Conrad Plensky

After a long and meaningful life, Conrad Plensky passed away peacefully on September 29, 2026, at the age of 86, with family by his side in the Palliative Care Unit at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

Born at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Victoria on November 10, 1939, Conrad made Nanaimo his home and built his life around two things he valued greatly: hard work and family. He became a successful commercial fisherman, owning several boats and fishing licences and earning his living on the waters of the West Coast through determination, good instincts and no shortage of hard work.

The waterfront remained a big part of Conrad’s life even after his commercial fishing years. For more than three decades he made his home at Boat Harbour in Cedar, where he also operated and tended to the wharf. Even well into his retirement years, Conrad could still be found looking after the place—a fitting continuation for a man who had spent so much of his life around boats, the water and the people who made their living from it.

But Conrad’s success in business was only one measure of the man. Those who knew him will remember him just as readily for his kindness and extraordinary generosity. Conrad enjoyed sharing what he had and taking care of the people around him. If you ever found yourself trying to pay the bill at a restaurant with Conrad, chances are you finished runner-up. He was generous not for recognition, but simply because that was Conrad.

At the centre of his life was his wife, Fritzi, with whom he shared an extraordinary 64 years of marriage. Together they raised five children: Kathy (Kevin), Gordon, Sheila (Bruce), Karen (Robert) and Melody (Cameron). Over the years, the family grew to include 12 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren—a remarkable legacy and a family of which Conrad was immensely proud.

Conrad was the son of Ted and June Plensky and brother to Tom, Edward, Doreen and Dale. Through the years, his family grew well beyond names on a family tree. There were celebrations, meals and stories, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and countless ordinary moments that, looking back, become the important ones.

Conrad lived his 86 years well. He worked hard, succeeded through his own efforts, loved his family and was generous with what life had given him. He leaves behind not only a large and loving family, but the example of a man who understood that success meant considerably more when it could be shared with others.

He will be deeply missed by Fritzi, his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, his extended family, and the many friends whose lives he touched along the way.

A Celebration of Conrad’s life will follow, where family and friends will gather to remember a hardworking fisherman, a devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather—and a man who, right to the end, was probably still quicker than you when the dinner bill arrived.