March 19, 1927 - February 12, 2017
Do Not Ask Me to Remember
Do not ask me to remember,
Don’t try to make me understand,
Let me rest and know you’re with me,
Kiss my cheek and hold my hand.
I’m confused beyond your concept,
I am sad and sick and lost.
All I know is that I need you
To be with me at all cost.
Do not lose your patience with me,
Do not scold or curse or cry.
I can’t help the way I’m acting,
Can’t be different though I try.
Just remember that I need you,
That the best of me is gone,
Please don’t fail to stand beside me,
Love me ’til my life is done.
– Owen Darnell
Born in Chilliwack B.C. to parents Rowland and Jessie Mitchell in a time when radio and motion pictures were new. While growing up in the lower mainland, he moved many times and finally settled in the Comox Valley at the age of 17. His radio was set to the swing music of the day; the tunes of Tommy Dorsey and the Glen Miller Orchestra was the music that echoed through his life. He loved to whistle, to sing and to dance.
Soon after arriving in the Valley he met the love of his life Joan Lloyd and he chased her until she finally caught him in 1953. They celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary on January 16 of this year. Rolly and Joan raised their four children (Robert deceased) & (Carol), Bill & (Tammy), Janet & (Walter) and Dianne (Ignacio). They never moved from the street they called home. As the years went by the family grew with 9 grandchildren and 2 great-grand children.
Rolly was handy around the house and could either build or fix just about anything, anywhere. As a matter of fact, he built a bed frame, two kayaks and a duck punt in the family kitchen. He was always busy doing or fixing something and if he couldn’t fix it at the very least he could take it apart. He was a hunter and an avid fisherman, and enjoyed camping and the outdoors.
Rolly started out working for his father as a painter until May of 1956 when he began work at CFB Comox in the CE Section where he worked until his retirement after completing 28 years of service. He joined the Masonic Order in 1974 and was an active member of the Hiram Lodge #14 AF & AM for many years and after completing the York Rite he joined the Gizah Shrine where he helped with fund raising for the Shrine Children’s Hospital, and later in life took great joy in being a member of the Rough Riders at parade routes up and down the island.
Rolly will always be remembered for his smile, the twinkle in his eye and his kind disposition. He was an honourable man, a man who worked hard and gave his everything to his family. In doing so, he created an atmosphere of peace, and a safe haven of love and sanctuary.
Many thanks to all of the nurses and care givers at both the Views and Glacier View Lodge for your dedication, and your compassion. As Dementia took so many things from Rolly there was one thing that could always reach him and that was the treasured music of his youth. It has been a Sentimental Journey, this is your Moon Light Serenade, and now you are our Star Dust. We will always love you!
There will be a Celebration of Life to follow in the spring.