Obituary of Peter Charles Roberts
A big man with a big heart, Pete Roberts passed away suddenly on October 10, 2024 at the age of 80. He is survived by Carmen, his wife of 55 years, sons Dan (Abi Patterson) and Tim (Rebecca Davison), siblings Sue, Roger and Jude, nephews, nieces, great-nephews, great-nieces and too many friends and close neighbours to list.
Son of George Abel Roberts, then of the Canadian Armed Forces serving in World War II, and Englishwoman Rose Violet Roberts, Pete was born in Haslemere, Surrey Co., UK and sailed to Canada with his mother aboard the Queen Mary in 1946.
Pete was the oldest of the four Roberts children. They all got used to moving quite regularly as a result of their father staying with the Armed Forces after the war. Pete spent the bulk of his childhood years in southern Ontario, with a year in El Paso, Texas at age 12, before spending most of his teenage years in Winnipeg, Ottawa and Edmonton.
Pete graduated from the RCMP training depot in Regina in 1964 and following his initial postings in Vancouver and Field, BC, he spent the next few years in Canada’s North, starting in Inuvik, NWT.
Pete and Carmen met in the spring of 1969 in Whitehorse, Yukon and were married before that same summer came to an end. They loved their time together living in the North and made a point of revisiting some of their old haunts on multiple occasions after retirement.
Sons Dan and Tim arrived in 1971 and 1975, respectively, roughly coinciding with family moves to Surrey, BC, St. George’s NL and Wabush, NL. Pete’s final decade in the RCMP was spent living in Pasadena, NL and working alternately in Corner Brook and Deer Lake.
Time on Newfoundland’s West Coast coincided with the boys’ busiest schedules, usually very sports-heavy. Pete was an incredibly supportive father in every way but he especially shone with his sons’ games, practices and tournaments. He always attended when possible and often volunteered time as a coach and administrator when he could. He also acted as chauffeur for Dan, Tim and many of their teammates living near and far.
Following retirement, the family moved to Grand Manan in 1989 and the island served as Pete’s home base ever since. Pete and Carmen might have thought of Grand Manan as more of a “launching pad,” given the degree to which they traveled the back roads of North America in one of the many RVs they owned over the years. Whether traversing the Yukon’s Dempster Highway, visiting Civil War historic sites in America’s South, or setting up shop in national, provincial and state parks along the way, Pete and Carmen were inseparable road trip companions, making many friends along the way.
Pete always loved animals, especially his dogs - Kopper, Steele, Norm, Dawson and Charley. He also made friends with every dog and cat that crossed his path.
A voracious reader, Pete was also devoted to a variety of hobbies. He was a very skilled woodworker and took particular pleasure in restoring antique furniture. He and Carmen loved gardening, despite some of the less-than-tropical places where they lived. Pete built a greenhouse in Pasadena to help ensure fresh salads for the family in the summer and on Grand Manan, he’d put in the heavy work in spring (i.e. tilling, irrigating, seeding) so that he could enjoy the rewards months later (i.e. shelling peas and watching young family members and neighbouring kids picking the berries). He was an avid amateur astronomer and delved deeply into collecting stamps and coins. He also managed to take over a bedroom with model trains on more than one occasion.
Pete was a gentle giant and his family and friends knew that they could count on his support and generosity whenever either was required. He will be greatly missed, but we’re all so happy to have had his company all this time.
Cremation has already taken place and there is no memorial ceremony. A tree-planting and scattering of ashes will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please feel free to make a donation to a local animal shelter.
Online condolences to the family or donations can be made at www.humphreysfh.com
Arrangements have been entrusted to the care & direction of the Phillip Ells Jr. Memorial Funeral Centre, a service of Humphreys Funeral Home, 20 Marks St. St. Stephen, NB E3L 2B2 (506 – 466 – 3110)
