Robert Paul Fix (a.k.a. Bob or Fred), lived a very full and lively 83 years. He passed away peacefully on May 19, 2022, in his hometown of Powell River.
His battle with different medical conditions in his later years showed his love of life as he faced these challenges with a smile. You wouldn’t hear any complaining out of him. If you asked him how he was doing, he would simply reply “regular.”
Bob grew up in Port Alberni and was the second oldest of four boys. After completing grade 10 he went to trade school to become a heavy duty mechanic. His older brother John “Jack” would tell stories about Bob’s genius when it came to engines of all kinds. He had the ability to visualize how every piece of the engine worked and fit together.
Bob worked all over Vancouver Island and into Haida Gwaii mechanicing in logging camps. By the early 70s, Bob, along with a couple other business partners, bought and ran what was known as Pacific Thinning Ltd. They logged mostly at Stillwater until his “forced” retirement in 2005.
Bob met and married Lois Whitson in 1963 and raised two children as well as Lois’s youngest sister, Sherry, in Powell River.
Bob loved life and wanted to experience all he could. He travelled to many countries in Asia, the Caribbean and Mexico, to just name a few.
You could find Bob sitting on his deck chairs at his cabin up Powell Lake in the summers surrounded by his good friends and family. He loved his grandchildren and would spend weeks with them every summer up the lake teaching them waterskiing, fishing, diving off logs while the 50’s playlist blasted in the background. He wasn’t much of a cook so his grandkids had to learn the art of cooking up a steak on the BBQ for Grampa!
By 2011 Bob met Joyce Black and happily settled into a very loving relationship. They had total respect for each other and loved and laughed every day. During their time together they cruised the Panama Canal, flew to Los Cabos, Mexico, and Yuma, Arizona. They also spent time boating up the coast in the “Blue Fix”. There were so many special times spent together up the lake enjoying the cabin until it was time to sell it to a new family.
Bob loved playing solitaire while watching Bonanza, and enjoyed watching his favourite movies starring Clint Eastwood or John Wayne. Warm summer afternoons were spent enjoying the back deck with his favourite lady Joyce while watching their cat Rocky explore life.
It’s hard to sum up a life like the one Bob led in a few paragraphs. His life was full and generous, evidenced by the amazing friends he had surrounding him. He was very loved and will be dearly missed.
He is survived by his spouse Joyce Black, daughter Tana Fairley née Fix (Noel), son Jeff Fix, grandchildren James, Brett (Anna), Mikayla (Dave) and Rocky. He was predeceased by his best friend “Murphy.”
Bob will be honoured with a Celebration of Life held at Carlson Community Club in Powell River on June 11, 2022, from 1 to 4 pm.
