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In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar
LANE, Robert Edward (Bob) - Our father, Robert (Bob) Edward Lane, passed away peacefully in the early morning of January13, 2025. He had just celebrated his 97th birthday with three of his grandchildren. His final days were spent in care at the Golden West Centennial Lodge PCH, where his mother and wife also passed. Dad was comforted to know that his life’s journey would end where it began; in his beloved St. James/Sturgeon Creek neighbourhood. He was predeceased by his parents, Robert G. and Marjorie Lane (nee McPhail), his beloved wife of 71 years Violet, his sister-in-law Louisa and her husband Jack and his infant granddaughter Elizabeth. He is survived by his 4 children, Sandra (Russ), Cathy (Ken), Rob (Joyce), and Janice (Steve) and was also a proud grandfather to Kristin (Terry), Richard (Kelsey), Adam (Vanessa), Lauren (Roddy), Jennifer (Ben), Kevin and Alex. Dad was also a Great-grandfather to 10 great-grandchildren. He also has 3 nephews who live in the U.S.A., Pat (predeceased), Kevin and Bruce and their families; whom he enjoyed spending time with over the years.
Dad was born on November 29, 1927, in Winnipeg, MB, and spent the first 12 years of his life, residing on Whytewold Rd. in St. James. He attended Bannatyne and Linwood Schools, until his young life took an unexpected turn, when his father died in 1940. He was only 12 years old. His mother had to resume her nursing career and from that time forward, with no siblings and only distant aunts and uncles, “Bobby” had no choice but to work hard everyday to look after himself and keep moving forward, no matter what challenges lay ahead. His early circumstances led to a man that was fiercely independent, very resilient when times were tough, with strong leadership skills and a “Never Give Up” attitude. These traits continued to grow and expand with each year that passed and led to a strong desire in him, to give back to his community in multiple ways.
Following his final school year in residence at St. John’s College School, he joined the Royal Canadian Navy at the age of 18. Dad served from 1946-49 and was posted from Victoria, B.C. to Halifax, N.S. Our father remained a proud and committed member of the Royal Canadian Legion #4 (St. James). While serving on the Deer Lodge Hospital Foundation, he initiated the Veteran’s Memorial Endowment Fund, to honour all of the brave men and women that have served.
Mom and dad were married in November 1950 and moved to Medicine Hat, AB, where dad was the Assistant Manager of a Beaver Lumber store. His next job took him and Vi to Saskatoon, SK, where his introduction to the fast paced world of Real Estate began. He was employed by the firm Aronovitch and Leipsic as a rent collector. While in Saskatoon, Bob and Vi welcomed their first child Sandra in 1953. This necessitated a transfer with A & L back to Winnipeg., to be close to family. After patrolling the downtown Winnipeg streets for 3 years, as a collection agent, dad soon realized that he would much rather LEAD than FOLLOW (i.e. didn’t like being told what to do!), so he opened a one-man Realty and General Insurance office in St. James. Campbell, LANE & Haliburton Ltd., became a prominent local business in St. James for over 40 years. As his business grew and he hired more staff, he moved to 4 different locations, in the St. James area. Mom and Dad built their first home in the new St. James development of Golden Gate Bay. They welcomed their daughter Cathy in 1955 and their son Robert Jr. in 1959. Their 3rd daughter Janice was born in 1967, after they had moved to Overdale St.; where they raised their 4 children for the next 30 years and remained active in their community.
From the beginning of Dad’s career in Real Estate, he always had a strong desire to contribute more and be at the forefront of decision making. In the 1970’s, he was elected President of the Winnipeg and Manitoba Real Estate Boards and was a director of the Canadian Real Estate Board. As if that wasn’t enough for this energetic man, he was also a board member of the MB Housing and Renewal Corporation and led the fundraising efforts to build the existing WREB on Portage Ave. Alongside his business ventures, Dad was also an active member of the St. James Chamber of Commerce and the West Winnipeg Rotary Club for over 20 years and raised funds for the MB Heart Foundation for multiple campaigns. In 1972, he was also part of a cohesive working group, during the amalgamation of the existing cities and municipalities, that eventually became the City of Winnipeg and also served on both the City of Winnipeg Conflict of Interest Commission and the Winnipeg Board of Revision.
One of our father’s main tenets in life was, “A person should give back into the community as much as they take out, if both of them expect to flourish.” This philosophy, along with his boundless energy, led to him becoming a passionate fundraiser for many community organizations. His initiation at age 27, into the Sturgeon Creek Masonic Lodge #14, carried over to a 45 year commitment to the Khartum Shriners of Winnipeg. His devotion to this organization saw no bounds and included various leadership roles; raising funds in support of the Shriner’s Hospitals for Kids, and the Children’s Burn Hospitals. Our family is very proud of his role, in personally delivering the Burns Education Program throughout elementary schools in MB and NE Ontario, for 5 years. This included producing a video to be used to educate children in Northern MB. He then moved onto the Director’s staff, which included volunteering at the annual Shrine Circus each year. Shriner Bob could be found selling his wares, always sporting a red clown nose along with his Fez!
A highlight of our parent’s community involvement, was their 60 years as devoted members of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in St. James. Along with Mom’s committee work at the church, Dad volunteered his time and his talents to act as the Real Estate Advisor to the Diocese of Rupertsland, which included many parishes across the city. He once again, used his fundraising expertise, to achieve the congregation’s dream of building the parish hall in 1962 and was Chairman of the Joint Churches Refugee program. In addition to his extensive church committee work over the years, one of his greatest memories was singing in the church choir for over 30 years, until the age of 92.
Our father’s fundraising skills eventually carried over into the political arena. He raised funds and campaigned for many Provincial and Federal leadership candidates over the years. His growing interest to be a part of making a positive difference in the lives of his fellow citizens, led him to become elected as the MP for Winnipeg-St. James in Canada’s 31st Parliament. Unfortunately, his dream was cut short but his concern for his constituents never wavered. Our father’s devotion to his community, through fundraising efforts and the selfless sharing of his talents and expertise, resulted in 2 very special honours later in life. In 1993, he was one of several community volunteers to receive a Canada 125 Governor General’s medal and in 2012 he was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for outstanding public service.
Our parents supported their Winnipeg. Blue Bombers for many years, as season ticket holders and Dad could be found Saturday evenings in the winter, watching Hockey Night in Canada, however, his love of golf was his passion for over 60 years! The “challenge” of golf began in his early 20’s and continued into his 80’s. He spent most of that time in leagues at Assiniboine and St. Charles golf courses, resulting in many lifelong friendships. He considered himself to be very fortunate to have golfed at many courses across Canada and the U.S. but his annual trek to Clear Lake, for the Grey Owl Tournament, was a special highlight. Not surprisingly, all 4 of his children are golfers. He made us promise that his obituary would brag about his 4 holes in one and that his passing from this earth would be titled his 5TH!
In his later years, after selling his business, he spent many hours, when he wasn’t power walking or golfing, writing creative poetry and dabbling in artistic creations. We are forever grateful for the time he spent researching our family histories and are happy that, along with some trips to tropical places over the years, he and mom were able to travel to Great Britain to explore their family’s history.
As we say our last goodbyes to an outstanding public servant, our family wishes to extend our deepest gratitude to all of the staff at Golden West Centennial Lodge, for the compassionate care they gave to our father over the past 2 years. A special Thank You goes out to all the amazing staff on the 3rd floor, who became an integral part of our extended family over the 7 years. that they cared for our parents. I know dad always appreciated you listening “attentively” to all of his lengthy tales, as he was the happiest when he had an audience! Your kindness, sense of humour and ease of communication will never be forgotten.
Cremation has taken place and a service will be held sometime this summer. Dad’s ashes will be interred with mom in the Memorial Garden at St. Andrews Anglican church.
As you move through your busy days, we’d like to end with another one of our father’s favorite mantras;
"Go and visit a friend today and say hello, rather than saying goodbye tomorrow." (The Winnipeg Free Press 08 Feb 2025)
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