June 23, 1924 - September 7, 2020
Robert (Bob) Carl Tatlow was born June 23, 1924 to Arthur and Irene Tatlow, on a homestead near Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. They moved several times over the next 20 years, living in the US and Canada, settling in Rimbey, Alberta where he met the love of his live Velma Pearl Rimbey. They were married July 12th, 1945. December 22, 1946, Robert Allan arrived on the scene. In 1949 they all moved to Dawson Creek where Donna Faye was born on August 25, 1950. Bob and Velma farmed for a family just north of the city. In 1954 they moved to their own farm in Doe River, BC, where they lived until 1970 when they moved and retired to Creston, BC. In the mid 80's they moved to Kelowna where they lived until 2007.
Mom was having medical problems and dad found it too hard to look after her so they moved to Grand Forks, to Triangle Gardens. They loved their new home and made great friends with their neighbours. Over the next year moms medical problems got worse so she moved in with Donna and lived with the family for 9 months until her passing in 2008. Dad was lost. All their life they had worked together on the farms and now he was alone.
In late 2009 he met a beautiful lady and in September they were married. They lived together until dad got dementia and Betty had her own medical problems. Dad moved in with Donna, and Betty moved to Kelowna to be near her son and better medical care. After 2 months dad's dementia got so bad that he thought his hearing aid batteries were his pills. We realized that no matter how careful we were with him we couldn't really keep him safe. He got a room in Hardy View Lodge and didn't like his life there. He kept saying that they were old and all they did was sleep at their tables, that nobody would visit with him except one lady who lived in the same condo that he had lived in. After a couple of months a room came available in Ivy House at Silver Kettle. Now he was in with his granddaughter who has Alzheimer's, they got along together and life became happier for dad.
Dad's dementia got worse and some days he was farming, hauling grain, and cleaning the barn. Other days he was riding horses and putting up hay. All the things he did over the years. One thing he never lost was numbers. He loved math and could add, subtract and divide all in his head. He could add up my grocery cart full of groceries as I shopped. One time he was .53 cents out, he blamed it on the bananas because he just guessed at their weight. Just weeks before he passed he said "I was born in 1924 and it is 2020 now so that makes me 96, It can't be I'm only 75". We always had good laughs with him. Just a few night before he left us he was flirting with the nurse and told her that if he was younger he'd ask her out for a date. He never felt old, and he loved the girls that took care of him in Ivy House.
Dad leaves to mourn his loss his son Allan (Rosie), his daughter Donna (Larry Stoyanowski), and his wife Betty in Kelowna. His brother Dean Tatlow in Vernon, his sisters Bertha Wilson in Calgary and Arlene Auton in Lethbridge, also many nieces and nephews. He has 7 grandchildren, 3 great grandchildren and 2 great great grandchildren.
He was predeceased by his father and mother, Mildred a sister as a baby, brothers Gordon (Nellie), and Carl (Janice). His brother-in-laws Harley Wilson, Clarence Auton, sister-in-law Marian Tatlow and his first wife Velma.
The family would like to thank all the nurses, caregivers and staff at Hardy View Lodge and Ivy House for their love and compassionate care they gave our dad.
Viewing will be at 11am on Friday, September 18th at the Grand Fork Funeral Home with burial and graveside service at the Evergreen Cemetery.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Baker Family of Grand Forks Funeral Home, gffh@shaw.ca