Robert Barry Snell (Bob)

Obituary

Passed on

December 30, 2024

With great sadness, we announce the passing of Robert Barry Snell (Bob), December 30, 2024.

Bob was born on January 17, 1949, the first of six children of Lloyd and Marion Snell (deceased). He was also pre-deceased by a sister, Linda and brother, Russ.

Left to mourn his passing are his brother Ken (Francine), sister-in-law Laura, and sisters Tracy (Todd) and Bev (Ken) as well as many nieces, nephews, great nieces & nephews, and friends.

Bob was born in Manitoba, lived for a time as a youth in Puntzi, B.C. and then with his grandparents, William and Myrtle Napper, in Stonewall during his high school years. As a young adult, Bob worked for Manitoba Hydro in Gillam and Long Spruce. He soon moved to Alberta and worked at Esso for many years, and later other companies that performed plant shutdowns. Bob was also proud to have worked on the world’s largest offshore oil platform, the Hibernia oil rig near the end of his career.

Our brother exemplified many family characteristics. He was intelligent, witty, stubborn, and skilled in ways that enabled him to take care of things that needed attending. Oh, and he was a bit of a trickster! Shared memories include those where Bob snuck out the second floor window of the Napper’s in order to go uptown in Stonewall to buy smokes and hang out; deflating tires to allow a car to take Bob and friends on a railroad joy ride, and also pretending to be asleep as the rest of the family left for holiday get-togethers, only to arrive there before everyone else! He was very giving, often treating the family to dinner at the Round Table for mom’s Boxing Day birthday.

He really did like to surprise people. Sometimes he would meet up with travelers at the train station, show up to surprise his parents at a special anniversary, or call you up just to sing a friendly ‘Happy birthday.’ Ken recalls Bob travelling to Prince George to see the drag races as he put the Falcon through its paces. Bob liked fast cars too! He had an MG that came to an end just north of Winnipeg (long story) as well as a pretty fancy (and fast) Mazda.  One time, Bob was on the receiving end of a not so happy surprise when he had a too close encounter with a moose. He was a lucky man to have escaped that with just a few bruises, not so, the moose!

Bob was adventurous. Tracy remembers the excitement of going to the airport to pick up Bob when he arrived home from some locale. He seemed like an exotic world traveler, even though he may have been returning from Manitoba’s north. He did become a world traveler, going to Hawaii, and later exploring all that Portugal had to offer and more. He enjoyed camping in Canada and the United States and checking in on snowbird friends in Arizona and Texas, usually with his friend, Ron. One time, Bob even rented a Harley and rode down the coast of California.

Speaking of being adventurous, when Bob lived in Alberta, he wanted to build a house and live off-grid. With a little help from Dad and Russ the house went up and Bob managed pretty well with coal/wood stove, solar panels, and windmill. He even managed to bake shortbread cookies on one of his stoves!

Bob enjoyed skiing. This may have begun while being pulled behind a snowmobile up and down the lane, but then extended to cross country and downhill excursions. Bob once treated Bev to a winter vacation and opportunity to try skiing at Lake Louise and Sunshine mountains.

With Russ, Bob attended a major airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Both had their private pilots’ licenses, so they found a common interest at the airshow. This was another way they both got to ‘go fast!’

After the passing of our dad, Bob moved back to Manitoba to help with mom’s care. He seemed to enjoy that quiet life. In addition to taking care of Mom and her dog Pal, he would pick up the daily paper to work on his puzzles and engage in a bit of gossip with Jack at the store or ride his bicycle in Argyle. (We suspect he liked to chat up some of the lady walkers there too!)  Bob would take Mom on outings such as supper at the Rock or the Hitching Post, attend community teas, view historical buildings or anything else he thought might interest her. Mom loved to play the piano by ear, and Bob showed some musical ability too, playing ‘In the Mood’ and singing ‘King of the Road.’

After Mom’s passing, Bob returned to life as a bachelor, this time in Stonewall, Manitoba. He continued to pick up the paper daily, perhaps stop by Sigs or Chicken Chef for a coffee as he worked a puzzle and later making his way for supper, again to The Rock.

Bob was quiet, and sometimes boisterous. He lived life his way and as he often said, things were, “tickety boo!”

Cremation has taken place, and a private family gathering will occur in the spring. In lieu of donations, please remember to tip your server at The Rock.

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