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Husband. Father. Grandfather. Brother. Son.
Proud Family Man. Loyal Veteran. Gifted Photographer.
With heavy hearts we announce the passing this week of a one of a kind man, Donald “Rob” Robichaud. After a courageous battle with cancer, we said goodbye on February 11th, 2021.
He will be forever loved and missed by his wife Hazel (Hogan) Robichaud and his children Angela MacIntyre Harris (Stephen) and George MacIntyre (Vanessa Smith) He leaves behind two of the brightest lights of his life, his cherished grandsons Campbell and Quinn, who will miss him so incredibly much.
Donald Joseph came blazing into the world on February 14th, 1949 to Amédée and Rita Robichaud of Amirault, just a stone’s throw from Sainte-Anselme Church in Dieppe, NB. Born the 4th of 8 children, he was a bit of a mischievous black sheep and always had a quick comeback and a twinkle in his eye.
Donald joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 1966 at the young age of 17.
It was then that he received the nickname “Rob” which would be his for the rest of his life. Whether you called him Donald, Don, Rob, DonRob or Pépère, he always had a kind smile, a listening ear and a story or two to share.
DonRob dedicated his life to his country and travelled the world for 25 years collecting memories, accolades and stories. He loved to share stories of his journeys and of the places he went and the people he met along the way. As a steward on many international military flights, he had the privilege of crewing for a number of esteemed and well-known dignitaries.
His postings took him from coast to coast and to Israel as well. He seemed to have the most stories from his days in CFB Comox and Baldy Hughes BC. A meticulous organizer and manager, he held numerous roles over the years in the CANEX military stores and in the Junior Ranks Clubs and Senior NCO’s Mess. He would use these strengths and talents for years to come as he organized and “directed” family trips, dinners and events.
DonRob met the love of his life Hazel on a fateful outing in CFB Wainwright and they made their family official in a quaint ceremony in April 1987. He proudly retired as a Warrant Officer in 1990, and it was then time to return home to Dieppe and to return his family back to the Maritimes. Rob and Hazel bought their first non-PMQ home on Chartersville Road and they took great pride and joy in raising their children and grand children there. There was always someone dropping in (usually unannounced), a family party happening or some commotion going on with Hazel front and center and Rob smiling quietly in the back.
DonRob spent 16 years working for Correctional Service Canada and was happy to officially retire in 2008 with Hazel to spend more time traveling, volunteering and enjoying his computer and countless hobbies.
Known for his love of photography, DonRob took great pride is what he called “just a fun hobby”. A humble man, he was, in fact, a talented photographer … most notably in sports and portrait photography. He was dedicated to his craft and became well respected in many of the sports organizations in Greater Moncton. What started as a favour to his daughter, a rugby coach, soon became a calling, as he honed his skills and learned more about the game of Rugby so that he could be at “just the right angle” to capture “just the right shot”. And that he sure did. He spent many years photographing the Bernice MacNaughton Highlander athletes and loved working with the Moncton Black Tide Rugby Club as well. He loved doing event photography and volunteered as a photographer for many years with the Dieppe Military Veterans’ Association, with the Catholic Women’s League and for countless other events, weddings and gatherings. It was one of the first things that cancer took from him and it broke his heart when he eventually had to give it up.
Besides his beautiful wife Hazel, his favourite photography subjects were his two grandsons Campbell and Quinn. They grew up with the camera ever present and were always game to play and pose for whatever fun project Pepére had on the go. DonRob loved to take photos of his grandsons playing sports, and he was always happy to take team photos and to capture special requests from many other parents as well. It truly filled him with pride to be asked and we are sure that there are hundreds of mementos of his work from over the years.
DonRob took pride in his health and made it a priority to stay active especially as he got older. After a quadruple heart bypass in 2005, he focused his efforts on walking and then running. He joined the Running Room the very next year and completed the Blue Nose Half Marathon at age 56. He told anyone that would listen (sorry Rob you know it’s true) that he had successfully gotten off ALL his medications over the years. With hard work and his signature determination, he lost weight, and focused on his health to make it happen.
He loved his family fiercely and he took great care to say goodbye to each of his 7 siblings. It filled his heart that they stayed so close and had such great family gatherings over the years. He was the proud brother of Cecile Capson (Gary), Alphonsine Millican (Bill), Clarence Robichaud (Lita), Florence Robichaud, Yvette Noel (Bob), Bernice Robichaud (Russell), and Bernard Robichaud.
He leaves behind a long list of friends, nieces and nephews and extended family from Hazel’s side as well; he will be missed dearly.
Just like he dealt with most things in his life, DonRob managed his illness with the same strength, dry humour and fierce determination, never once complaining about his diagnosis. He will forever be remembered with a twinkle in his eye and for his exceptionally sharp mind. He made it very clear (yes Rob I am still following instructions!) that he wanted to thank all of the nurses, doctors and caregivers who made life so much easier for all of us the last 2 years. A special thank you to Dr. Ravi Comstock and Lenora Tower who went above and beyond to provide such great care and love to our family.
Due to COVID restrictions, a celebration of his life will be held later in the year. He would not want us to cry or to be sad and he would definitely have gruffly insisted that we carry on. And of course he did NOT want to be rushed.
Donations to The Rebecca Schofield Fund (www.inbeccasname.ca #beccatoldmeto) would be greatly appreciated by the family and would have meant a lot to him. In lieu of flowers, our family asks that you do something kind for someone else. In this unprecedented time in the world and in all of our lives, kindness can go a very long way.
Funeral arrangement entrusted to Chartersville Funeral Home, 363 Amirault Street, Dieppe, NB (857-1901). www.chartersville.com
Husband. Father. Grandfather. Brother. Son.
Proud Family Man. Loyal Veteran. Gifted Photographer.
With heavy hearts we announce the passing this week of a one of a kind man, Donald “Rob” Robichaud. After a courageous battle with cancer, we said goodbye on February 11th, 2021.
He will be forever loved and missed by his wife Hazel (Hogan) Robichaud and his children Angela MacIntyre Harris (Stephen) and George MacIntyre (Vanessa Smith) He leaves behind two of the brightest lights of his life, his cherished grandsons Campbell and Quinn, who will miss him so incredibly much.
Donald Joseph came blazing into the world on February 14th, 1949 to Amédée and Rita Robichaud of Amirault, just a stone’s throw from Sainte-Anselme Church in Dieppe, NB. Born the 4th of 8 children, he was a bit of a mischievous black sheep and always had a quick comeback and a twinkle in his eye.
Donald joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 1966 at the young age of 17.
It was then that he received the nickname “Rob” which would be his for the rest of his life. Whether you called him Donald, Don, Rob, DonRob or Pépère, he always had a kind smile, a listening ear and a story or two to share.
DonRob dedicated his life to his country and travelled the world for 25 years collecting memories, accolades and stories. He loved to share stories of his journeys and of the places he went and the people he met along the way. As a steward on many international military flights, he had the privilege of crewing for a number of esteemed and well-known dignitaries.
His postings took him from coast to coast and to Israel as well. He seemed to have the most stories from his days in CFB Comox and Baldy Hughes BC. A meticulous organizer and manager, he held numerous roles over the years in the CANEX military stores and in the Junior Ranks Clubs and Senior NCO’s Mess. He would use these strengths and talents for years to come as he organized and “directed” family trips, dinners and events.
DonRob met the love of his life Hazel on a fateful outing in CFB Wainwright and they made their family official in a quaint ceremony in April 1987. He proudly retired as a Warrant Officer in 1990, and it was then time to return home to Dieppe and to return his family back to the Maritimes. Rob and Hazel bought their first non-PMQ home on Chartersville Road and they took great pride and joy in raising their children and grand children there. There was always someone dropping in (usually unannounced), a family party happening or some commotion going on with Hazel front and center and Rob smiling quietly in the back.
DonRob spent 16 years working for Correctional Service Canada and was happy to officially retire in 2008 with Hazel to spend more time traveling, volunteering and enjoying his computer and countless hobbies.
Known for his love of photography, DonRob took great pride is what he called “just a fun hobby”. A humble man, he was, in fact, a talented photographer … most notably in sports and portrait photography. He was dedicated to his craft and became well respected in many of the sports organizations in Greater Moncton. What started as a favour to his daughter, a rugby coach, soon became a calling, as he honed his skills and learned more about the game of Rugby so that he could be at “just the right angle” to capture “just the right shot”. And that he sure did. He spent many years photographing the Bernice MacNaughton Highlander athletes and loved working with the Moncton Black Tide Rugby Club as well. He loved doing event photography and volunteered as a photographer for many years with the Dieppe Military Veterans’ Association, with the Catholic Women’s League and for countless other events, weddings and gatherings. It was one of the first things that cancer took from him and it broke his heart when he eventually had to give it up.
Besides his beautiful wife Hazel, his favourite photography subjects were his two grandsons Campbell and Quinn. They grew up with the camera ever present and were always game to play and pose for whatever fun project Pepére had on the go. DonRob loved to take photos of his grandsons playing sports, and he was always happy to take team photos and to capture special requests from many other parents as well. It truly filled him with pride to be asked and we are sure that there are hundreds of mementos of his work from over the years.
DonRob took pride in his health and made it a priority to stay active especially as he got older. After a quadruple heart bypass in 2005, he focused his efforts on walking and then running. He joined the Running Room the very next year and completed the Blue Nose Half Marathon at age 56. He told anyone that would listen (sorry Rob you know it’s true) that he had successfully gotten off ALL his medications over the years. With hard work and his signature determination, he lost weight, and focused on his health to make it happen.
He loved his family fiercely and he took great care to say goodbye to each of his 7 siblings. It filled his heart that they stayed so close and had such great family gatherings over the years. He was the proud brother of Cecile Capson (Gary), Alphonsine Millican (Bill), Clarence Robichaud (Lita), Florence Robichaud, Yvette Noel (Bob), Bernice Robichaud (Russell), and Bernard Robichaud.
He leaves behind a long list of friends, nieces and nephews and extended family from Hazel’s side as well; he will be missed dearly.
Just like he dealt with most things in his life, DonRob managed his illness with the same strength, dry humour and fierce determination, never once complaining about his diagnosis. He will forever be remembered with a twinkle in his eye and for his exceptionally sharp mind. He made it very clear (yes Rob I am still following instructions!) that he wanted to thank all of the nurses, doctors and caregivers who made life so much easier for all of us the last 2 years. A special thank you to Dr. Ravi Comstock and Lenora Tower who went above and beyond to provide such great care and love to our family.
Due to COVID restrictions, a celebration of his life will be held later in the year. He would not want us to cry or to be sad and he would definitely have gruffly insisted that we carry on. And of course he did NOT want to be rushed.
Donations to The Rebecca Schofield Fund (www.inbeccasname.ca #beccatoldmeto) would be greatly appreciated by the family and would have meant a lot to him. In lieu of flowers, our family asks that you do something kind for someone else. In this unprecedented time in the world and in all of our lives, kindness can go a very long way.
Funeral arrangement entrusted to Chartersville Funeral Home, 363 Amirault Street, Dieppe, NB (857-1901). www.chartersville.com
