Roy Earl Wedemire

It is with much sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Roy Earl Wedemire on March 20, 2020 at the age of 85.

Roy was born on December 1, 1934 in Seaford Town, Jamaica, West Indies, to parents Winston and Edna Wedemire. The oldest of six siblings – being predeceased by his sister (Diana), brother (Louie) and his parents – he is survived by siblings Ken, Norma, and Trevor (Paul).

He came to Canada at the age of 19 hoping for a better life, and shortly thereafter joined the Canadian Army. He served for six years, during which time he moved to Calgary (where he lived for 66 years) and met Diana, the love of his life. They were married for a loving 62 years and they had five children (Theresa (predeceased), Ken (Nat), Jeffrey (Judy), Stewart (Michele), Suzie (Ivan)) and 11 grandchildren (Giselle, Scott, Chloe, Benjamin, Dominik, Kimberley, Tessa, Eric, Simon, Sophie and Nicholas). His family was everything to him and he was always at his happiest when he was surrounded by them. Roy’s love of food was always apparent. It was a passion of his and he loved sharing it with others. He and Diana spent a lot of time together in their kitchen creating Jamaican favourites and their own creations from there garden.

Roy was a humble man who enjoyed the simple things in life: a glass of wine, some good food, his garden, and the ever-present scratch tickets were a few things that filled his heart with joy.

He always found the time to speak to anyone, asking them where they were from, how many grandkids they had, or whether a store had a seniors’ discount. In conversations, Roy would often share how grateful and amazed he was by the abundance he had in Canada, and how far he had come from such an impoverished youth in Jamaica. As a young father, he worked hard at multiple jobs, including pumping gas in the evening to provide for his family, allowing him and his children to be able to have the things in their lives he never imagined possible in his youth. He worked in the Steel industry for 30+ years in Calgary and was regarded as one of the top salesmen until he retired in 1995 at which time he still worked part-time.

Roy had a real passion for travel, taking his young family to see his homeland, and later travelling all over to Europe, Canada and the United States, with Hawaii being a particular favourite that he shared with his loved ones.

Roy lives on in his legacy: his grandchildren. He was so incredibly proud of each grandchild, and he loved each of them for their uniqueness. He will be greatly missed by them all.

Due to current circumstances, funeral mass will be a private family service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alberta Lung Association at.    ab.lung.ca

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