Roald Fure

He is survived and will be dearly missed by his loving family: son Steven (Nicole Hennelly), granddaughters Adelyn and Brielle; brother Ola and sister Marit ; nieces Magnhild, Kristin, and Berit; nephews Knut-Kjell, and Jorgen in Norway. He will also be dearly missed by his close extended family in the USA and many long-time close friends.

Roald came to Canada from Norway in 1954 with nothing but a strong work ethic and his carpentry skills. He eventually ended up in Edmonton but after experiencing his first winter there he wisely decided to come to the west coast and settled in the Lower Mainland, moving to North Surrey where he lived for over fifty years. Working on many big construction projects throughout the province in the 1950’s and 1960’s, Roald gained a reputation as a reliable and skilled hard worker. A few notable projects that he worked on included the WAC Bennett dam construction, building houses for the new town-site of Kitimat, and construction on the Queen Charlotte Islands. He also worked on the construction of Simon Fraser University, BC Place Stadium and Expo 86. In between these jobs, Roald purchased property, subdivided, and built many houses throughout the lower mainland.

Roald met the love of his life, Mavis in 1963. They married in 1965, and had one son, Steven, in 1967. Living in the same house in North Surrey for 43 years, they enjoyed many good times with family and friends over this time. As many can attest, they were always welcoming and generous hosts, opening up their home and feeding and entertaining anyone that came to visit. There was always a smile and a laugh to be had.

Roald loved food and did quite a bit of cooking over the years. He was renowned for making big breakfasts, especially when guests were visiting! He also loved trying to make Norwegian style food and became quite good at making Putetbal, meatballs, open-faced sandwiches, and krumsekake. He couldn’t be happier than to see everyone enjoying the food he had prepared for them. Once, when we were about to leave for a long drive, dad’s words of concern were not, “ drive safely” but rather “ stop and eat often.” That pretty much sums it up!

After retirement, Roald continued to keep busy. He built his last house when he was 66 and always kept himself occupied with home improvement projects and gardening, readily helping friends and family whenever asked upon for his expertise. Roald was also an avid painter and writer. He especially liked Norwegian Rosemaling and he wrote many poems in Norwegian. Occasionally, he would get away for some fishing trips – not always catching fish but enjoying being outdoors with nature. Roald also enjoyed travelling. Together with Mavis, he was fortunate enough to take several cruises to the Caribbean and Alaska as well as making regular family trips to visit close family in the USA and in Norway.

In his last few years, Roald lived in the City of White Rock. It was a place that he had long loved visiting and often referred to as “the best place in Canada”. He was blessed to be close to his family and live together with Mavis during the last year of his life.

Arrangements under the direction of Victory Memorial Park Funeral Centre, Surrey, BC.