May 27, 1948 – June 7, 2019
Robbie was born May 27, 1948, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He passed away peacefully on the morning of June 7, 2019. He leaves behind his wife Lesley, sons Robin, Eric (Marie-Paule), and Jonathan. Grandchildren Jameson, Addison, Audrey and Elodie. His mother Patricia, siblings Rick (Laurie), Susan and Cynthia (Loron), along with many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Robbie grew up in Fort Garry and graduated from Vincent Massey Collegiate in 1966. As a young boy, he spent most of his time at the family cottage on Falcon Lake with his siblings and parents, enjoying boating, swimming, and sailing.
From an early age, Robbie always knew that he wanted to be a contractor. His mother had to chase him around to get him to finish high school. After graduating, he decided that he was going to work for his father, Bob, at Perma-Structures. Robbie loved telling stories about carrying telephone poles and receiving a one-way ticket to Gillam from his father to build hydro camps.
In 1975, he purchased the business from his Dad and continued to love what he did, building buildings. He was proud to be the longest standing Butler Building dealer in Canada and served on many boards and councils with Butler Canada.
In 1986, along with his partner Bob Keith he formed Pre-Con Builders. He was very happy to see that to this day the company remains true to his values; treating all customers as your friends, building trust through putting your best effort into everything you do, and treating your employees fairly. He was so proud to have had so many employees work with him for 25, 30 and even 40 years.
Robbie loved nothing more than spending time with friends and family at social gatherings, as well as spending time at his paradise on earth, his cottage in Echo Bay on Lake of the Woods. Robbie would always manage to find an excuse to get out of the city and head down to the lake. In these regards, he was truly blessed. He always impressed upon his boys the values of loyalty and long-term friendships. He was caring, loving and deeply devoted to those he loved. Robbie was always regarded as the life of any room he entered, making everyone around him feel warm, happy and special.
Sincere gratitude is owed to all of the healthcare professionals who helped us through Robbie’s battle with cancer. Donations in Robbie’s honour may be made to the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, 675 McDermot Ave., Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9.
There will be a celebration of Robbie’s life on Friday, June 14th, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. at the Victoria Inn, 1808 Wellington Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3H 0G3.
