Robert Ray Romman

Born January 31, 1932 in Weyburn, SK. Bob passed away peacefully on Monday, July 29, 2024 in Didsbury, AB at the young age of 92 1/2. Bob is now with Mom, his parents, brother, other family and friends.

He will be sadly missed by his sons, Rick (Sherry), Brad (Tammy); daughters, Kim (Darrell), Cary (Tom), Cindy (Scott), Chris; his 8 grandchildren, Carla (Matt), Shawn, Bryce (Kristen), Logan (Will), Brody (Matty), Darby (Shay), Hailey and Ciennah and his 4 great grandchildren – who knew him as G-Pa – Griffin, Dawson, Oaklynn and Jayden.

Betty and Bob were married in Regina, SK on August 8, 1953, and will celebrate their 71st wedding anniversary in Heaven. They were soul mates from the time they met at Sears. Seldom did you not see them smiling when they were together.

In 1962 Betty and Bob moved to Calgary with four children and a dog in tow. In Calgary they had two more children before moving to Crossfield in 1978. There they bought Crossfield Garage where he fixed cars, pumped gas and ran the Greyhound bus station. Anytime someone needed their car fixed or a parcel shipped, Bob would zip down to the garage and help them out. Many of Bob’s mechanical equipment and tools, car manuals, photos and his office are on display at Shorty’s Diner in town – in the exact location Bob’s shop was. It is a wonderful tribute to a mechanic who served the community for over 24 years.

Bob got involved in the small community right away. Bob was always involved with some organization, whether it was the Lions Club, Citizens on Patrol, or Pete Knight Days. For the last 18 years, you could find Bob working at the Super Splash Car Wash.

Bob was well known for his great sense of humour and his friends have commented how they are going to miss that little smirk and nose flair. He always had people around him laughing (or shaking their head!). Up to his last days, he was always joking with someone – nurses, doctors, and complete strangers.

Quite often, you would see Bob riding his “trike” around town, heading to get a newspaper or just out for a ride. He would stop into many businesses just to say hello and to tease some of the employees. Or as he would say, “Shoot the Shit”. Bob was still fixing and riding his bike up to a couple weeks ago.

Bob was part of the Coffee Club for many years – it was his opportunity to hear and share the gossip around town. From Side Street to Shorty’s, the men gathered most mornings. He was very social and loved to tell a great story. Despite this, Bob was a very proud, private man. His strength, work ethic, and integrity was an inspiration to his children and all who knew him.

The Rockyview Lodge was home for almost 14 years and Bob participated in many activities. Being “Mr. June” in the Wrinkle Ranch Calendar was his claim to fame. He helped many people at the Lodge, including the staff. At the ripe age of 90, Bob passed his ProServe Certification with 100% and continued to bartend “Happy Hour”, up to a year ago when he passed on the torch (shot glass) to another resident. Bob loved to play pool and cribbage (“Don’t come and visit Saturday mornings, I’m busy!”).

Bob’s family would like to express their heartfelt thanks and gratitude for all the thoughtful expressions of love and kindness by relatives and friends during their time of loss and bereavement.

We would also like to thank the wonderful staff at the Rockyview Lodge in Crossfield, who were more like family than care workers.

A Celebration of Bob’s Life will be held at the Crossfield Community Hall (900 Mountain Ave., Crossfield, AB) on Sunday, September 29, 2024 at 2:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Kidney Foundation of Canada (www.kidney.ca).