With a heart full of grief and gratitude for having had the privilege of knowing him, his family is advising of the passing of Robert W. Brown on Friday, June 14th at St. Boniface Hospital. Bob was a retired Corporal of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and an honorary member of a number of cities in the United States regarding his many years of service on the Drug Section.
Bob was one of the last of the good old boys, a rare breed of a man who, in our watered down world, could seem shockingly blunt upon first meeting him, but you always knew that you got nothing but the honest to God truth as he saw it. He was refreshing and you never questioned where you stood with him – no time was wasted. Loyalty, honor, integrity, kindness and the truth are not always easy but was a solid code by which he lived. He had this way about him. More people should live by this creed.
Bob had a broad spectrum of knowledge and he practically had an answer for almost everything – from his RCMP career, to cooking at the End of Main, to fishing, to making his flies, to trades, to farming and to politics. He always had his opinion and voiced it loudly and often.
He deeply loved the Kootneys and the many friends he made there. As an avid fisherman, Bob would educate anyone who would listen to him about keeping Kootenay Lake safe, healthy and respecting nature. He fought constantly and wrote many letters to the different government agencies to save the lake and to promote tourism.
His words will carry forward in the tourists and their children and all of his family and fiends. He took a great deal of pleasure in the time he spent to educate everyone he came in contact with regarding Kootenay Lake.
Bob could be ‘gruff and humble’ at the same time, but was down to earth and could be very stubborn. He loudly voiced his opinion but his warm heart would shine through when he spoke about his family and friends who meant a lot to him. He was proud and adored all of his four children and deeply loved Brenda. They all took excellent care of him and loved him to bits in his last few years.
He will be dearly missed by all who cared about him. He left a lasting impression on so many and his legacy will live on through them.
Bob is survived by his sisters Joan Schultz (Bruno), Bonnie Purdy (Bob), and all his nieces and nephews that were all very important to him and loved him very much.
REST PEACEFULLY
Family and friends are invited to share memories and condolences on Bob’s memorial page using the comment field below.
My deepest respects to Bob’s family. I had the good fortune to work with Bob at RCMP Virden Detachment in the 1970s. I was a young Cst. and we were on Highway Patrol together. He was a ‘force of nature’, outspoken, hilarious, strong in his convictions, said it like it was and you always knew where you stood with him. He was also a great mentor, and despite his gruff exterior, truly had a ‘heart of gold’. He always had your back. He had a passion for drug investigations and was excellent at his work. He served Canada with distinction and effect and I am very grateful to have called him friend. Rest in peace, Bob… Your duty is done, my friend….
Ralph Mahar, Cpl., (Ret’d) #31117
RCMP Virden Detachment: 1976 – 1978
Bob was a character. We only worked together for one year in Virden but will never forget him. His obituary was exactly how I remember him. He was a straight-talker, bold, energetic, shared his knowledge and was kind to me. My thoughts and prayers go out to his loving family. Rest in peace, Bob
Our sincere regrets to hear of the passing of Bob. My memories of Bob go back to the days when he was stationed in Elphinstone where he was known to everyone. Years later I had purchased a tackle store in Balfour BC. and much to my amazement learned of a local fisherman who was a legend in the local fishery, winning many derbies and supplying the area with his special bucktail flies which caught the famous Gerard rainbow trout. I Remember Bob coming into the store to replenish the inventory on a derby weekend telling me which patterns worked the best then leaving to go fish himself, only to return 1/2 hour later with a contender. Bob’s patterns will live on forever as his numbering system remains in use with other tyres. The Kootenay Fly Co. 215, 210, 228, and others will always be part of this fishery. Bob established a network of retailers around the Kootenays, the Okanogan and the Spokane area. His flies became quite famous after a west coast fishing show featured his bucktail flies to catch salmon. I had many requests for flies as far away as California, NewYork, Alaska, and the Great Lakes area just to mention a few,
I as his many friends on Kootenay Lake miss not only his flies but the person he was helping all that asked of his expertise. His name will forever be on the fishing trophies of Kootenay Lake.
While here he often spoke with pride of Brenda and his children and their accomplishments.
Rest well my friend!
On behalf of the Manitoba RCMP Veteran’s Association, we offer our deepest condolences to the Brown family and friends. Thank you Bob for your service to Canada.
Stu Evans
Manitoba RCMP Veteran’s Association
Welfare & Benefits Director