Former Battleford councillor Robert (Bob) Demkiw died Sept. 14. (Submitted photo/Battlefords Funeral Service)

By Angela Brown

Life of service

Former Councillor Demkiw remembered for long service

Sep 17, 2019 | 5:06 PM

For Robert Demkiw, being part of the community has always meant doing his part to help others.

The former Battleford councillor who passed away at the age of 82 from heart failure on Sept. 14 committed his life to serving the public because that’s where he derived the most satisfaction, rolling up his sleeves and seeing where he could be of help.

The Town of Battleford lowered its flags to half mast on Tuesday to honour Demkiw for his life’s contributions.

Mayor Ames Leslie spoke about Demkiw during council’s meeting Monday, remarking on his long service.

“I had known him personally,” he said. “He reached out to me when I was elected mayor in this term and congratulated me, and has been kind of a voice of reason over the last few years.”

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A service to celebrate Demkiw’s life is open to the public and will be held at St. George’s Anglican Church in Battleford on Thursday at 1 p.m.

Demkiw started on council in 1981 and served for three different terms in total.

One of his two sons, Don Demkiw, said his father “enjoyed the input from the citizens, and being able to make a difference in the community was always very important to him.”

Don said one of the initiatives his father was particularly proud of in his work on council was supporting the Battleford volunteer fire department.

Among the projects he was involved in was helping upgrade the fire department’s equipment.

“He was a big part of that, and the big push on council to get that fire department… to be able to look after the community with the proper equipment,” Don Demkiw said.

When he wasn’t serving taxpayers, Robert Demkiw was an active volunteer in the community. He sat on a number of boards, such as the Chamber of Commerce. He was also an active shriner.

For his livelihood, before settling in Battleford, Demkiw worked for the Canadian National Railway where he worked as a dispatcher for about 24 years.

When he came to Battleford he purchased the Queen’s Hotel in 1978 which he also managed for many years before selling it to his sons in 1994.

“He always enjoyed working with people,” Don said. “Certainly that was something he thoroughly enjoyed. That is why he did it on a daily basis for so many years.”

Even after selling the hotel he continued to help manage the facility until 2004 when his sons sold the establishment.

Demkiw had some health issues and was a diabetic in the last years of his life but managed his condition well despite the challenges.

“Like everything else, he just took it head on and made the best of it,” Don said.

Demkiw was also a family man and had three children and seven grandchildren.

Don describes his father best as a very “community-minded people-person.”

“He enjoyed working with people and helping people in general,” Don said. “He lived a fabulous life.”

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow