Robert Douglas Macgregor Armitage

Doug passed peacefully of natural causes on March 22, 2020, at the North Okanagan Hospice House, Vernon, BC, with his daughters by his side.

Doug (dad) is survived by his sweetheart Caroline Beryl Rose ("Super Nan") of England, his children Peter Armitage (Barb) of Newfoundland, Jean Blackwell (Don) of Australia, Julie Armitage (Mike) of Vernon, BC, and step daughter Margaret Austin of Burnaby, BC. Doug was a loving grandfather to Pascal, Lucas, Natalie, Meagan, Ainslie, Baptiste, and Isolde, great grandfather to 11, great great-uncle to one, special uncle to Leslie Chambers (Drew), Doug Elton (Lori) and their children, loving friend to so many, especially Brenda Sirett, Lindsay and Colin Andrews, and the extended Rose family who lovingly referred to him as "Duggo." He was also known affectionately to his children as "Bloggs," and to himself in correspondence as "Bloggmeister." Doug was predeceased by his late wife Mary, beloved sister Jean, and his first wife Betty who remained a lifelong friend until her passing in 2012.

Born in Hartford, Cheshire, England, 1928, Doug spent his life living in various parts of England and Scotland including Aberdeen, Barnstable, Exeter, Hartford, London, Northampton, Penzance, Reading, Salcombe, and Teignmouth. His time at Pangbourne College in Reading was particularly enjoyable and left numerous rich memories of colorful school mates, teachers, and escapades which he was happy to share with his children and others.

Doug emigrated to Vancouver, BC, in 1947 where he enrolled at UBC. It was while working at the library there that he met his first wife, Betty Sayce, with whom he fathered Peter, Jean, and Julie. Together they spent close to 17 years living on Pendlebury Road in Richmond, BC, where friendships with Brenda and Allan Sirett, the Schneiders, Van Dykes, Davidsons, Eastmans, Rybacks and other neighbourhood families made for a bedrock community and ideal child-rearing environment. After a brief time with the Bank of Montreal, he joined Trans-Canada Air Lines (later Air Canada) where he rose to middle management in the human resources field. The hallmark of his 33 year career with the airline was his pioneering efforts to design and implement employee assistance programs.

Following the end of Doug's marriage to Betty, he married Mary (Austin) Humeny with whom he shared an English ancestry and love of dancing, music, and travels to various European destinations, Nice (France), in particular. The marriage brought Mary’s daughter, Margaret, and her son, Lucas Malesku into the extended Armitage family. In 1996, Doug and Mary moved to Peachland where Dad joined the local arts community as a volunteer organizer, Peachland Variety singer, and theatrical producer and performer in various amateur shows (e.g., Peachland Players Society). He made many good friends in this community as well as in the congregation of the local St. Margaret’s Anglican Church.

In the aftermath of Mary’s passing in 2004, Dad put his detective skills to work to find Caroline Rose (née Chapman), a romantic interest from Salcombe, Devon, whom he first met in 1947 just prior to emigrating to Canada. His efforts were successful in 2005, and he and the widowed Caroline struck up a loving relationship that nourished the two of them to the very end of Doug’s life. They commuted routinely between Peachland and Caroline’s residence in Highcliffe, Dorset, for well over a decade, and they were embraced lovingly by each other’s children and family members. Always an Englishman at heart, Doug’s relationship with Caroline provided both deep friendship as well as a return to his cultural roots.

Throughout much of his life, Doug took his citizenship and community service seriously, through his leadership in the Richmond Junior Chamber of Commerce, Royal Canadian Air Cadets, the Richmond hospital board, Air Canada Pionairs Board of Directors, the Peachland Community Arts Council, the Peachland Wellness Centre, and other organizations. He loved music passionately and had a well-deserved reputation as an excellent ballroom dancer. He also loved animals, and in particular, our family dogs, theatre, opera, museums, antique shops, steam trains, gardening, puttering, and the back roads of central BC where he enjoyed looking for ghost towns and other historical remnants. These passions he shared eagerly with his children and friends. The fresh smell of Okanagan sagebrush never failed to elicit an appreciative exclamation from Doug. His children benefited greatly from the numerous trips he took them on to the UK and elsewhere in Europe to visit relatives, various cultural institutions, and historical sites.

The family would like to thank Dr. Ron Long, Rick Stahl, Brenda Bennet, Dr. Bruce Booth, and all the other care people for the wonderful help they gave Doug. Much thanks also to the staff at the North Okanagan Hospice House for their immense compassion and phenomenal care in his last days and to the staff on the 6th floor of Vernon Jubilee Hospital. A special thank you to Maggie Litster and staff for looking out for Doug during his time at Orchard Valley Retirement Residence. Thank you to all for your love, support and friendship.

A family and friends celebration of Doug’s life is being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the North Okanagan Hospice Society, 3506 27th Avenue, Vernon, B.C., V1T 1S4 (https://hohs.ca/how-can-i-help/donations) or to a charity of your choice.

Condolences may be e-mailed to the family by way of [email protected] or the Facebook page, “Doug Armitage Celebration of a Remarkable Life.”

“Good bye dear Dad. We love you with all our hearts and we’ll miss you terribly!”