Obituary of ROLAND KENT WEATHERBY

Roland Kent “Red” Weatherby
1935 - 2023

It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we announce the passing of Red Weatherby, in the early morning of May 14, 2023. He died peacefully in his sleep, with his family by his side.
He will be lovingly remembered and deeply missed by his wife Lorraine, his daughters Cathy Tysz (Rob), Patricia Weatherby, and Janet Marshall (Richard), as well as his grandchildren Tara (Sean), Ben (Lise), Ian, Candice (Kim), Jaqueline (Leo), Kevin, and Steve (Morgan), and his 7 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his son Roland M Weatherby, and his parents Frances and Roland. Also left to mourn are his sister Pat Fisher (Jack), his nieces, nephews and cousins, the extensive family he married into, and many cherished friends.

He was born in Truro, Nova Scotia, on August 21, 1935, where he lived until he joined the Air Force and was sent to Manitoba as a young adult. While stationed in MacGregor, he met his first wife, Marion (Marnie) Wright, in 1954, and they married in Winnipeg in 1955. Together they raised their 4 children, and also took in 30 foster babies. In the early years of their marriage they lived in Churchill while Red was stationed there, but most of their years together were in Winnipeg, where they were very involved in their church. They were later divorced, in 1974.

As a bachelor with grown children, he went and got his motorcycle license, and bought himself a candy-apple red Honda Gold Wing, which was his pride and joy for many years. In the early 1980’s he met Lorraine, who became the love of his life, and they were married in 1985. They enjoyed 38 wonderful years together, and created many great memories traveling and camping together. They traveled extensively around North America in their RV, enjoying winters in Arizona, Texas and Mexico. Before retirement, many weekends were spent camping closer to home, at Birds Hill Park. They also enjoyed cruises to Alaska and the Bahamas, and their last journey together was a fabulous trip to Hawaii.

Red loved the outdoors, and enjoyed daily walks, and in winter, cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, no matter what the weather. He liked to stay fit, and other activities he enjoyed included hiking, biking, and playing handball. He also loved deep-sea diving. One of his favourite pastimes was camping. When the children were young and money was tight, the family camped in a tent. Eventually, he moved up to a camper, and then a 5th wheel, and finally moved up to a luxurious RV.

He was an active man who was always on the go, and he remained this way throughout his life, until his stroke in 2017. Retirement wasn’t about relaxing for him, it simply meant more time to help family and friends, attend his grandchildren’s many activities, and volunteer with the church. Moving from a house to a condo meant no longer having to take care of a house, but instead, being able to help take care of the whole complex! He was friendly, outgoing, and always ready to help. He made friends easily, and wherever he went, people quickly got to know and love him.

Red worked as an auto mechanic for many years, having received his training in the Air Force. He started working at CBC in the early 70’s, where he was responsible for maintaining the fleet of trucks. The garage at CBC became known as “Red’s Garage”. Soon he obtained his Class 1 license, and became responsible for driving the semi’s across Canada to football games, Pan-Am games, and other events, including the Queen’s visit. His daughters have fond memories of joining him on a few of these trips. Because he was a licensed scuba diver, he was also able to occasionally work as their underwater cameraman.

Red will be forever loved and terribly missed by all who knew him.

A heartfelt thank you to all the staff at Golden West Lodge for their amazing care and support.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 3 at 1:00 at Cropo Funeral Chapel at 1442 Main Street. Cremation has taken place, with interment to be held privately.