Calvin James Rouse

Calvin James Rouse was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

       His parents were Gordon and Morva Rouse. Calvin was raised in Galt. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

      Growing up in the Rouse household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Calvin was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Calvin was raised with one sibling. He had one sister Sandra. Calvin and his sister may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Calvin was always consistently loyal to his family.

      As a young child, Calvin was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Calvin developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Calvin took part in baseball, swimming, diving, hockey, football and rugby. He was a Scout. In his spare time he liked reading. Calvin's memorable achievements included many ribbons for swimming and diving. However, what Calvin enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

      While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Calvin as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Galt Collegiate Institute in 1952. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. His favorite class in high school was all the Maths. The teacher he enjoyed learning from the most was Torchy Dalmage - Math teacher she made it interesting , easy and fun. Calvin was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Calvin always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

      College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Calvin handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, Calvin was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his class work. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. Calvin was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed his fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served Calvin well during his college experience. He also pursued graduate school, earning his Con. Tech. His favorite courses were all Maths. He played for Ryerson Rams Football Tean as running back and offensive.

      Always considered to be a solid friend, Calvin was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Calvin was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Calvin to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, some of his best friends were Ron Emery, Alan Naitla, Ned Hanlan and Dave Cooper.

      On April 14, 1962 Calvin exchanged wedding vows with Jill Theresa Shirley Bernadette Hanley at the Sacred Heart Church of Kitchener, Ontario. Compassionate and devoted to Jill, Calvin held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Jill and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

      Calvin brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Calvin was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Calvin was blessed with 7 children, five sons, Kane, Peter, Michael, Andrew, Benjamin and two daughters Jane and Mary Courtney. They were also blessed with twelve grandchildren and one great-grandchild, Jonathan Barr, Tessa Grace, Jessie Finn-Rouse, Nikita Thumm-Rouse, Calvin Rouse, Coleson Rouse, Makenna Rouse, Caiden Rouse,Savannah Rouse, Parker Rouse, Jackson Rouse, Austin Rouse and Levi Grace.

      Calvin greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Calvin enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Calvin was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was Construction Technologist. He was employed for 21 years by Armco Canada and 3 years by the Ontario Government. Calvin worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

      Calvin liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Calvin always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were knowledge and the pursuit of it, with interest in Wildlife, Environmental, Nutrition and Natural Remedies. Calvin was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

      Calvin found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. In high school, Calvin played Football, Swimming and Diving. In his college years, Calvin continued to stay active by Football and Hockey. Recreational sports included Intercity Hockey, Swinning, Diving and Baseball. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were Football, Hockey and Golf.

      Many organizations were grateful to have Calvin as a member, since he always brought with him a “stick to it” attitude and a high degree of common sense. Using straightforward methods to successfully complete the job, Calvin was a great planner who was incredibly well organized. It seemed that he was able to schedule any event or activity with ease. He always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. In high school, Calvin was a member of the Leaders Club. In college, Calvin joined the Football Tean. Throughout his later years, Calvin was an active member of the Cubs, Scouts, Christopher Club and the PTA.

      As a man who always showed great commitment to the things he believed in, it’s little wonder that Calvin was so active in his community. Being practical and mentally disciplined, Calvin preferred to base his decisions on first-hand experiences. Calvin was never afraid to roll up his sleeves and dig right in. Calvin was a member of several community groups, including serving on committees for the Cubs and Scouts. Politically, Calvin was Progressive Conservative. Cal's Father and Grandfather were Past Mayors of Galt with his father being the last Mayor of Galt prior to the Tri-City Almalgamation (Galt, Preston, Hespeler) becoming Cambridge.

      Calvin was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was a member of St. Gregory's Church from it's inception. Fundraised for Church Building Fund. During that time, he was a usher and greeter for St. Gregory's and Marriage Encounters. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

      Calvin sought out practical solutions, not individual recognition. He was always grounded and objective, feeling a strong sense of responsibility for taking care of what needed to be done. This selfless attitude earned Calvin many accolades for his efforts and achievements. Some of his most prestigious awards included Leaders Club and Ryerson Univeristy Honour Roll.

      Calvin enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Calvin appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, Calvin always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included Miami (Golden Beaches), California, The Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland.

      Calvin was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. Dogs Mokie as a child, Blé and Susie as an adult. Fancey (pony) Boo Rouse (cat) Jake (horse) Sofie (horse) and Garth (horse).

      When Calvin’s retirement finally arrived in 1994, he was well prepared. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. Retiring on the farm in the home he designed and built. In retirement, he found new pleasure in maintaining our home and acerage in the country; cutting wood from our forest to keep our home's fireplaces stoked and cozy; hiking and exploring with children and grandchildren; cards with the great aunt's and his wife. Even in retirement, Calvin continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances.

      Calvin James Rouse passed away at Sunnyside (Recovery) Hospital. He broken his hip and arm in June 2012 and then on August 26th he broke his femur. Along with complications encountered during recovery, Calvin passed away on October 10, 2012. He is survived by his wife and family. Services were held at St. Gregory's Church and Coutts Funeral Home. Calvin was laid to rest in Galt Cemetery - Cambridge, Ontario.

      Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Calvin James Rouse. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.

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Born August 7, 1934, deceased October 10, 2012 at the age of 78. Calvin, was born and raised in Galt, Ontario. He is the son of the late Mayor Gordon and Morva Rouse. He attended Galt Collegiate and was an exceptional athlete and leader. He then chose Ryerson University to continue his education where he was an honors student. Calvin loved playing football and played for the Ryerson Rams. Summers were spent working at Elliot Lake and the Keno Mine in the Yukon. Calvin met, and married Jill Theresa Hanley of Kitchener. After decades of marriage, the warm smiles they gave to one another are a testament to the strength and depth of their fulfillment and love. Together, with his beloved Jill, they had two girls and five boys and spent 50 wonderful year’s together. Calvin had a quiet strength and was a true gentleman, he never spoke ill of anyone. He loved Jazz, listening to CBC, hiking and dancing, and was the first up to dance at any celebration. Calvin continued the family tradition of community involvement by being the president of St. Gregory’s PTA and was a cub scout leader for many years. He helped raise the funding to build St. Gregory’s Church and walked in many charity walkathons. Professionally, he helped design and oversee the construction of buildings from coast to coast but primarily in the Southwestern Ontario region. His family sees him as a loving and exceptional role model. He provided them with love, security and guidance. He was extremely strong physically and a good spiritual leader. Calvin is remembered as a devoted husband to Jill (nee: Hanley), and as a loving father to Jane (Tony), Kane(Nicola), Peter (Jennifer), Mary Courtney (deceased), Michael, Andrew and Benjamin. He was a proud grandfather to Jonathan (Marie Claude), Tessa (Brendan), Jessica, Nikita, Calvin, Coleson, Savannah, Parker, Makenna, Caiden, Jackson and Austin, and great grandfather to Levi. Calvin has gone with God and he bids you well. The family will receive friends at Coutts Funeral Home, 96 St. Andrews St. Cambridge, on Sunday October 14, 2012 from 2-4 and 7-9 P. M. Funeral Mass will be held at St. Gregory’s R. C. Church, 10 St. Gregory’s Drive Cambridge, at 11 A. M . on Monday October 15, 2012. Reception to follow in the Church Hall. As expressions of sympathy donations to St. Gregory’s R. C. Church, CBC, World Wildlife Fund or the charity of your choice, would be appreciated by the family.