Rodney "Rod" Francis Dale

Rod died peacefully during the night of the 19th August at Salmon Arm Community Hospital. He leaves beloved wife Jane of 62 years children Alison (Mark), James (Carol), and Jeremy plus grandchildren Jacob, Ryan (Alexa), and Thomas (Arin). Rod had no siblings but Cousins Jill, Peter, Leslie, David, Simon and Brother-in-law David (Susan) and their families in the UK will all miss him deeply.

Rod was born and grew up in Hartlepool in the North of England where he met Jane as a schoolboy.

He joined the Royal Navy straight from School and completed Officer Training. He then attended the Royal Naval Engineering College at Manadon in Plymouth and gained a Marine Engineering degree.

He and Jane married during this period whilst she was also at college training to be a teacher and over the following 8 years, they had 3 children Alison James and Jeremy.

During their life together they moved from the North to the South of England first Devon and then Cornwall Ontario Quebec and BC. Rod also travelled the world in the early 70’s on Aircraft Carrier HMS Eagle and Jane was able to fly out and join him for breaks in Malta and Hong Kong.

Whilst living in Cornwall, in his spare time he undertook, with help from Janes brothers, Naval cadets and the children, the first of many building projects adding a large extension to the Family home.

In 1981 Rod took the opportunity of a 2-year engineering exchange program between the Royal and Canadian Navy to move the family to Canada they were based in Esquimalt on Vancouver Island. They took to Canadian life with gusto learning to ski and waterski going on many camping trips into Canada’s National Parks.

The posting passed in a flash and upon returning to England Rod applied to the Canadian Navy and the family moved back to Canada. Rod worked in Ottawa with the family living in Gloucester and then Quebec where they built a cottage overlooking Lac St Marie for outdoor year-round activities and a home in Chelsea Quebec.

By this time, he and Jane were proficient skiers, and they trained with and joined the Canadian Ski Patrol and spent most winter weekends on the slopes.

Rod and Jane took a cross-country RV trip in 1998 from Quebec to BC looking for a place to buy some land and retire, that’s when they found the community of Eagle Bay. They built a house there in 2000 with a beautiful aspect overlooking Shuswap Lake.

Rod was an active member of the community in Eagle Bay joining the fire department, the Parks Commission the Sorrento Lions and the Eagle Bay Hall Committee. He performed with the Sorrento Players and took on the direction of and acted in many plays with the Hamsters in Eagle Bay.

He loved to cook when not woodworking or building and he also wrote and compiled the Eagle Eye paper for many years.

There will be a celebration of Life at 2pm in Eagle Bay Hall followed by refreshments on the 6th of September 2026.