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BORN
1933
DIED
2022
Robert (Bob) ORRICK Obituary
DOB 30 October 1933, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, passed away peacefully in his sleep on August 16, 2022, at Delta Hospital in Ladner, BC. He was 88 years old. Predeceased by his baby daughter, Veronica Lynn in July 1957 and son-in-law Bob West in December 2013, and his loving wife, his bride, Shirley May [nee Cruickshank], in February 2019, sixty-five years, four months and nine days together, Bob is survived by his, daughters Patricia Anne [Steven] Young of Cedar, BC; Jacqueline Louise Orrick of Vancouver, BC; Joanne Elizabeth [Bryan] West of Nanaimo, BC, sons Robert Gordon [Janine] of Tsawwassen, BC; Michael Andrew [Irene] of Parksville, BC; brothers Brenton [Shirley] of Cowichan Bay, BC, and Wayne of Campbell River, BC, plus thirteen grandchildren, fourteen great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
In 1950, Bob left Esquimalt High School and joined the Royal Canadian Navy as a communicator. He was sworn into the RCN onboard HMCS Sault Ste Marie. He served onboard HMCS Athabaskan DDE219 during the Korean War. During Bob's career in the RCN, he served onboard HMC Ships Antigonish; Athabaskan; Brockville; Ste Therese; James Bay; Cayuga; Saguenay; Fraser; Margaree and Gatineau with a short period onboard HM Australian Ship Melbourne, a carrier.
Following retirement in 1975, Bob became a member of The Fourth Estate rising from reporter/photographer to editor of a community newspaper.
In May 1979, Bob accepted a political appointment as ministerial assistant to a BC government cabinet minister. He served seven years in Victoria and Richmond.
Following his political appointment, Bob joined with three others and formed an international marketing company. When that enterprise ran into a roadblock and delisted, Bob became the sole North American distributor of an Australian hospitality product, then followed that as a private ESL tutor. During his twelve years as a tutor, he helped pupils from many countries including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, China, Venezuela, and Canada.
One of Bob's proudest accomplishments came during his term as National Public Information Officer for the Korea Veterans Association of Canada, Inc. Bob mounted an exhaustive three-year campaign to convince the federal government that recognition of the 27,000 Canadians who volunteered for service in Korea 1950-53 was long overdue. In November 1991, Ottawa acquiesced then struck and awarded the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal for Korea to surviving veterans of the Korean War and families of deceased veterans. In 1992, the Government of Canada recognized Bob's diligence and awarded him the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada to go along with the many other awards and medals that he received
for service to his country as well as from the president of South Korea; the Kookmin Posang medal which is an official honour bestowed upon those whose outstanding meritorious service improves the lives of others and promotes national development, plus several Republic of Korea [South Korea] consuls-general awards.
Bob very much loved his family and took pride in the accomplishments of each member of his ever-expanding family.
Either as a member of the RCN or accompanied by his wife, Shirley, Bob managed to travel and visit six of the seven
continents of this planet with Antarctica being the lone holdout. Among the many countries that Bob and Shirley visited, Israel with multi-visits, stands out.
Along the path of life, Bob managed to research, write and publish four non-fiction books: Indelible Memories, the RCN in Korea 1950-55; RCN Reefs, an account of former navy ships being turned into underwater reefs to support marine critters and as safe dive sites for recreational divers; Canada's Three Korean Wars, a story about the navy, army, air force and merchant ships in Korea 1950-53, and They Fought Valiantly For Their Country, an anecdotal account of the Korean War as told by Korean nationals.
Additionally, he had two blogs: boborrick.com and Inre1.ca; moreover, Bob was not hesitant in taking each level of government to task for being less than stellar with taxpayers' money - he was well known for writing letters to government ministers and newspaper editors.
As he often said, while he was retired from the RCN, the RCN was not retired from him- he was Royal Canadian Navy to the very end.
Bob's first job was selling newspapers on the streets of Victoria when he was seven years old. He bought the papers from the newspaper office at 2.5 cents per paper and sold them at 5 cents each. It was his free enterprise beginning.
Bob was a strong proponent of conservatism and free enterprise; he moderately tolerated liberalism, detested socialism, and hated communism.
In a comment to his darling wife, Shirley, he said that he wondered just what his family members might think of him after he was gone. Just what were their thoughts as to Bob's principles and achievements and dreams? He hoped that they would recognize his principles, and respect his deep-held conviction that free enterprise through conservative was the only route to follow and that his love of family was paramount, even if not always openly displayed.
Bob was loved very much by all who knew him, especially by his family and will be missed. He loved the Village of Ladner where Bob and his wife Shirley lived. He would frequently visit the many shops and businesses in the area where he was fond of saying "shop local," which he did.
Funeral service will be at St. Andrew's Anglican Church, at 4951 12th Ave, Tsawwassen, BC on September 24, 2022, at 2 PM.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Robert (Bob) ORRICK
2 Entries
Jim Lavender
September 23, 2022
As I anticipate his memorial tomorrow, I will be remembering my friend if some 35 years. When we met, we were working together in a marketing company. As time progressed, Bob and Shirley became very close friends with my wife Sandy and I.
Bob and I shared common views about life, history (how important not to forget it), politics and government, family, and our relationship with Jesus.
Bob was a prolific writer. When he retired he wanted to share his writing with the world. He commissioned me to help set up an Internet presence, and he began to share.
I loved reading what he wrote, and people loved it too. He often remarked on the comments and responses he got, which only fueled his passion to keep writing.
His last project was a new website, which we launched last year. He called it, In the Matter Of, at the domain, https://inre1.ca
INRE is Latin for.....you guessed it, In The Matter Of!
He wrote about his travels (6 Continents). Never got to Antarctica. His Canadian Naval career (Korean War), and Odds and Sod´s.
It was very difficult to see his suffering of the past two and a half years. He did not deserve it. However, he met it with courage, and remained faithful to his calling as a Follower of Christ. He knew that God would see him through it all. And He did!
I will miss Bob dearly. I will miss our visits, which were always very productive, both from a personal perspective and as business associates.
He is with his Heavenly Father now, and is re-united with the love of his life, Shirley. We can celebrate his life even though we mourn his passing.
Check out his websites:
Https://Bob Orrick.com
Https://inre1.ca
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Jackie
September 21, 2022
I met Bob when he stayed at our convalescent centre for several months. During his time with us, he wrote an amazing history about the facility. He was always inquisitive, positive, and inclusive. The world is a poorer place without Bob. RIP.
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