Robert George Day was a creative and talented man who continuously expanded his interests and skills. An artist, photographer, actor and singer, he taught himself to carve, make pottery, play both the piano and Hawaiian guitar and paint scenic watercolours. His perfectionism and attention to detail were evident in everything he did, from his photography to his artwork, woodwork and metalwork.
Known as George to his mother, father, siblings and their families, he was called Bob by his wife, her family, their children and friends. He and his family immigrated to Alberta when he was a young boy. He developed an early fascination with aircraft and spent much of his youth hanging around the Edmonton airfield, where he befriended pilots and mechanics.
One memorable day a pilot offered him a ride in a biplane. Young Bob was too small for the safety harness and fell out in the middle of an aerial loop. The quick-thinking pilot grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and hung on until the plane righted itself and Bob fell back into his seat.
When his father died in 1945 of cancer, Bob helped to support his mother and raise the youngest of his seven younger brothers and sisters. His first paid job was in a garage where he learned auto mechanics. He saved his money and bought his mother a piano, which he taught himself to tune and play.
Bob joined the navy during the Second World War and was stationed in Halifax. After the war he returned to Edmonton and worked with Northwest Industries at the Edmonton Airport, where he met Patricia, the love of his life. They were married in 1954.
An award-winning photographer, Bob was also one of the first news cameramen at CFRN when that station went on the air. In the early 1960s, the family relocated to Sidney, B.C., where Bob and Patsy raised their four children, John, Heather, Janet and Cathryn. Bob was responsible for the conversion of the famous Mars water bombers on Sproat Lake and he established a sheet-metal firm in Sidney that he later sold to his business partners. Bob then joined Viking Air, where he was especially valued as a "sheet-metal magician." In 1997, at 81, Bob moved with Patricia to Penticton, B.C.
Bob's fascination with aircraft continued throughout his life. In 2003, when the Mars water bombers arrived in Penticton to fight the Kelowna forest fire, Bob was one of hundreds of spectators on the beach of Lake Okanagan to watch them at work. He recognized every aircraft by the unique sound of its engine.
Bob had a full and long life. He felt deeply that his greatest accomplishment was his family. They will miss his unfailing sense of humour, his generosity and his wise counsel.
Heather Day Jeliazkov is Bob's daughter.