Roland KEITH

January 20, 1936 - October 1, 2025 Rollie is terribly missed by his wife of 62 years, Pam; his daughters Caroline (Tom), Joanne (Pat), and Barbara (Steve); as well as his grandsons Cody (Paige), Aidan (Natalie), and Kale (Olivia), and their families. Rollie was unique. A long-serving solder, retired Captain, he was also very much an advocate of "diplomacy over war". Consequently, although he was immensely proud of his and his comrades' service with the United Nations, particularly in the United Nations Emergency Force in the Suez in 1957, as well as his service with the Lord Strathcona's Horse, the Hussars, and the Airborne Regiment, whose colours he proudly wore for the rest of his life, he was also a long-time believer in, and a member of, the New Democratic Party (NDP). He served on both their federal and provincial councils, and he ran many times for office under their banner, in the Fraser Valley, mostly coming in a close second! Rollie was also an historian. He earned an Honours Degree in History from Simon Fraser University, and he went on to complete coursework for a Master's in that discipline. He was also a community activist, serving both as a member and the chair of the Fraser Valley Health Board. Rollie also served as a founding member of the Chilliwack Military Education Centre, spending his weekends sharing his 'war stories' with people who came to learn about the exploits of the Canadian military, and talking in schools about the importance of November 11, especially, and why war is never better than dialogue. An animal lover, he had four dogs in his lifetime, and he tried to save the lives of many birds and gophers when they were brought to him by his daughters and their friends. Although he spent many months away from home with his job - from parachuting into the Arctic to training in Jamaica, when he was at home, he loved to cook for his family - from rare roast beef to buttermilk waffles. He was also an avid gardener: he dug gold fish ponds and grew leeks! Rollie was a traveller. We lived with him in Jerusalem for a year, as well as Fort Knox, KY, and in Germany, and all across Europe,mostly sussing out old battlefields, and we lived in four of Canada's provinces. Rollie also spent time in Kosovo and in Iraq, keenly observing what would become notable moments in history, and he was also a prolific bibliophile, collecting hundreds of mostly historical and military books. One of his favourite authors was the late historian, TimCook. When all is said and done, then, as now it is, Rollie's life was a life lived to its fullest. He worked to maintain a safe , caring and prosperous country for his family to grow up in , and he never stopped believing in trying to make the world a better place. We miss him deeply.