Rodger John Williamson
1952-2006
Rodger passed away suddenly in his home on February 22. He leaves his loving family consisting of wife Jean; 3 sons Grant (Trista), Jim and Bill and 2 daughters, Melissa and Sarah all of Port Hardy, BC and 6 lovely grandchildren, Brendan, Sydney, Jordan, Nicholas, Steven and Joshua. He is also survived by his maternal grandmother, Alma Huckle; his parents Edward and Marion Williamson; sisters Margaret (Charlie) Stark, Susan (Cliff) Weaver and brother David (Sharon) Williamson.
Rodger was born in Hanover, Ontario. He spent the first 28 years of his life in the Walkerton & Cargill area. In 1972 he married Jean Zettel, from Chepstow, Ontario and Rodger and Jean started their family soon after. In 1980 Rodger headed west to look for work. He ended up as far west as he could go, in Port Hardy, BC. There he worked for BHP Island Copper mine as a haul truck driver until the mine closed in 1995. After the mine closure Rodger worked at various other jobs but in 1999 his medical conditions required him to leave the work force and make some drastic lifestyle changes. For a hard working man like Rodger, this was very difficult.
Rodger was a 33 year member of the Royal Canadian Legion. He served on the executive of Branch 237 in Port Hardy for a number of years and was Branch President for 2 years. People in Port Hardy would frequently see Rodger representing the Legion for parades and Remembrance Day ceremonies, proudly carrying a flag in the Colour Party whenever possible.
Rodger is now at peace and he can watch over his family without any pain. He will be missed. An informal celebration of Rodger’s life will be held at the Royal Canadian Legion, Port Hardy on Saturday, March 11, 2006 at 2 pm. Donations can be made to the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation.