Author -

Submitted By - Robert (Bob) Murray
Oct. 5, 1961 – Nov. 20, 2004

Ace Construction is saddened to report that Bob Murray, a well respected, long time Ace employee, passed away suddenly on November 20, 2004.

Bob will be forever missed and loved by his wife and soul mate Roxanne. His legacy will live on through his four children, Marissa, Mikayla, Coleman and Holden.

Bob was born in Owen Sound Ontario on October 5, 1961 and grew up in Thornbury, Ontario. In May of 1981, he moved to Alberta and began his career with Powerline Construction. He spent the last twenty years of his career as a dedicated employee of Ace Construction, where he advanced himself to Supervisor in Fort McMurray. Bob’s love of the outdoors made his career choice an easy one for him to excel in.

Bob enjoyed golfing but his life’s passion was Roxanne and his children. He was a devoted husband and caring father, always finding time to play with his family and take them swimming.

Bob’s compassionate approach to life touched everyone he came in contact with. He was greatly loved by many and will be greatly missed by all. Bob was a valued member of our team, not to mention a friend.

John MacArthur, a long time friend of Bob’s, wrote the following tribute and read it at the funeral service.

I came to know Bobby in the early 80’s. He was working with the streetlight crew and I was working on the highline crew Right off the bat, there was something about Bob that drew you to him. He was honest, straight forward and full of energy. When Bobby got his chance to come to work on the highline crew, he excelled at it. He always gave his best effort, no matter what the job was.

This started the long journey to some of Alberta’s, B.C.’s, Manitoba’s, Saskatchewan and Alaska’s hot spots. For instance….. One Four, BlindLoss, Logdepole, Missinipi, Humboldt, Elbow, Uranium City, Flin Flon, Stewart, Irma and Hyder! You get it, number one tourist destinations.

That brings us to another of Bob’s fine points, his ability to cut at least one hour off a five- hour trip with his driving skills. Most times anyway.

For instance when Rick Carr would drive the work van, Bob would call him a Grandpa driver and say we could make better time pushing the van. Once Speedy took over – decarbing the van in the first 100 yards - we were off again, sometimes only a few miles down the road to where a friendly and most obliging RCMP officer was waiting to give him a near record speeding ticket; to the roar of laughter from the rest of us!

If memory serves me correctly, it was Lorne Rasmussen that came up with Bob’s nickname- PlumbBob- a tool we used in the power line industry to make sure a pole is straight, true and level. It was a fitting nickname for Bob, it was just like his character, Straight, True and Level with anyone he dealt with.

When you work on the road a lot with a small crew, there is a special bond that forms among the boys. Friendship, love, trust and the knowledge that we can vent our frustrations with each other. Some vented more than others.

long with that bond came a love of practical jokes. Whether it was putting mustard on stepbolts, penatrox in gloves, the odd fire extinguisher explosion or my personal favorite, the taped steering wheel. PlumbBob was always in the thick of things, greasing Dallas’ hardhat liner or putting penatrox on Jamie’s windshield wiper or the dreaded “warm” cow pie under the seat.

Bobby turned into an excellent lineman, good foreman and top- notch supervisor. Bob loved the power line business. He loved the challenges, the planning and handling the special group of men he worked with. He had the unique ability to bring the calm out of the eye of a tornado. Bob always led from the front, never pulled any punches and treated people fairly, and with respect.

Lorne referred to Roxanne as precious, another fitting nickname because I know that Roxanne and the kids are the most precious part of Bobby’s life. With the passing of Bob Murray a huge void was left for Roxanne, the kids, Bob’s parents and siblings, Ace, myself and many others here today that will be very hard to fill.

In closing, I would like to say Bob – we love you, we miss you, we will never forget you. But just like everything else, with time, help from loved ones and friends, our lives will be Plumb again. Bye Bob.

John MacArthur

With infinite sadness, the management and staff of Ace Construction, said goodbye to a friend and co-worker. Bob Murray, supervisor of the Fort McMurray, Suncor Site, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Saturday November 20, 2004 while at work. His family and co-workers laid him to rest on Friday November 26, 2004 at Olds, Alberta.

Bob is survived by his wife Roxanne and their four children. He will be sadly missed by those who loved him and by those who knew him to be more than an outstanding leader. He was a well-like friend to those who worked for him.

Bob was the type of man who helped all he came into contact with. He was a fair and just leader who would not hesitate to lend you his experience and knowledge in any way you might need. Be it to have someone listen to your personal problems, or work related issues, Bob was the man you could trust to be there for you with an understanding ear and solid advice.

On the job site you could count on Bob with his ready smile and good-natured laugh to lighten up any situation that threatened to become tense. A great talker, Bob had the capacity to keep you entertained for great amounts of time with industry stories that covered the length and breath of his power line career. The boys never heard a cross word or raised voice from him. Bob’s Suncor crew- Joe, Shawn, Henry, Brent, Tim, Matt and John all appreciated his leadership and will remember the thing he taught them on and off the job. He will be sorely missed and fondly remembered. God’s Speed on your eternal journey, Bob.

Joe Aubrey