RODERICK G. M. HUNTER

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RODERICK G. M. HUNTER The Arrow has taken flight. On January 6, 2018, Roderick George McLean Hunter curled his last rock in the bonspiel of life, departing this world at age 74. Rod was knighted "The Arrow" by the media back in the mid 1960s because of his perfect delivery of the curling rock, but his life would show that this nickname suited him in more ways than one. The arrow is the tool of the warrior. Rod's fighting spirit led him to qualify for the Brier four times from 1970 to 1975 and capture back-to-back Silver Broom World Championships in 1970 and 1971, (going undefeated in 17 straight games but never bragging about it). It also got him inducted into the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame, the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame as one of the top vice-skips ever to play the game. Being invited to join the prestigious Governor General's curling club was yet another of his accomplishments. After moving to Alberta, he went on to win a Silver medal in the Canadian 55 plus winter games. One of his proudest moments was standing on the podium with teammates Don Duguid, Jim Pettapiece, and Bryan Wood after winning the World Championships in Utica, New York, and listening to the Canadian National anthem play in their honour. Rod was also the arrow in the compass, forever pointed north. He had answers to everything: Curling strategy, barbecue times, handy-man repairs, politics, Hollywood plot lines, Lego assembly, hockey stats, world peace and the global economy. If there were any doubts, all you needed to do was ask, and he'd tell you he was right. Like the arrows on a keyboard, his four surviving daughters - Onalee, Charlene, Andrea and Courtney - kept him moving in all four directions at once. His talent for diplomacy kept his family strong. He could always find a way to steer his girls in the right direction (sometimes subtle, sometimes not) and was instrumental in the achievement of their dreams. This talent also made him a great politician, which he excelled at in the last few years of his life as a proud Councillor in Viking, Alberta. But Rod was also Cupid's arrow, which he forever kept aimed at his surviving wife of 30 years, Louise Hunter. While nothing came before her, he had plenty of love to spare for his two surviving brothers, John and Craig Hunter (with whom he adored sharing good scotch and long debates), his predeceased parents, Roderick O. A. and Doris Hunter, his mother-in-law, Louise C. Mihill, his surviving grandchildren - Maddyx, Noah, Sullivan, Gwynavere, Aiden and Aspen - and the countless friends who were so important to him. He also had a life-long love affair with cinnamon buns, the game of golf, celebrity encounters, a good rum (or more recently scotch), a perfectly cooked steak, the cabin at Clearwater Bay, storytelling, more storytelling, and of course his wiener dogs, who he'd let clean his face and spoon with him at night. Like an arrow, Rod never wavered from his true path. He went from sweeping the finish off his childhood bedroom floor, to rising star at the Granite Curling Club, to cleaning up at the World Championships. He went from patriotic Royal Canadian Sea Cadet, to Bachelor of Science student at the University of Winnipeg, to his first job at Richardson Securities, to General Manager at Dominion Tanners, to effective and caring Councillor in Viking, Alberta. He went from curling legend, to devoted husband, to inspiring father and proud grandfather. In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer a donation be sent to the Viking Volunteer Fire Department at www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-viking-volunteer-fire-department-society or Viking Victims Services at www.beavercountyvictimservices.ca The family chooses to celebrate his life at the Viking Curling Club, located in Viking, Alberta from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 13, 2018. Those who loved Rod are invited to join the family in toasting his life and launching the arrow into his journey ahead. Wherever he's pointed, in true Rod form, he's bound for greatness.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 09, 2018