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Upstanding citizen killed in tragic accident

A 58-year-old Campbell River man died Sunday following a tragic accident on Nursery Road

Heartbroken family and staff at Rose’s Country Catering will be at this weekend’s Valentine’s event as they mourn the loss of their patriarch.

Fred Rose, 58, died Sunday following a tragic accident near his home on Nursery Road. Rose, an avid outdoorsman, was unloading his all-terrain vehicle from the back of his pickup when it flipped on top of him.

In spite of the best efforts of emergency crews, Rose died at Campbell River Hospital. He is survived by Karen, his wife of 25 years, and two children, Kyle and Erin.

“It was a terrible shock for everyone, especially Karen and their family,” said former Campbell River mayor Lynn Nash who was Rose’s friend for 30 years.

In spite of their loss, Rose’s Catering will be providing the gourmet dinner at this Saturday’s “Romance Your Valentine” dinner and dance at the Maritime Heritage Centre.

“Karen might not be there, but she said she’s going to see this through,” Nash said.

Rose was a director with the Maritime Heritage Centre Society and was instrumental in making the annual dinner and dance a success. He was also a key organizer of the annual summer boat rodeo; both events are fundraisers for the centre located on the foreshore by Discovery Pier.

“He was the greatest of people to work for,” said family friend Margaret Brown, who worked with Rose for 23 years. “He’s just a wonderful person.”

Rose donated countless hours to many community events, said Nash, and never said “no” when someone was in need.

In addition to his volunteer activities with the Maritime Heritage Centre, Rose was involved in the North Island Chef’s Association and was the current president of the North Island Vintage Car Club.

“He has a couple of Fords from the 1950s. He hadn’t restored them yet – it was a project waiting to get done…he was a busy guy,” Nash said.

Rose also enjoyed boating over to the family’s cabin on Craycroft Island and each summer he and Karen brought the clam chowder to the car club’s annual barbecue at Rebecca Spit on Quadra Island.

“We are so sad to hear about this. I’m sure the whole community is supporting Karen at this time,” said Nash. “Fred was an upstanding member of this community…this is a tremendous loss to the community.”