Robert "Bob" Hesch

March 24, 1943 - September 25, 2017

Bob was the second of 4 children of James and Bernadette Hesch and he was born in Medicine Hat, Alberta.  As a child his parents moved around lots as his father was a truck driver and went were the work was. As a young boy, he often stayed with his grandparents at the Hesch farm near Shaunavon Sask. until he started school. You could bet that he always had some kind of critter in his pocket, from bugs to frogs and later he always had a baby bunny hidden in his shirt or pocket. 

As a young man, he rode along with his dad, trucking until he was able to get his license then he helped drive his dad's trucks hauling cattle from Swift Current to Winnipeg. He worked several jobs, from being a farm hand to delivery driver in Saskatoon in 1968 when he met his future life partner Mildred. He also worked for a time at the Duval Potash mine west of Saskatoon before starting with Canada Post, where he remained for 30 years, retiring in 2006.

Bob has always loved helping and hanging out at the race track with brother Doug as well as traveling with Mildred, going to  Yellowstone National Park in 1983 (just as friends) and Missoula, Montana 1996 when Doug had his 1994 Chevy Lumina painted.  Disney World 2002, where he particularly liked Animal Kingdom and the salamanders he found in the bushes at Epscot. He even smuggled back some big brown hoppers (like the one in the movie Ants) in a pop bottle with a few of the biggest cockroaches we had ever seen. They stayed in the pop bottle!

We resorted in Florida going on a river taxi tour, Butterfly World and then directly to a Caribbean cruise where he spent most of his time sea sick in the cabin, and several trips with brother Doug and sister in law Kathy to Las Vegas, enjoying the Vegas Race Track and Halloweens on Freemont Street with all the lights and fancy costumes.

Bob and Mildred moved from Saskatoon in 2003 to the acreage near Asquith where they raised free range rabbits. Bob loved his bunnies, and the farm became known as the Bunny Farm. You could bet that when a new batch of bunnies was born that he would have one in his pocket. Even when he went to a restaurant in the city, he would pull out a baby bunny from his pocket. Bob never had children of his own but was quick to accept Mildred's children and grandchildren and we were Grandpa and Grandma Bunny to the grandkids.

Bob has been a collector of many things over the years, from McDonald toys, stuffed animals, spoons, stamps and coins. He was always an avid garage sale'r while living in Saskatoon, buyer not seller, so when we moved to the acreage, we filled up a single sized garage with his collections. We moved back to the city in 2014 to be closer to Drs. as it was taking 1 1/2 hrs to get to hospital when calling the ambulance.

Bob has had a long history of poor health and major surgeries starting in 1996, 2002, 2013, and was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2015. It was discovered as recently as 2016 that he only had one functioning kidney and over the past 2 months has suffered from kidney and renal failure.

Bob is survived by his life partner, Mildred. His sisters Verna and Sharon and his brother Doug (Kathy), many nieces and nephews. His stepchildren Steve and Angela (Rye) and grandchildren, Alex, Jenandra, Madeline, Jacob, Kalyn and Lorelei. Grandpa Bunny, you will be greatly missed by all. Love you forever.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Windsor Chapel (704 Windsor St.) on Friday, September 29, 2017 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.