Dennis Lawrence Robertson

On May 12, 1939, Dennis made his arrival in Vancouver General Hospital as a light amidst the darkness of a world about to enter into another war. His mother, Evelyn, eventually became a single parent and worked outside the home. In an era of large families and stay at home moms, Denny and his Mom were an oddity having only each other in their hometown of Burnaby. Dennis grew up quickly and with tenacity. He took pride in his paper route and enjoyed the Vancouver Sun summer camps where he was first introduced to the outdoors, a passion that he would later share with his family and as a scout leader.

James (Jim) Robertson married Evelyn in 1954 giving them all his surname. Years later the trio realized that the process had simply been a name change so at age 56 Dennis was proudly adopted by Jim making him the oldest adoptee the lawyer had ever witnessed. Dennis spent summers working in Alaska with Jim mining the rugged terrain. Hunting, fishing, trapping and camping in baker’s tents with no-see-ums so thick that he could hardly breathe taught him the harsher realities of nature.

Dennis met his soulmate through a sneaky friend who offered him and Winifred Bain a ride home after work. Dinner followed and soon after, they married in Kelowna. As an only child with no extended family, Dennis met Win’s mom, siblings, nieces and nephews with anticipation. The usual chaos and warmth of large families scared and excited him. He would have never guessed that he and Win would eventually become the grandparents to a family of twenty-two in addition to the Bain relatives that embraced their Uncle Denny. Along the way Win and Denny met and welcomed their kids' extended families and friends into the fold considering all to be family.

Early married life began on the coast and in 1962 the couple gave birth to their daughter Sheila, followed by two sons Cory and Tyler. Dennis was relocated to Prince George by his employer, Wajax, a heavy equipment company to pioneer a new branch. The family made PG their home for 10 years until Denny was again offered the opportunity to start another branch office in Kamloops. He loved his work and the people he met through it. His honesty and strong work ethic earned respect from co-workers and customers.

Kamloops remained home for the remainder of his life. The couple purchased a parcel of land outside of Pinantan for recreation and it became the “5R property”. Family gathered there on weekends and holidays. Dennis and Win enjoyed deep friendships with neighbors there. Every year, they gathered the grandkids to spend a week at the property to share the great outdoors at “Grandad Camp”.

In his fifties, Dennis was diagnosed with an uncommon but terminal cancer, followed by several other cancers and kidney failure. Surgery and treatment gave his life an extension but his stubborn nature, fortitude, and sense of humor made the years count and enriched our lives. He kept immaculate medical records always thinking of how his journey could help the next patients. He made himself available to those newly diagnosed, spending hours encouraging them.

As an adult, Dennis became hard of hearing. Being an avid dog person, it was natural for him to embrace a Hearing Assist dog. Crackers entered his life and the two became inseparable. Crackers was the first HA dog in Kamloops and much of BC. The pair began a journey of education through visits to schools, countless businesses and service clubs. Eventually, their adventures culminated into Denny’s book “Crackers… Come Hear” and a children’s version. Writing soon became another passion for him. Dennis advocated for people with hearing loss and deafness in addition to service dog access for all.

With writing now in his veins, he created ditties. 14 lines containing humor, history and best wishes were carefully penned every holiday and event. To celebrate each of these occasions he personally dropped off or mailed them to over 100 people in an effort to cheer their day. Family looked forward to his clever ditties for birthdays, anniversaries and milestones.

Dennis achieved his dream of becoming a pilot and loved to fly. When his hearing loss required he give up his license he was deeply disappointed but faced the loss the way he faced everything, by looking for a new adventure to enjoy.

In more recent years, Dennis’s daily routine included hoisting a flag from his vast collection of national, provincial, state and civic flags. His passion for people and the places they were from or visited ignited the practice. Later, it became a geography lesson for neighbors who attempted to identify the changing flags.

On May 12, 2016, the Governor General of Canada presented Dennis with the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers. An honor that he treasured.

The common thread of Dennis’s multifaceted life is a dedication to making the world he lived in a better place through humor and kindness but above all through love.

Dennis will always be remembered by his wife Win, of 61 years and his children: Sheila (Dan), Cory (Marci), Tyler (Pam) and grandchildren: Erin (Cody), Joshua (Morganna), Katie (Tony), Alex (Cayle), Jake, Ben, Luke (Janelle), Nolan and great grandchildren: Cadence, Rhett and Reign.

A Celebration of Dennis’s life will be held on April 9th at 2 pm at Summit Drive Church.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to any of the following charities. Dennis was grateful for their kindness and care.

BC Cancer Agency, Royal Inland Hospital, Marjorie Willoughby Snowden Memorial Hospice House.