Bob Niblock

On November 6, 2024, Bob passed away peacefully at 80 years old with his wife and sons by his side.

He will be missed by his family, many friends and especially his wife Merna of 59 years, his sons, Tod (Elke) and Troy (Liz) and his four grandchildren, Erik, Annika, Ainsley and Tessa, his sister in law Linda (Dennis) and brother in-law Dale, nieces, Lisa (David), Layna and Larissa.

Robert William Niblock was born in Toronto on July 10, 1944, the only child of Bill and Edith Niblock. Bill (William) emigrated from Northern Ireland in 1928 and met Edith (Mary) when they both worked in Toronto. The family moved to Boissevain, Manitoba in 1952 when they purchased the Queen’s Hotel and later moved to Winnipeg in 1959.

Bob grew up with a great love of reading and history from his father and also a deep love of the Romanchuk family homestead in Stead, Manitoba where he spent many days with his mom and grandmother Alexandra and his uncles, Mike and Joe. Bob attended Kelvin High School and achieved a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Manitoba. Bob started selling new homes in 1968 for Home Development that later became part of Ladco Homes. In 1980 he made the switch to re-sale homes and joined Delbro Real Estate. Merna joined him in the business in 1981. Bob became one of the top real estate salesmen in Winnipeg for the next decade. Bob worked hard to achieve both an FRI Fellow of the Real Estate Institute and a CRA Certified Residential Appraiser designation. In 1995 Royal LePage acquired Delbro and it was during this time that real estate truly became a family business. Tod joined the brokerage in 1991 and Troy in 2002.

Bob and Merna were a real estate team but also had many of the same interests. They were members of the Manitoba Classic & Antique Auto Club, Lord Selkirk AACA and the Fabulous 50’s club. They travelled to car meets in Canada and the USA in their early yearsin their 1936 Ford and 1951 Lincoln and later followed by their 1947 Mercury convertible and 1965 Mustang convertible.

The Southdale community in Winnipeg and the friends they met in the neighbourhood including lifelong past client friends were very important to them. Summer poolside gatherings at home and entertaining in the British pub he built in his basement would bring back memories for many of his friends.

Bob developed dementia which unfortunately took away most of his ability to be productive on hobbies and collections for the last 10 years but his vision of a restored barn, perfect for family get-togethers, will live on for future generations.

Thanks to the care team at Riverview Health Centre 2C for helping Bob the last two years.

A Celebration of Life will be held in Winnipeg at Green Acres Funeral Home, Hwy. #1 East at Navin Road, Wednesday, November 20 at 2:00 p.m. A funeral service by Fr. Taras Udod will be held in Stead, Manitoba at St. John’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church, on Saturday, November 23 at 11:30 a.m. interment to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba.