Robert James Franssen

Born: January 17, 1933 in Strathmore, Alberta

Passed Away: November 28, 2017 in Calgary, Alberta

Bob passed away peacefully at the age of 84 years, surrounded by family. Bob kept his fighting spirit right to the end.

Bob, Uncle Bob, Dad, Grandpa, Great-Grandpa will be remembered as the go-to guy for just about anything. If he didn’t know how to fix it he would still try and most always succeed. Put him behind the steering wheel, and he was right at home. Spend time with him in the shop, and you would come away schooled in the Bob way of carpentry or auto mechanics. Spend an evening around an open fire with him, and you would be a master at carving a marshmallow stick. From birdhouse design to vanity mirrors and one of a kind pinecone earrings for the girls in his life, Bob kept busy in the shop right to the end. Golfing with his Thursday crew was something he always looked forward to. He was so pleased with his hole-in-one this past summer, we never stopped hearing about it, even as the story got grander with each telling.

As the European area manager for Westbourne Drilling, Bob had the opportunity to work in Morocco, Algeria, North Yemen, Abu Dhabi, and Madagascar while living in Palma de Mallorca (Spain), Athens (Greece), and Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) and to travel around the globe with his wife Dodie. Back in Canada, they continued that caravan lifestyle by camping around all the corners of North America.

He will be remembered lovingly by daughter Kelly (Tom), daughter-in-law Margaret, sons Kim, Brad (Maria), Mark (Deanna), and Dean (Deborah); his grandchildren Danielle, David, Clay, Tyler, Amber, Jeremy, Stephanie, Christopher, Iylish, Nathaniel, and Jonathan; his great-grandchildren Luke, Isaac, Delayne, Eleanor, Olivia, Emerson, Ava, and Bronson. Bob was predeceased by his wife of 64 years Dodie, son Jim, parents Peter and Ida Franssen, and his brother Clarence. In lieu of flowers, please donate to a charity of your choice. Expressions of sympathy may be forwarded to the family via the website www.fostersgardenchapel.ca.