FLETCHER
Robert Howard,
May 11, 1924 - Dec 24, 2015.
Born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan Bob was the fifth of eleven children. From an early age he learned to work hard as the family struggled to support itself through the Great Depression. At the age of 16 Bob left home in search of opportunity and adventure, he rode the rails to Ontario where he found work in a lumber camp and later at a smelter. In 1941, at the age of 17 he joined the air force and trained to be a pilot. Bob spent the majority of the war in Saskatchewan as a Royal Canadian Air Force flight instructor. In 1944 he was decommissioned from the RCAF and transferred to the Navy Fleet Air Arm and he began operational flying in England until the wars end. After the war Bob returned to Canada and became a bush pilot in northern Saskatchewan. Bob had very fond memories of those years, the days were long but the people were wonderful, the landscape was so beautiful and flying was always his passion. Eventually he attended the University of Chicago and received a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. During this time Bob met a young nurse named Ivy Mercer that he fell in love with. She was an outgoing person who was kindhearted and loved to laugh. Bob was a quiet, serious man and together they seemed to bring out the best in each other. They married September 2, 1950. Together they raised a family on a slim budget as Bob completed his Engineering degree only to find there were no jobs so he returned to university to become a Medical Doctor. After graduating in 1962, Bob and Ivy moved the family to Minnesota where they stayed until 1967, at which point they moved back to Canada and settled in Lacombe. Bob practiced family medicine in Lacombe until his retirement in 1994. During all the years they lived in Lacombe Bob was an active member of the Lacombe flying club where he made many lifelong friends. Bob will be remembered as a loving husband and father, a loyal friend and a dedicated doctor. Bob was predeceased by his wife Ivy and leaves behind 6 children (David, Cathy, Doug, Gord, Mark and Roberta), 14 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. At Bob's request there will be no funeral.