Roberta "Bobbie" Joy MERILEES

She is survived by her husband David Riding; her sister Gail Jarislowsky (Stephen); her nieces Alexandra (Kevin Snow), Marika (Mårten Ivert); her four nephews; her stepchildren Kirsten Smith (Bret) and Christopher Field; her extended Redrooffs family; as well as her cats, Hobbs and Calvin.

Born in Vancouver to Dorrie and Harold Merilees, Bobbie was a trailblazing career woman in a time when others chose to be homemakers. She earned a BA at the University of British Columbia, as well as a Bachelor’s in Library Science from the University of Toronto, followed by a Master’s in Library Science from McGill in Montreal. Bobbie then moved to Toronto where she worked at IBM and earned an MBA at York University. While at IBM she was charged with transforming libraries to bring them into the digital age. She remembered watching one of the first emails transferring information, and predicted this would change the world forever. Later she formed her own consultancy firm and worked with universities, government, and corporations to have them shift to this new way of thinking.

Bobbie moved back to Vancouver in the 1990s, where she re-met David, an old flame from UBC, and they were married in 1998. After several years in California, they retired in Vancouver, where they were active members of the Vancouver Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club, and spent their summers at Redrooffs in Halfmoon Bay. Always a traveller, Bobbie continued to explore the globe, and she loved to cook and entertain her friends.

A life-long nature and animal protector, Bobbie left a portion of her life’s earnings to helping cats in need. In memory of her, a donation to an animal shelter or nature preservation society of your choice would be meaningful.