BOB GOULD

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BOB GOULD (JAMES ROBERT GOULD) January 25, 1941 - January 14, 2017 Peacefully, on the morning of January 14, 2017, Bob passed away at Grace Hospital, following a sudden illness. He was raised, along with his other five siblings, in the stone house next to the Sourisford River in South Western Manitoba (which is now a Heritage site). Bob was always proud of his country roots and German heritage and fondly reflected on those years in the Melita area, before the family moved while he was in his early teens, to Winnipeg. Throughout his entire life, he was always a scrapper. He defended his, and the rest of his family's, honour, whether it be as a youth attending various high schools in Winnipeg, throughout his career in the civil service, being the primary caregiver to his adoring wife, Lynne, providing for his three children, and battling heart conditions during the latter half of his life. He had a work ethic second to none and took enormous pride and honour in everything he did. His tenacity never waned even into his seventies. His career with the civil service spanned more than 30 years and included life as a conservation officer, acting director of finance and finally workplace safety and health. He was instrumental in assisting the province handle flood and fire disasters as part of the Emergency Measures Organization. Despite the fact that he had retired in the spring of 1996, he was called back to action following the "Flood of the Century" in 1997 to administer the flood-proofing program. Following his 'second' retirement, he found great gratification in working alongside his oldest brother, Dean, on drainage projects all over the province. As a family, we will fondly remember the annual five-week camping vacations to Adam Lake Camp Ground in our 16-foot Edson trailer, in which Bob had converted a set of cabinets into a bed to accommodate Steven. Days at the lake involved heading into Boissevain, chopping wood, reading by the fire, going for drives down backroads to introduce us to the various wildlife and spending hours on end trying to balance ourselves on a tractor inner tube in the lake. From a very young age Bob was drawn to the sport of golf. He was so happy to receive his very own set of clubs for Christmas in 1964 from his wife, as he had always borrowed a set. Throughout his life he was a member of Bel Acres, South Interlake, Assiniboine and most recently, Blumberg. Following the 2016 golf season, he was extremely proud of the deal he got on his new clubs and was looking forward to the 2017 golf season. Curling played a major role in his life. He took it up at the age of 31 and introduced the family to the sport. For many years, he competed competitively with his brother, Dale, with success. He qualified for the senior provincials and had recently taken up stick curling. At the local Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club he joined the executive and was the chair of all of the committees of the club. Whatever project, big or small, Bob was there to lend a helping hand. He took great pride in the junior program to which he was responsible with overwhelming participation, skill development and provincial, national and world success. He was president of the curling club from 1995 to 1996 and was so proud to wear the 'purple' jacket of the past presidents. He volunteered at every national and international curling event within the province; including the Brier, World Championship and Olympic Trials. He was a member of the Manitoba Curling Association Executive and was inducted into the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame with Honourary Life Membership in 2005. He instilled the importance of volunteerism and the necessity to give back to the sport of curling and the greater community with his children. Following his first heart attack in 1981 he took up cycling, umpiring baseball and cross-country skiing. Another of his passions was music and he loved singing. Bob learned to play the piano, accordion, clarinet and trumpet, and sang with friends at the Headingley United Church on Sundays and with the Winnipeg Male Chorus. He was particularly proud of the role of Grampa to his six grandchildren. No matter what event, the grandkids could look to the audience, the stands, or in their corner and Grampa would be there to give encouragement and support. If there were multiple events on the same day, he would do his very best to make it to everything. When it came to supporting his children and grandchildren, no one was more proud or robin-chested than Bob Gould. Grampa was always the 'go-to guy'. He was often the chauffer, the extra set of hands needed for a project, a shoulder to cry on and a sounding board for life's challenges. Since the passing of the love of his life, Lynne, in late September of last year, he found pleasure in curling, singing and spending time with family. He enjoyed dinners with his brother Dale and sister-in-law Pat, and looked forward to his weekly meals with Joan and Matthew Todd. In December, he accompanied his eldest son, Norman, to the graduation of his grandson, Keenan, from the Basic Military Qualification in Quebec. The trip could be characterized by plenty of laughs, good food and drink, teasing and reminiscing. He was particularly excited about upcoming trips to visit his sister Norma in Calgary, take an Alaskan cruise with his niece, Dona, and to travel to both Swan River and Halifax for provincial and national stick curling championships. He is survived by his siblings, Norma, Dale, Laura; his children, Norman (Jennifer), Brenda (Don), Steven (Francine); and grandchildren, Samantha, Keenan, Reese, Nathan, Gavin and Rylan. He ended every parting exchange with "I love you. Bye for now". Dad, Grampa, Gramps, we love you so much and we will miss you. The family would like to extend their sincere gratitude for the caring, compassionate and professional staff at Grace Hospital Intensive Care Unit. Bob requested that, in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Special Olympics Manitoba. A celebration of Bob's life will take place on Saturday, January 21 at Westwood Community Church (401 Westwood Drive) at 2:30 p.m.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 18, 2017