Roy James William Dawson

Roy was born in England and emigrated to Canada in 1953. After marrying the love of his life, Cecilia they settled in Transcona, Winnipeg in 1959. Together they raised two sons, Tony & Lance. They loved hunting and fishing together as a family and with other close friends, going on yearly hunting & fishing trips in Manitoba.

Roy began his sales career working for Singer Sewing Machine Co where he sold & serviced sewing machines throughout Manitoba. He decided he would try insurance sales and joined Sovereign Insurance where he sold life and automobile insurance long before government insurance took over. He consistently qualified for company vacations which he and Cec thoroughly enjoyed in far away places.

Roy opened his own insurance brokerage in East Kildonan, Winnipeg in or around 1978. He quickly outgrew the space and moved to a larger location in the Munroe Shopping centre where he sold all types of insurance. Because of their continued love for the outdoors, after retiring in 2000 Roy & Cec relocated to Sandy Lake in the RM of Keewatin near Kenora ON. They met many new friends in the community and enjoyed Crib night, the annual fishing derby and fundraisers at the Puff Firehall.

In 1969 Roy & Cec decided, along with Cec’s sister & husband, to purchase a small camp at Richard Lake, 30 miles east of Kenora ON, called Camp Whiskey Jack. They rented out 4 small cabins seasonally which Cec & her sister managed during the summer until 1990. They didn’t make much money but they enjoyed the challenges, the fishing, fresh air and making life long friends.

In the early years, Roy tried his hand at Judo & Kung Fu, and eventually fell in love with Tai Chi & Qigong (Chi-Gong). He studied diligently and became a life long student of Master Chen Zhonghua. Highlights of his studies were travelling to China for training workshops with his last trip in 2013 to Mt Daqingshan where he was accompanied by his son Lance. Roy also taught Tai Chi in Winnipeg and later at the Kenora Rec Centre. He thoroughly enjoyed teaching and spending time with his students.

Cremation has taken place and a Celebration of Life will be held at Puff firehall on Hwy 641 for May 23rd, 2026 at 1:00 with lunch to follow. Anyone who may wish to attend please email [email protected] and you will be added to a list so that we can advise of an exact time & date once determined.