Canute "Ken" McPherson Roye

Beloved husband of Lelieth “Grace” Roye (Grizzle) for 63 years. He will be lovingly remembered by his son Kevin (Laura) Roye, grandchildren Hannah, Hilary, and Oliver of Barrie Ontario, Canada; children Marie Weir and Mervyn Weir Roye of London UK, grandchildren Lisa Morgan, Matthew Morgan; great-grandchildren Kamarl Morgan, Morgan Baker and Milo Morgan Chung of the United Kingdom. Also remembered by siblings Veron, Sarah, and Elaine; and many other extended family in Canada, Jamaica, the US and UK. He is predeceased by parents Isaac Lionel Roye and Margaret May Elliott. Also predeceased by siblings Dothsy, Charles, Lloyd, Loxley, Pearl and Verna.

Ken was born in St Elizabeth, Jamaica and travelled to England as a young man to broaden his horizons and to see the world. He met Grace there and in 1966 he moved with her and their son Kevin to Canada. There he found work that he liked, as well as friends and community at McMaster University in the Facilities Department where he attended to calls for HVAC and other repairs. He worked there for 25 years until retirement. His love for fixing things extended to the home front with taking car engines apart, and restoring whatever was broken. Grace believes that often nothing was actually broken, but that he enjoyed hearing her shriek at the sight of an engine suspended from the garage ceiling! “Oh Gracie”, he would be heard to reply as the neighbours smiled. And it wasn’t just the fixing, it was the creating too. His talents extended to playing the guitar, carpentry, painting and decorating. Even well into his 80’s, Ken was impressing the neighbours (and terrifying Grace) by building fences, and climbing wobbly old ladders onto the roof to clean the gutters. And was there ever a man who more enjoyed a cozy fire in the winter fueled by the work of his own hand? He loved to chop firewood, and to then stack it with precision. Here was someone who would relish nothing more than to be left in a field of old trees with a chainsaw! Ken had such an appreciation of mechanical excellence and how things should work and be maintained. He had a genuine old-fashioned work ethic that was reflected in both the energy input and quality output of anything he undertook. An excellent cook and baker, Ken would delight old friends and make new ones by giving them samples of his ‘famous’ Jamaican ‘buns’. The recipe is thought to be held at a secure site in a desert bunker under 24-hour guard.

The family wishes to thank the staff of Hamilton General Hospital Emergency Room, and 6th Floor Trauma Unit, HGH Satellite Health Facility, and Shalom Village Convalescent Home for their loving and compassionate care. As well his loyal family physician Dr. Tracy Moriarty, Nurse Practitioner Lucia and Nurse Mandy at the Dundas Family Medical Group. These women represent the very best of their professions and cared for him lovingly to the end.

Our dear neighbours deserve a special mention too. As Ken’s health declined, they stepped into the breach with empathy, generosity and love for Grace. No kindness was spared – lawns were cut, driveways shoveled, meals delivered, flat tires attended to, and the list goes on.

Relatives and friends are invited to Visitation at the Marlatt Funeral Home – Swackhamer Chapel, 195 King Street West, Dundas on Friday, October 27, 2023 from 10:30 am to 11:30 am. The Funeral Service to celebrate his life will follow in the Marlatt Chapel at 11:30 am. Private family entombment at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Burlington, Ontario.