Roger James Richard Dee

Roger James Richard Dee passed away from leukemia on March 27, 2023 at the age of 81. Born in Vancouver on February 27, 1942, he was the son of James Webster Dee and Winona Margaret Dee (nee Berry), both of whom predeceased him. Roger was a loving father to his two children, Natalie Dee and Phoenix Dee, and a cherished brother of his two sisters, Barbara Bennett and Karen O'Brien (Pat O'Brien). He was predeceased by his brother, Ric Dee.

Roger earned a Metallurgical Engineering degree from the University of British Columbia in 1965, followed by an MBA from Western University in 1969. He spent the majority of his career working in finance at Canfor. Later in his life during semi-retirement, he taught forestry finance at UBC.

In 1989 Roger married Sophia van Norden, with whom he had his two children. Roger and Sophia met on the slopes of Whistler and the family spent many happy vacations there at his wife's family cabin.

Roger had a full and active life filled with many accomplishments and interests. He was an avid skier, and he spent most of his life skiing at Whistler Mountain. He loved the sport, taught his children to ski, and continued until he was 78 years old. Roger was also an enthusiastic windsurfer, and spent many weeks in the summers camping at Nitinat Lake on Vancouver Island. Spending so much time there, he became a well-known figure in the community. When his children were young, the whole family would camp with him. Once they outgrew spending summers with “mum and dad”, Roger continued his summer routine of windsurfing at Nitinat with his many friends. In his personal life, Roger was known for his love of building gadgets, especially those that made camping as comfortable as possible. He was also a master of spreadsheets and embraced his role as the "tax drudge" for the family.

Roger had a remarkable passion for life and will be deeply missed by his family, friends and the many people whose lives he touched.