts.
His loves in life were his family first, with automobiles, art, renovating or building onto their home, and music to name a few. He loved to sing in the church choir, was a devout Christian and was a member of the Knights of Columbus. Dad also had an artistic ability that was evident in everything he did. Whether it was a sketch or building a dollhouse, there was no such thing as a job half done... and the job was always done well. He cared.
Dad fought a long, punishing and underserved battle with Parkinson's disease. He was finally released from his fight on January 24, 2020 at 11 pm in St. Paul AB at St. Paul's Extendicare, with his loving Wife Lil and his Children by his side. He received fantastic care to his very last minutes from the amazing staff that cared for him all his years at the Extendicare in St. Paul, and the staff there loved him... He's finally at peace... If there is a ranking system in Heaven, Dad deserves a place at the top.
There will be a celebration of Bob's life in the near future. One will be held locally in St. Paul, and a second celebration later on this summer on Vancouver Island. Dates and locations have not been decided as yet. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages a donation be made to a Parkinson's disease or Dementia research centre such as the Canada Brain Research Foundation.