Roger Glenn Vinnedge
November 14, 1938 -January 20, 2010
Roger passed away suddenly at home on Denman Island, B.C. He was born in Fraser Lake and the family later moved to Fort St. James where they lived for many years in the Hudson Bay factor’s house. In 1958 Roger went to help his father care for his mother who was recovering from an illness at the Lakelse Hotsprings Resort near Terrace, which is where he also met Joan. Joan and Roger were married in 1961 in Terrace. Roger earned his Bachelor of Education at the University of Victoria and taught in Terrace, as well as Rosswood, New Hazelton and Kitwanga. After teaching for several years he worked in Terrace first for Wightman & Smith Insurance and then Highe Land Surveying. In 1983, Joan and Roger and their three sons moved to Denman Island where Roger had built a home the previous year. Over the following years, Roger operated oyster leases, fished commercially and did land surveying on both Denman and Hornby Islands.
Roger is survived by his wife of forty-eight years Joan (née Skoglund); brother Robert (Launna); sons Stuart, Stephen (Sarah) and Bruce (Mireille); and five grandchildren, John, Angelique, Nicolette, Monique and Jesse. He was predeceased by his brother Donald in 1996.
More than anything Roger loved to be on the water in a sailboat. He was very involved in the community of Denman Island and will be greatly missed by his friends and family. A memorial to celebrate Roger’s life will be held at the Denman Community Hall on April 10, 2010.
“Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
And the hunter, home from the hill.”
-Robert Louis Stevenson