Robert — “The Stallion” — DeCillia’s friends remember him as a kind and helpful man—the type of person who always had time for friends and rolled up his sleeves to offer unselfish service. Robert died on October 16th in Abbotsford. 

Born in 1950 in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains in the small prairie town of Pincher Creek, Alberta, Robert travelled the world as a young man.  His passport is filled with stamps from foreign lands.  His nephews and niece remember fondly their uncle bringing them gifts from his exotic travels.  Robert eventually settled in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland, working at golf courses and hotels in Surrey, Langley and Delta, among other places.  

Robert — or “Robbie” as many of his friends called him — belonged to Aldergrove’s Royal Canadian Legion for 36 years.  A regular at the hall, dozens of his friends recently gathered there, reminiscing and laughing about Robert’s life in the same place where he spent so much time.  The wake was filled with stories of a life full of laughter, friendship, and baseball. The celebration of life touched his family, allowing them to meet people who knew and loved Rob in a variety of ways.  One of his long-time friends recalled how their first meeting began with Robbie trying to “punch me in the nose.”  Cooler heads eventually prevailed, remembers his friend of four decades, concluding poetically that he loved Robert, “like ten million sockeye salmon,” echoing one of Robert’s favourite — and often repeated — sayings.  

Robert loved baseball and was fond of baseball legend Joe DiMaggio’s famous quote thanking the “Good Lord” for making him a Yankee.  Given Robert’s strict allegiance to the Yankees, he was thrilled to travel with his brother, also a diehard fan, to New York to watch the iconic American League team play ball in the Bronx. Robert coached the same slo-pitch softball team for more than two decades.  His baseball teammates also describe him as the “best beer man there ever was.”

Robert Laidlaw DeCillia was predeceased by his father and mother, Tino and Dorothy.  He is survived by his brother, Tony, his sister-in-law, Sharleen, and three nephews and nieces, Melanie, Ryan, and Brooks — and his many, many friends.  

Robert’s ashes will be spread in Bellevue, Alberta, near his father’s final resting place.