ROBERT GEORGE DAY

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ROBERT (BOB) GEORGE DAY January 19, 1926 - May 15, 2016 Peacefully, with his son by his bedside, Robert Day passed away at Pine Falls Health Centre on Sunday, May 15, at the age of 90. Bob will be forever missed by his son Robin, his daughter Carolynne, and his grandchildren, Matthew, Jennifer, and Robert. Born in Portsmouth in 1926, Bob grew up with a fascination with all things mechanical, particularly aircraft and motorcycles. Despite suffering from extreme scoliosis, he never let it stop him from anything including racing motorcycles in England during the 1950s and flying small aircraft up until he cancelled his pilot's license at the age of 86. His mechanical aptitude led him to apprentice at an aircraft manufacturer and he began his training to be an engineer. He received his pilot's license in the early 1950s, learning to fly in fabric covered biplanes. After working for several aircraft companies in England including Cierva Autogyro and Folland, he was enticed to move to Canada by Avro to work on their new interceptor, the CF-105 Arrow. This project was cancelled by the federal government in 1959 and Bob entertained several job prospects, including an offer from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. While working on a contract in Vancouver, he met Arlyn Bechler and they were married in 1963. They moved to Port Arthur, Ontario, and Bob went to work for Seabar Equipment where he and Leslie Nash invented a grain dumper. This was a large structure that would tilt box cars filled with grain to allow for easy emptying. This dumper was installed in many ports across the country and he spent much of his time overseeing installation and maintenance of these devices. Bob was then hired away from Seabar by Federal Grain which prompted the move to Winnipeg. After Federal Grain's assets were purchased by Manitoba Pool Elevators and the Saskatchewan and Albert Wheat Pools in 1972, Bob chose a position working for the Saunders Aircraft Company in Gimli, Manitoba, moving his family to a farm between Winnipeg Beach and Komarno. Saunders closed its doors in 1976 and several of the staff, including Bob, went to work for a printing company called Graf-Tech Publications. Graf-Tech closed in 1980 and Bob went to work at Standard Aero, in their publications department, working there until he retired in 1994. Bob loved the countryside and lived on his own right up until his passing. Fiercely independent and with a wry sense of humour, he hated the winter and loved new cars. He had a nickname for almost everyone he knew and a penchant for deliberately mispronouncing words. His knowledge of classical music was surpassed only by his ability to work with virtually any kind of machine. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Gimli Humane Society or the Planetary Society. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., on Friday, May 20 in the Gilbart Funeral Home, #50 - 1st Avenue, Gimli, Manitoba followed by a reception at the Lakeview Resort. Gilbart Funeral Home, Gimli in care of arrangements. www.gilbartfuneralhome.com

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on May 18, 2016