Obituary of Robert (Bob) James Maynard

November 17, 1940 - Chesterfield, England

July 8, 2023 - Calgary, Alberta

Robert (Bob) Maynard beloved husband of Delores Maynard (nee Miller) of Calgary, AB, passed away on Saturday, July 8, 2023 at the age of 82 years.

Robert James Maynard arrived November 17, 1940, in war-torn Chesterfield, England; born to Zilla (nee Bottomley) and Robert Leslie Maynard. His family, like multitudes of others, experienced WW2 first-hand with his father being a pilot for the Royal Air Force. When WW2 ended and after a series of moves within England, Bob, his mother and three younger sisters, Nina, Elizabeth, and Sally, moved to Canada.

After first stopping in Barrhead, AB in 1953, moving became the norm. The next two years included stops in Wetaskiwin and Jasper Place before landing in Edmonton in 1955, where three additional moves occurred. Bob completed high school at Victoria Composite and knew then his purpose in life. Beside his 1956-57 high school yearbook picture, under future ambition Bob wrote "Electrical Engineering". Ever curious and dogged in the pursuit of answers, Bob enrolled as a 16-year-old at the University of Alberta. Despite his sharp mind and intelligence, Bob, like most first-year students, initially struggled. He found the activities of the pool hall more interesting than classroom discussion. But he soldiered on, graduating from the U of A in 1962 with a degree in electrical engineering—just as he imagined as a high school kid. With his degree and an engineering future in hand, Bob crisscrossed Canada much like the oil and gas pipelines that eventually benefited from his expertise.

In his travels, he met a young woman named Delores who was staying at the same boarding house in Estevan, SK. The relationship sparkled and they married in 1964 in Medicine Hat. A family soon followed. Rose arrived in 1965, Rob in 1967 and Nadine in 1972. His growing family made many moves between Estevan, Parry Sound ON, Nobel, QC, Fort Saskatchewan, AB, and back to Estevan. From Estevan the family moved to Calgary in 1978 and found a permanent home.

Bowling, curling, and a love of country music kept Bob and Delores happy and entertained. As the children grew, camping and road trips brought them many adventures and great memories. Grandchildren also played a special role in their lives. Roisin, Denis and later Kaleb, Carley and Ronan made Bob's eyes twinkle. He spent many hours reading to his grandchildren on his big comfy chair.

A big man at 6'3'' and 220 lbs., his booming laugh and full-face smile could be heard and seen from a great distance whenever an amusing story was told.

Bob worked for many years at Caproco, a company specializing in corrosion prevention. He soon became an expert in the field. And in 1987, he, along with a colleague and friend Clarke Cherniwchan, founded Aurora Corrosion Control, which specialized in pipeline corrosion. Bob and Clarke worked hard to build their company and Bob, in addition to being Vice-President and Principal Engineer, also took on roles in management, administration, IT support, field work, and mentoring and training their employees. He became a well known and well respected professional in the corrosion industry. In his later years of his career, Bob particularly enjoyed being a consultant for TC Energy (TransCanada Pipelines) where he shared his expertise and knowledge. He maintained his engineering designation with APEGGA and his NACE affiliation until he was 81 years old.

Bob's health struggles started when he was 42 with cardiovascular disease and bypass surgery. This took many turns over the years, and it eventually evolved into heart failure in his later years. Throughout all of this, he remained a healthy active man, who worked hard at taking care of himself. He was a member of the cardiac rehab group that met at the YMCA every morning and continued with this group from shortly after his first bypass surgery until 2020. This proved to be an important support group for him, with many friendships that endured over the years.

And while his body eventually gave way to a multitude of illnesses, Bob's mind remained intact, constantly wondering about this drug or that treatment and what the answer might be. Unfortunately, his heart gave up while he was in the Rockyview General Hospital on July 8, 2023. Delores remains in their suite in their retirement home, and welcomes visitors, phone calls, and flowers.

Besides his loving wife, Robert is survived by his two daughters, Rose (Mark) Maynard and Nadine (Steve) Favell; and his five grandchildren, Roisin (Miller) Wiens, Denis (Madi) Ouellette, Kaleb Favell, Carley Favell, and Ronan Favell. Robert is also survived by his two sisters, Elizabeth Karra and Nina (Allen) Tait; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and friends. Robert was predeceased by his parents, Robert Leslie and Zilla Maynard; his youngest sister Sally (Marcel) Pare, and his cherished son Robert Mathew Maynard.

If friends so desire, tributes may be made in memory of Robert James Maynard, directly to the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Alberta, 200, 119 – 14th Street N.W., Calgary, AB T2N 1Z6 Telephone: (403) 264-5549, www.heartandstroke.ca.

A Celebration of Robert’s Life will be held at McInnis & Holloway (Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB) on Monday, August 21, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. Reception to follow in the Hospitality Centre at the Funeral Home. Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed at www.MHFH.com.

In living memory of Robert Maynard, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB T2S 2L5, Telephone: 403-243-8200.