Robert Nelles

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Robert (Bob) Ernest Nelles at age 87. Bob was predeceased by son Scott and brothers Glenn and Keith. He is fondly remembered by his wife Marjorie, sons Sandy and Paul, sister Frances, grandchildren Hadley, Drew, Elliot, Reed, Peter, and great-grandson Isak. Born in 1936 to Ernest and Ella Nelles in Brandon, Manitoba, Bob’s family moved to Chilliwack in the Fraser Valley in 1939, where Bob was raised. Bob remained close to his mother’s sister Rita, and spent several summers as a teenager working on the Middleton farm in Brandon, a formative experience. It was at high school in Chilliwack that Bob met the love of his life, Marjorie, and the two were married in 1957. After a move to Vancouver (with two young boys in tow) to attend UBC, Bob graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and trained as a Chartered Accountant. He afterwards enjoyed a varied career in finance, business and industry, making many friends along the way. In retirement Bob encountered golf, and he and Marjorie travelled widely. He dedicated countless volunteer hours to Sojourn Housing Co-Op, the Stanley Park Ecology Society, Coast Mental Health, and St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church. Though a quiet man, Bob was rarely at a loss for words. He never lost his knack for the sly one-liners that wryly captured life’s everyday ironies. Bob also had a not-so-hidden talent for penning doggerel verse. Bob and Marjorie raised their family in Deep Cove in North Vancouver. Bob’s sons remember waiting 'for dad to get home’ from work on summer afternoons when the boys would all pack into the car for a trip to the beach. Bob was a stalwart supporter of his sons’ endeavours. He was to be found rain or shine (usually rain) on the sidelines of soccer games and volunteering with Sandy’s Cub and Scout groups. In the last decades of his life, Bob collected Sandy every Saturday morning for their weekly trip to Granville Island. The routine never varied: bagel for Bob, Danish for Sandy, coffee at the Blue Parrot, followed by foraging in the market stalls for the week’s groceries. Bob’s true passion was to be found in the kitchen. He was never happier than when cooking and sharing a meal with friends and family. Bob will be remembered as a faithful friend, loving husband, and dedicated father and grandfather. Donations in the name of Robert Nelles may be made to the Coast Mental Health Foundation at coastmentalhealth.com. A memorial service in celebration of Bob’s life will be held on Saturday, August 26 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church, Vancouver.