A. ROLPH HUBAND

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A. ROLPH HUBAND 1929 - 2016 Rolph passed away peacefully on November 20, 2016. He is survived by Eleanor, his loving wife of nearly 62 years, and by his children Chris (and Gwen Chamberlain), Scott (and Sandi previously Maryse), Philip (and Barbara Mittleman) and Alison (and Rick Young), plus grandchildren Joe, Helen, Selena, Matthew and Katie. He is also survived by his siblings Charles, Mary (and Kenneth Hardy) and Don (and Ann) and their families. Rolph was a modest, thoughtful and generous man who had a wide range of interests and accomplishments. He was born on July 20, 1929 in Chesley, Ontario, the eldest son of Allen and Mildred Huband, and had the opportunity to grow up in several different parts of Canada, including Woodstock, Calgary and Winnipeg, as a result of Allen's various postings as a United Church minister. Rolph attended law school at the University of Manitoba and graduated in 1955 in company with his brother, Charles. Soon afterwards, he landed his first full-time job as a lawyer with Hudson's Bay Company, where he flourished over the course of the next 37 years, retiring in 1993 in Toronto as Vice President and Corporate Secretary. Rolph's career at Canada's oldest and most historical company coincided with his interest in Canadian history. In the early 1990s, Rolph facilitated the donation to the Manitoba government of HBC's priceless collection of fur trade documents, archives and artifacts, together with a full-sized replica of the Nonsuch, the 17th century merchant ship that completed HBC's first trading voyage to Hudson Bay. He was also the founding chair of Canada's National History Society, publisher of The Beaver (now Canada's History Magazine) and director of the Hudson's Bay History Foundation. As a result of his achievements in promoting public interest in Canadian history, he was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2003. In addition to all this, Rolph was at various times a curler, cyclist, painter, baseball fan, cottage owner, world traveler and golfer. He was an avid photographer whose subject matter included cathedrals, bridges, water towers, birds and family, but mostly his beloved wife Eleanor. He was past president and director of the Manitoba Opera Society and a persistent opera fan. He was a certified tennis instructor and regular night-time player at the North Toronto Tennis Club. He and Eleanor spent the early years of his career in Winnipeg, moved to Toronto in 1976 and retired to Oakville in 1990. After enduring many cold winters in Winnipeg, Rolph and Eleanor enjoyed the warm winter weather in Florida for many of the past 25 years. Rolph loved his family and his friends and will be remembered fondly as a gentleman. Cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held at The Oakview Funeral Home, 56 Lakeshore Road West in Oakville on Friday, November 25, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. Donations in his memory can be sent to the Canada History Society: http://www.canadashistory.ca/community/ donate.aspx Online condolences may be offered at www.oakviewfuneral.ca

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Nov 23, 2016