Honoured by their children – Laurie MacDonald, Richard Hamelin, Suzanne Holliday.
Rollie and Ev where longtime residents of North Bay who raised a family of one son, and three daughters in a home on Fisher Street.
Rollie was born and raised in Mattawa, the second son of a logging tug boat operator who worked on the Ottawa River. In the midst of the depression Rollie’s father passed away and at the age of 15 he left school to help support the family.
Born and raised in Ottawa, Ev was one of four daughters to an Ottawa butcher. After high school Eve worked for the Federal Government in Ottawa.
During the Second World War, in 1943, Rollie enlisted in the RCAF and at the end of the war he was honourably released in 1945.
Fate brought them together, or was it Rollies’s brother Paul who was at the time married to Ev’s sister Trudy who played “cupid”? Whichever it was they fell in love and married in 1947.
After living in Ottawa and Montreal they finally settled in North Bay when Rollie joined the North Bay City Police. Here they bought their first home at 533 Fisher Street and raised their son Rick and daughters Sue, Louise and Laurie.
Active in their community they were members of the Elk’s Club and Royal Purple and enjoyed bowling in the Police league.
Ev worked for several companies in North Bay and finally secured a position with the Nipissing Board of Education where she remained for the rest of her career.
Rollie was a member of the Canadian Legion Branch 23, the Knights of Columbus Council 12106, Active member of 422 RCAF Nipissing Wing as well as volunteering as instructor for the Royal Canadian Air Cadets 547 Squadron.
Ev passed away after a brief illness in 1982 and Rollie in May of 2000. He was pre- deceased by daughter Louise also in 2000. Three of their children and their spouses still make North Bay their home. As part of their lasting legacy they have seven grandchildren.