McDade, Robert John
June 5, 1931 – January 5, 2021
Robert McDade died peacefully in palliative care at St. Paul’s Hospital, surrounded by his loving daughters and granddaughters. He was 89 years old.
Robert was predeceased by Shirley, his wife of 67 years, their infant daughter Linda his parents Alex and Pearl McDade and 2 of his siblings; Jean (Marvin) Gibbs and William (Gladys) McDade, brother-in-law Jimmy Hunt, and recently sister-in-law Gladys McDade.
He will be forever missed by his children Kevin (Rita) McDade, Lynne Woynarski, Lori (Terry) Wawryk, Kim (Dan) Lockert, and his only surviving siblings Nancy Hunt.
He leaves behind his grandchildren; Douglas (Valerie), Darrell (Gabby) and Kyle McDade, Crystal Woynarski, Cheryl (Tyrone) Woods, Megan and Ashley (Nick) Wawryk, and Katie Lockert.
As well, he leaves behind his great-grandchildren Liam, Lincoln, Paige, Kira, Brooklyn, Brody and Sydney.
Born in Davidson, SK, Robert was the 3rd of 4 children of Alex and Pearl McDade. The family farm was located in Simpson, SK, and Robert worked very hard alongside his dad. Ultimately, he did not choose to become a farmer. He chose to leave the farm to marry the love of his life Shirley Darlene Grier and live with her in Saskatoon, SK. There he worked for the Quaker Oats mill, hauling bags of flour and testing product. When the mill shut down he worked for the city of Saskatoon in sanitation, and later as a janitor.
Robert was a kind, gentle, loving person. He was a devoted husband who supported his wife through years of health problems. He was an excellent father who, with the help of Shirley’s mother, worked full time and took care of his 4 children whenever Shirley was ill. Throughout all of this he never complained. He could always be counted on to do what needed to be done. He never lost his cheerful demeanor or his sense of humour.
Robert had an inquisitive mind. He was an avid reader of anything to do with science, particularly astronomy. He believed that, in an endless universe, man could not be the only intelligent being. He was particularly fascinated by the thought of man someday living on Mars.
He had a passion for music, particularly classic country, Lawrence Welk and Andre Rieu. He never learned to play an instrument himself but he made sure all his children had music lessons. He was very pleased and proud when his children decided to form a family band which they named Jonah. For years, he gave generously of his time, driving them to play for dances and helping them to haul their equipment. He was lovingly known as the band’s “honorary roadie”.
He loved nature and all animals, particularly dogs. He and Shirley raised many dogs together throughout their married life. They spoiled them rotten, but had a lot of fun with their “children”. From time to time, Robert dabbled in carpentry. It was an interest he said he picked up when he was a boy, watching his grandpa Kennedy, whom he adored.
The McDade family would like to thank Porteous Lodge for their care of Robert in the last year of his life. Thanks also to palliative care at St. Paul’s Hospital and Cherished Memories Funeral Services and Crematory for treating him with respect and dignity.
He will be sadly missed, but never forgotten.
I’d like to offer condolences on the passing of both Shirley and Bob because I didn’t learn of Shirley’s passing until quite a ways after. Shirley and Bob were honest, hard-working people who in addition to raising a musically talented family were active in political life. They were part of the thousands of ordinary people who are the backbone of political parties, who don’t get a lot of credit but work very hard for what they feel is right. In addition to working at Sears, Shirley served as a returning officer on many occasions. I got to know Bob and Shirley through politics 50 years ago and on two or three occasions as a candidate when Shirley was the returning officer. Shirley knew her stuff. If occasionally someone complained to me about Shirley requiring them to do something in a certain way, my reply was always “Just do what Shirley says. She knows what she’s doing.“ Bob supported Shirley in all her activities and probably did other things that I’m not aware of but I always had the impression that Shirley was running things at least that I was involved with and Bob was very happy to serve as her extremely loyal and helpful assistant. I don’t mean to minimize Bob in any way by saying that. I think he was quite happy to support Shirley and enabled her to multitask and get things done. The family will have many happy memories by having Shirley and Bob as parents and grandparents and these memories will replace grief and sustain them. One last thought: I can’t think of Bob and Shirley without thinking about those little black dogs Shirley seemed to dote on as if they were children or grandchildren and I think they were very loyal to her. Whether or not they were fond of others I’m not sure. I hope the family knows Shirley and Bob will be fondly remembered by many people
Eric Cline
Dear Eric,
Thank you for those kind words about Mom and Dad. You painted a very accurate description of them. Dad was entirely devoted to Mom her whole life and stood by her throughout her illness. Mom died August9, 2019 but she didn’t want any fanfare. She went peacefully with us at her side…as Dad did also. Mom mentioned you kindly throughout the years and she was totally devoted to the politics that she was involved in. I hope they’re both resting in peace now.