Obituary of Robert Walter Harvey

Harvey, Robert

Retired North Bay Police Officer, Detective Sergeant Robert Walter Harvey, age 84, passed away on Friday, January 04^th, 2019. He was born on August 23^rd, 1934 in North Bay, Ontario to William and Eva Harvey. He married the love of his life Lorraine Ida White sixty-four years ago, on November 11^th 1954. He is survived by Lorraine and his three beautiful daughters Kim (Glen Quirt), Susan (Chris Robertshaw), Rhonda (Jeff Tiller), two wonderful grandsons Robert and Troy Tiller, and several nieces and nephews.

Robert was preceded in death by his father William and his mother Eva, and his two sisters and brothers-in-law Joan (Bob Bainbridge) and Diane (John Grosso).

In his early years he Captained the “Walleye” fishing charter boat and had one of the first snow machines and airplane boats on Lake Nipissing. Robert graduated from the Ontario Police College and rose to the rank of Detective Sergeant. He was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in his early 40’s. Undaunted by the prospects of dealing with this disease, Bobby used his incredible passion for life, his wonderful sense of humour and his love of spending time with his friends and family to have a rich and rewarding life.

He was an inspiration to all that had the pleasure of knowing him. Never one to feel sorry for himself, he continually found new hobbies and things to occupy his time, especially with the help from his amazing and supportive wife, Lorraine. He enjoyed painting, building and flying model airplanes, working with tools and learning new technologies. He was an early adaptor of computers and loved nothing more than ordering crazy things from Amazon almost daily while away in Florida as a snowbird.

Bobby loved spending time and having fun with his two grandsons, Robert and Troy. They always held a special place in his heart. When he wasn`t teaching them how to enjoy life by learning how to fish, fly model airplanes, boating and waterskiing, he was busy attending every event they participated in. As the years passed and his mobility declined, he relied on his almost photographic memory to recall wonderful stories of his treasured past. Bobby was the most positive person to everyone who knew him and was a real pleasure to spend time with.  

Bobby left this world the same way he lived his life, leaving on his own terms and fighting until everyone had a chance to say goodbye, even waiting for Sue and Chris to arrive home from Florida before taking his final breath. He was surrounded by his loved ones and his final words were ``It`s been a great ride``.

Special thanks to the fantastic nurses and doctors at the NBRH (Allison, Paige, Emily, Brooklyn, Dr. McKenna, Dr. Leckie and all the wonderful staff). 

A small Celebration of Life will be held in the spring by his family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the MS Society or a charity of your choice.