He married Rosalind (Roz) in 1960 and with their two children, Lawrence and Karen, immigrated to Port Alberni, BC in 1967. He taught elementary school for several decades in the valley and is fondly remembered by many students. It was in Port Alberni where he learned to be a true Canadian, developing a love for fishing and Hockey Night in Canada (though he was a Habs fan til the end).
After his retirement, he and Roz moved to Vancouver where they spent much of their time doing the seniors centre ballroom dance circuit, at times dancing up to 6 days a week. Other pursuits included seeing the world by cruise ship. When not travelling, he also enjoyed babysitting his grandchildren, taking long afternoon naps and heading to the old exhibition grounds to try his luck on the racehorses.
Married for 66 years, Ron and Roz were always together and at one time became affectionately known by family members as the “Expo twins” because of their matching Expo ‘86 outfits. Ron was a gentle, soft spoken man, who raised his children and grandchildren with jokes, silly gestures and a velvet hand.
He joins his son, Lawrence (d. 2022), and will be greatly missed by his family and a large community of friends.
“Nap well on your heavenly couch”
Catholic Funeral Mass to be held at Our Lady of Mercy Parish, 7455 10th Ave, Burnaby, British Columbia, October 3, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. Internment to follow at Ocean View Funeral Home & Burial Park.
