Obituary of Robert James "Bob" Newton

Robert James Newton 1926-2015 Robert James Newton was the first child born to Ivy and Tom Newton of Paddockwood, Saskatchewan on April 8, 1926. Bob passed away on November 12, 2015 at the Rotary Manor in Dawson Creek. He was predeceased by his parents Ivy and Tom, brothers Art, John and sister Amelia. He is survived by his sister Rose and brother in law Fred; brother Pat and wife Kathy; sister-in-law Mary Newton and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. Bob was only a young boy of 12 when his Dad passed away leaving his mother with a very young family of 5 children. As often happened in those early days a kindly neighbour took Bob in and taught him many life skills and helped him learn about farming. As most young fellows in northern Saskatchewan did, the Newton boys worked at different bush camps, cutting posts even travelling to Ontario and working on different farms in Saskatchewan. One time when they were all young fellows, they rented some land from a widow who was either John Diefenbaker's grandmother or aunt. Due to poor crop conditions they didn't get the rent paid on time so she got Diefenbaker to deal with them. Sounds like it scared the heck out of them. The urge to become pioneers and look for new adventures took Bob and Art to the Peace River country, moving to the Tower Lake District in the spring of 1957.Their chosen quarters were covered with trees. They set up a tent to sleep and cook in. It rained a lot that summer so there was lots of mosquitoes. That same summer Bob's mother and young brother Pat turned up in Taylor ready to help out. So added to the other work load getting into a house before winter became more of a priority. Bob worked off farm as well. He was a very good mechanic and he did a lot of work on cats and other heavy machinery used in the lumber and oilfield work. Companies used to fly him from job to job in small bush planes. We believe he was the first, or one of the first, to haul a Cat in to begin construction on the Bennett Dam. Bob also drove a school bus for many years. As a result of off farm work Bob didn't have livestock. Animals weren't his favourite thing anyway and he thought Mother had enough to do. Bob and Art were honoured to have their road named Newton Road as a result of them being early settlers in the area. Bob was a good neighbour, ready to help whenever needed, often fixing equipment for others. He took part in the community, joined the Farmer's Union and travelled to many meetings. Bob, Mother and Art enjoyed the Tower Lake community and always did their part to keep it going. Bob enjoyed lasting friendships with many including some names I remember, Fred and Bob Straka, the Sterlings, Dennis Miller and I know there are many more. Over the years there were more than a few funny farming incidents. Bob and Art were combining in the same field and accidentally clicked their augers against each other as they passed by each other. This is well before the time the augers glided back into position with the push of a button. Another time Art went too close to the fuel tank and knocked the valve off. Bob tried to come to the rescue and save the fuel by sticking a finger in the hole till something could be jammed together to stop the leak. One last funny memory to share was during fall work when Art was making silage. Somehow he rolled the truck on its side with Bob as his passenger. You can imagine the air was pretty blue as he proceeded to step on Bob in his efforts to climb out the window. Bob was an avid fisherman and enjoyed many trips to the local lakes to fish with friends like Bud Peterson. He had a camper on his truck and a boat enjoying the outdoors regularly. Rose, Fred and Bob travelled to Alaska for a holiday one summer going as far as Dawson City. A few times he took his mother back to Saskatchewan so she could see her sisters, brother and daughters and their families. In later years, as part of his retirement projects, he rebuilt two Fordson tractors and did some carpenter's work. Bob really enjoyed the years that Rose, Fred and Sharon spent there sharing the same yard. Bob liked to keep in contact with his extended family of nieces and nephews. He did get a few gray hairs the time his sisters and brother turned up to visit with nine or so young nieces and nephews. They all went to visit the Bennett Dam under construction, keeping an eye on all those curious youngsters brought out more than a few gruff reprimands from a stern uncle. Over the years I had a lot of telephone conversations with Bob, especially after John passed away. The weather, crop conditions, family and politics were always good for lengthy discussions. I don't know if Bob knew that Justin Trudeau got elected Prime Minister but I know exactly what his opinion would be. We are in big trouble! Bob, you lived a long and full life, may you rest in peace, safe in the loving arms of those who passed before you. Service 2:00 pm Friday, November 20, 2015 Bergeron Chapel 10200-17th Street DAWSON CREEK, British Columbia, Canada V1G 4C2 Interment Brookside Cemetery 108 ave DAWSON CREEK, British Columbia, Canada