Ronald Earl Shanks

Our hearts are heavy as we share with you the passing of Ron on April 30, 2019, at age 69, in Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Center.  He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Nola; children, Angel (m Ed Wesner), Nicholas (m Bethann Hulme) and Holly, 10 grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren, brother Wayne Shanks (m Janice Lanz), sister Gloria Mattick (m Bryan), and many cousins, primarily surnamed Tomik and Duke.

Angel and Ed have three sons: Jayson (m Babette Steijn and they have Stella and Ivy), Scott (who has Carter), and Justin.  Nicholas and Bobbie (Bethann) combined have seven children:  Simran, Cheyenne (who has Hudson), Jazmin, Kiran, Brooklyn, Maddison and Cole.  Holly has two fur babies, (Luna and Nova), known as ‘Dad’s grandpuppies.’

Ron’s family will continue to love him and miss him deeply.  He was a loving and kind man with strong work ethics and a keen concern for the activities and hobbies of everyone in the family, helping and supporting each one as much as he could.  Everyone considered Ron not just a father, brother, uncle or grandfather but as a dear friend as well.

Ron was born to John EARL Shanks and Jean (Tomik) Shanks in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The family moved several times in the early years, finally settling at the farm in Aldergrove.  Ron’s ‘Go Fund Me Page’ as a kid was picking millions of strawberries and chucking thousands of bales of hay.

As a young adult Ron worked as a bona fide cowboy, herding cattle on the Prairies. Upon return to BC he became a line supervisor at Royal City Foods in New Westminster around the time Angel was born.

Subsequently he worked for a glazier, supervising on-site installations, as a painter for an upscale interior decorator and then at the lumber mill at the foot of Fraser Street in Vancouver.

Still not afraid to try new things, he moved to Edmonton to partner in a fiberglass boat building business. Later he was shop manager at a chemical production factory.  An interest in harness racing brought him to become 50% owner of a race horse.  Moving back to BC a few years later, he tried his hand at several other enterprises before settling into plumbing with Slesse Plumbing in 1981, which was owned by his brother Wayne. When Wayne retired in 2005, Ron started his own plumbing business, Slesse Mechanical.

Ron met Nola McDonald in 1971 and they married in December, 1977. After moving from Edmonton to Surrey, Nicholas and Holly were born into the family, now numbering 3 children. 1991 saw the big move to Abbotsford, where all the family still lives.

Ron enjoyed camping with family; golfing; TV: Football, Formula 1 and other sports, News, Judges Judy & Miliano; jigsaw puzzles; travelling, especially to Wayne’s lakefront property at Westbank on Okanagan Lake to enjoy water sports, boating and socializing with relatives.  He really liked Las Vegas where he would walk up and down the Strip every day. His favourite haunts there were Freemont Street, Luxor and MGM casinos, and above all, the Dueling Pianos at New York New York Hotel.  Once introduced to Hawaii, another passion was born:  watching turtles from a lanai as they cavort in the waves, exploring jungles and as always socializing with family.  We’re so happy that he made it to his most recent family vacation in Maui and had the opportunity to snorkel one more time.

Year 2011 brought the cancer diagnosis with a very short prognosis, causing great pain to the family.  There began the ever present medical appointments, labwork, surgery, radiation, chemo, shots and pills.  Our heartfelt thanks go to Dr. George Vrabec and his associates for getting Ron into the drug trial, which clearly extended his life for many years more than expected.

We are so extremely thankful to all the family and friends who prayed, helped at the hospital and that were by Ron’s side day and night, bringing him much comfort and support.  None of us ever felt alone in this journey. We feel so blessed to belong to such a wonderful, caring community as our relatives and friends.  Thank you so much, one and all.

We are sincerely grateful for the compassionate support provided by a whole village of skilled medical people who contributed extra ordinary amounts of energy, and resources, especially Dr.Arthur Harder who was with Ron through this journey from the beginning.

Per Ron’s wishes, no formal ceremony is planned.  He will be cremated and the ashes will later be taken to his favorite spot at Okanagan Lake.

You are invited to leave a personal message of condolence for the family.