Robert (Bob) Verschaeve passed away peacefully at the age of 82 on September 19, 2026, after a ten-year struggle with dementia. He was extremely well cared for at the AgeCare South Terrace in Edmonton, Alberta.
Bob was born in London, Ontario and was raised on a tobacco farm in Allison, Ontario. He worked with the family business, but never did start smoking despite being surrounded by tobacco and everyone else’s second-hand smoke. He moved to Alberta and attended NAIT. He became to be a journeyman carpenter and worked in construction all of his life. For forty-six years, he lived on an acreage south of Sherwood Park.
He and his wife Claire welcomed two lovely daughters, Debra (Aviva) and Desiree (Andrew). Desiree’s two children, Grace and Luke, loved coming to grammas and grampa’s place to build things with grampa. Pick grammas Saskatoon’s and enjoy the pet chickens and Bob’s very gentle goat Brutus. Bob was passionate about physical fitness and was regular at Millennium Place, ran many road races and 13 marathons. He loved flowers and gardening. When McDonald’s opened in Sherwood Park, he went there every morning for breakfast, enjoying the morning coffee group before going to work. His life began to change when symptoms of dementia began at the age of 70. Bob was predeceased by his parents and three siblings. A private family service will be held in his honor. In lieu of flowers, a nursing home donation in Bob’s memory would be appreciated. Please send your donation to Bloom Limited Partnership, 5905 112 Street NW, Edmonton, Alberta, T6H 3J4.
Yeah, what Karen said!
Bob never had to dye his hair and that was his only hair style.
He brought a lot of fun into the family.
Bob was a great brother-in-law. When I was young on the farm, he’d come in his black ’55 Oldsmobile and always made life interesting. I remember his card-stacking trick in triangular formation several tiers high. It would’ve been higher if we had more cards. He took us to a motorcycle hill climb at Penhold. He took our family to speed boat races at Dried Meat Lake. He was full of adventure. He and Claire graciously hosted many fun parties. He was a whiz at card games and always had a trick to share. I could never get those 2 metal shapes apart. He was great at inventing fun. At his 65th birthday party he built a 40′ long ramp going 15′ high. He pushed a 200 lb. solid rubber ball up the ramp and let it roll down to knock over bowling pins. The ball continued on into the ditch! He called it his ‘Bowling Alley’. Also, you’ll never forget a camping trip with Bob. He built a Zamboni for the hockey rink next door. He built a candy stand at the ball diamond next door for Debbie to make money selling candy and pop. He spent weeks helping Desiree learn Math with flash cards and played Scrabble with her while her hamster sat on the board. He bought a piano for Desiree and she reached Grade 9 Royal Conservatory. He was a wonderful Grampa to Grace and Luke. So many neat things can be said about Bob. He played as hard as he worked. He will be missed but comfort can be found in memories.
Dear Claire and family,
My thoughts and prayers are with you all I was honoured to know Bob, and enjoyed his friendship over the years since first meeting him. He was a thoughtful, hardworking and always kind.
My sincere condolences on your loss.
Gerry
So sorry to all of you family to hear of your loss with the passing of Bob. Bob was an incredible positive influence on my life and career through his example of hard work, perseverance, kindness, and fairness. I was fresh out of high school when Bob, who was a foreman with Cormode and Dickson Construction, took me under his wing and gave me my first full-time job. For the next 3 or 4 months we drove together back and forth to Drayton Valley, every day, to work on the construction project that was there. He was a force of nature, and an amazing mentor and role model. Ken McLaren
Thanks for the lovely memories….rest well dear friend