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ROBERT PAUL ETHERINGTON
Born: Aug 30, 1934
Date of Passing: Aug 05, 2022
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ROBERT PAUL ETHERINGTON
With sadness, we announce the passing of Robert Paul Etherington on Friday, August 5, 2022, in Stony Plain, Alberta.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Hulda, of 66 and a half years, as well as his son, Robert (Therese), his daughter, Barbara (Brian), six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
Their history is that Hulda took the train to Ingolf to take the teacher's position in the one-room schoolhouse, and Bob extended his hand and helped her off the train. He had just found his greatest treasure.
Bob was born in Winnipeg on August 30, 1934. His career included many years in law enforcement. He became Ontario's youngest jail guard at the age of 19. He served as a constable on the Kenora Police Services. Later, in Winnipeg, he served as a constable in St. James. He will be best remembered for his many years in the Identification Section of the Winnipeg Police Service where he worked until his retirement in 1989.
Bob was deeply rooted in his property on Macara Lake, Ingolf, Ontario. His father built the camp in 1920, and much to our joy, his daddy, Reginald, had a camera and took pictures of the early years with his little Bobby. Bob and Hulda eventually built their retirement home on the property. The family shared many good years and memories with the other families on the lake (Zeke and Olive, Billy and Gina, Cliffy and Helen Ann, John and Ev, Roy and Florence, Orville and Bernice, Drew and Heather, George and Wilma) and various bears. Bob and Hulda also staked mining claims, and later joined forces with Doug, who proved to be a great friend. In 2012, the time came for Bob and Hulda to say their goodbyes to Ingolf and start a new chapter in Stony Plain, Alberta. They quickly formed new friendships, and Bob was a great delight to the neighbour dogs with treats from his garage. He never got over losing his favourite dog, Princess. In the hospital, he said she was a "blessed dog."
Many thanks to his long-time friend and pastor, John Howson. Also, of note were Bob and Hulda's service and relationships in All People's Church in Falcon Lake, Manitoba. They cherished those years, and Bob was known to be an excellent Scripture reader from the pulpit!
Thank you to the staff and doctors at the CCI/bookstore as well as the Westview Health Centre for their excellent end-of-life care of Robert.
Cremation has already taken place.
As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 20, 2022
Condolences & Memories (5 entries)
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As a Winnipeg Police Identification Technician, Bob served The City of Winnipeg well and was indeed an Expert in both Forensic Photography and the Science of Fingerprinting. We always expected that Bob had the gift of a photographic memory for identifying the perpetrator of a crime by even a mere partial fingerprint left at the scene of a crime. Although the tools and processes available to an investigator in the era we both worked in the field of identification was vintage compared to the present day, Bob's successes were always impressive. His dear wife Hulda and family will surely be proud of the accomplishments he made in all phases of his life. Rest in Peace, Bob. Dick Hickling, Colleague - Posted by: Dick Hickling (colleague) on: Aug 22, 2022
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I have many great memories of Bob, but the most prolific one was back in early 1980’s in the Ident Section. I had returned from a home invasion crime scene where an elderly lady had been attacked. Everyone was under pressure to solve this one. I came back with a collection of evidence but had one really good fingerprint. As was the practice, officers usually showed Bob our good fingerprints as we returned to the office because he had such an incredible detailed memory. Bob looked at the fingerprint, remarking “I’ve seen this thumbprint before”. He flipped through 200 new fingerprint files he had just classified but had not filed, and a minute later pulled out a file and said…'Here he is’!! And what normally would have taken 2 or 3 days, was solved in 2 or 3 minutes…and he did this on many occasions! Condolences. Rest in Peace Bob. Ken Lugg Winnipeg Police (retired) - Posted by: Ken Lugg (Former workmates) on: Aug 20, 2022
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RIP Bob. It was a pleasure to work with you in Ident and get to know you. You were hard working and very knowledgeable person - Posted by: Gerry Roberts (Co-worker) on: Aug 20, 2022
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There is a Facebook memorial group set up for pictures and memories. - Posted by: Barbara Dunford (Daughter) on: Aug 20, 2022
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RIP Bob.....fond memories of our association within the Winnipeg Police Department and in and about West Hawk Lake area. Condolences to Hulda and the family. Remember the good times. Don Bruce - Posted by: Don Bruce (Former work mate) on: Aug 20, 2022