In Memory Of

Robert "Bob" Mark Ruhl

May 3, 1940 - Apr 30, 2025

Service

Friday, May 9, 2025
1:00 pm
Jesuit Martyrs Catholic Church, Evergreen, Alberta

Interment

Evergreen Cemetery

Obituary

The Man Behind the Story
I would like to take this time to tell you more about Robert Ruhl, the Man behind the Name.

This was written in one writing because it comes from the heart.
Robert Mark Ruhl was born on May 3rd, 1942, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He moved to Lloydminster in 1948 when he was 6 years old because his father played ball and was asked to play for their team. Alec senior became one of the fastest pitchers in Western Canada. Being reared in a family that revered the Good Lord and were very studious believers of their religion, Robert was an altar boy at a very young age. He would walk to church by himself several times a week through any weather, rain, snow wind, it wouldn't matter for he was a very faithful young lad and very dependable at that. I believe this is where the first attributes of a man were learned, that of endurance, dependability and accountability.
Robert played ball too and at the age of 12 years, was chosen along with two other players to play in Milwaukee, USA. But through a game of chance to see which would go, to his dismay, he lost. If he had won, boy I'm sure his life would be a very different story for with his drive he would have surely been in the Big Leagues and followed his father. Some things are surely meant to be for a reason. However, not being a quitter, he continued to play ball until he was 14 and because he had gone as far up the scale for the local team as possible and no program in place for further advancement, he left playing ball. Notice, he did not quit, there was just no room for him to advance and as you will hear clearly in this recollection, that is a trait that follows him for his entire life.

Ball was not the only sport undertaking, for he was a very athletic youth. He was in the Air Cadets at the age of 11 in Abbotsford, BC. He swam his little butt off and came home with all the First Crests for free style, breaststroke, the Australian crawl and diving. An Over-achiever? Perhaps.

In Grade 8 (13 yrs. old) he played football, pole vaulted and was exceptional at high jump. He played hockey and even though he did not have all the proper equipment, he still managed to score goals with two Sears catalogues taped to his shins for shin pads. Even then, he did whatever it took to sit in the game.

Out at Sandy Beach, which we are all quite familiar with, he swam that lake from north to south many times. I'm sure once to see if he actually could do it, again to see how many times he could swim it and then again purely for the enjoyment of astonishing bystanders. A woman named Audery Turner, who was an Olympic swimmer recognized his talents and knew he was teachable with a desire and she taught him to dive. He was the ONLY ONE who could do a forward triple dive and a double backflip off the diving board. Wow, I'm sure he was the jock to watch. Being a diver myself I know that you must believe in yourself to attempt such dives, Bravery, Bravery, Bravery, another outstanding quality of the Man. In high school they went to the Provincials and won first and second high jump. Going to the provincials is quite an honour and you know you are amongst the best when you get to those competitions.

When he was a teenager of 17, he joined the Air Force and was stationed in Ft. St. John out east. He always did have a love for the air. He became homesick for his Love and hitchhiked his way back home with an honourable discharge. That was from Quebec to Lloydminster. That's a long way! Again, the attribute of action shines through.

Well knowing that he always pushes the boundaries, Robert wasn't old enough to have a driver's license but he landed a job to load 50 lb bags of cement and then deliver them. A hard worker from the get go! And when he did get his license, he then delivered groceries for the grocery store where Nelson Lumber is today.

His next job was as a parts person for a company called Taylor & Pearson and was again so good at his job that they transferred him to Saskatoon and there he worked for Bowman Brothers. It was then he married Jeanne three days before his 20th birthday.

It was shortly after then that he managed to pick up a guitar and a second hand one at that to sing love songs to his new bride. He taught himself well and advanced to a 12-string guitar a few years later. His voice was captivating and earned the nickname, Elvis. He certainly could cut up the rug with his Jive dance moves and could entertain all night long!

He was 21 when Sandy came along and shortly after, real shortly after came Mark. It was then that he moved to Red Deer to start working on the rigs. This is when the true man comes out and two more children, Michelle and me, Roberta (Bobbi), just to add to the responsibilities. Long days and nights he worked, sometimes two months straight without a day just to feed the six of us. Ambition flared and he met his first business partner Ralph Gary and bought a single pole rig and moved back to Lloydminster. It was then the real work started and the enormous amount of responsibility that comes with feeding a family and running a business. Now working 24-7 was the norm, but he managed to be home for us all, mostly to sleep.

Soon after that, he and his father started Sunrise Well Services. Being a Man who has always loved the county, he bought an 11-acre spread where we all had room to roam just south of Blackfoot. There his love for the outdoors took root and he planted many trees, picked many rocks and planted many flowers which attributes to his glowing green thumb. His love for the wildlife really took hold too and he thought he would give ranching a try, so he brought home four steers but they broke through the fence the minute they were unloaded. So he thought maybe some goats, but they ate their way through the clothesline, most of the flowers and his regarded ski doo windshield. It became quite a feat just trying to keep them in the yard, so they quickly went back to where they came from. This is where my memory kicks in for I remember riding those goats and never really reaching the 8 second mark before being tossed off. There were horses as well as old Chester, the red chesapeake that shared many afternoons with us kids running through the fields. Chickens came soon after, all 100 of them but that was short lived as well for our German Shepard ate them while we were gone fishing. I know that some survived for we ate a lot of chicken and sat atop the chicken coop to watch them being prepared, that's quite a learning experience, I might add. Well, he then left the ranching life alone, it was obvious not his forte and probably a good thing.

Well, you can't keep an adventurer down for he took to the skies once more as he did in earlier days, but this time he earned his pilot's license and bought a Cessna 172 IUX plane. This part of his life really shows the voyageur in him for he teamed up with Ken Weller, sold his shares to his dad (which I'm sure he would have liked to forget that tremendous deal, packed up his family and headed for Yellowknife. If he couldn't keep the animals in his own backyard, he'd have to go theirs and that's when Adventure North was born, Two fly-in fishing lodges named "Namushka" and "Watta" lodges, 60 miles away from anything and anybody. Quite an astonishing feat for a man at the age of 34. This was not an easy thing but when you have a dream, you do whatever it takes. He literally got the sickle out and cut through the bush to clear land for the boats to portage and I'm sure the odd bear disagreed with his vision, but that still would not stop him. Repairing motors and renovating the lodges, finding reliable workers and guides were only a part of the story and that's almost enough to make the average man collapse from exhaustion. He then studied in Edmonton to earn his commercial pilot's license and that he did. He did well enough to get a personal congratulation from Max Ward from Ward Airlines and was offered a job to fly a commercial jet, but that was not his vision.

We were very fortunate children to be a part of that vision, being taken up into the skies with your father at the controls and sharing some daring spins and turns that I'msure turned all of us white with fear but with the confidence that he showed kept us safe. He was a brilliant father for how else would you keep four kids out of trouble through the summer months than to take them with you. Not even the richest kids could have experienced the kind of summers we did in the crisp waters and untouched forests on the planet, blue skies with even bluer waters, swimming down waterfalls, trout fishing with the natives and actually sitting in an eagle's nest. I believe this is truly where I personally found my respect for nature.

Well, as the lifeline goes, tourism took a turn for the worst and the world doesn't stay still while you fight your way through your dreams. The lodges had to go and back to Lloydminster Robert took his family once again. The oil patch was calling and he purchased the rigs back from his father (another sweet deal that we don't want to talk about) It takes a lot of blood sweat and tears to bring a company up to 12 rigs and 74 employees. That's a lot of responsibility! And even more so for that's when Carman was born and added to this great story. There was certainly no moss growing on this man's ass.

If working every day to keep his business running wasn't enough, he once again had a vision and eyed out a plot of land that was covered in weeks and overgrowth and it was there that with his bare hands and lots of labor, he manifested his homestead. He was busy because there were trees to plant. rocks to pick and roses to grow once again. This was one of the most beautiful plots of land from miles around and as a young girl I believe that it was here I learned my work ethics for I remember picking those rocks and cutting the grass around all those trees. The long days and dusk evenings were well worth it and after a hard day's work to share a spot beside the man who brought his dreams to reality was an honor. I would listen very intently to his powerful man for he knew so much. I learned about gardening, the clouds, wildlife and how we all connect to all of God's creations and how to respect them. You can't learn this from a textbook!

Adventure has always pumped through every cell of this man's body....It was at this time he bought a BIG boat that he called "Alberta Blue" and ventured off with his wife and some friends and took to the ocean. For nine days they fended for themselves from Vancouver all the way up to Knights's Inlet. I'm sure the fishing and scenery were absolutely breathtaking.

He went to vacation in Baja, Mexico, on the peninsula and his desire for fishing called him and he bought a fleet of deep sea fishing boats that he called "Roberto's Fleet" There his huge heart could not stay within his shirt and he gave a very large donation to an orphanage in need. That certainly was a contribution that was greatly appreciated and remembered for I did see the faces of those children with gratitude in their eyes. How can we ever forget the impact that one man can have on so many people.

He travelled extensively to many parts of the world for the experience. Portugal, Rome, Yugoslavia and Italy were on the itinerary. He never went alone, always taking friends so they too could put a feather in their cap as well.

One might think they could hand their hat up and enjoy the rest of their lives from the toiling and hard work, but the world never stays the same and people you thought were trustworthy can spoil plans. Needless to say the least, Aireo Mexico went bankrupt and certain Mexican bandits came calling and the boats were lost. Shortly thereafter, the oil patch went sour and Everything was lost, yes Everything! It was all a mere memory, the rigs, the employees, the hard work, all vanished. The same people that he employed, without question, hired him on as a tool and floor washer and then soon after was laid off. The world turned its back

This was a very difficult time for Robert for where does one go from here. From an enormous home and seemingly to "have it all”, he resided in a rental trailer in Kitscoty, Alberta. That could make anyone stop dreaming. He needed to get away and recollect his life. Even at this time, he kept going and he teamed up with another lodge in Northern Saskatchewan and once again started fixing up boats, repairing sleeping quarters, landscaping and hiring guides. Like I said, a rolling stone will not gather moss! And he did recollect himself and found supporting forces to back him for another adventure, however, this time with people that he trusted and knew would watch his back through the next war. Owen Byrt was one of those men and together with the force from within and without started Taurus Oilfield Services. Never slowing down, they built up this company and started another venture named Ram Rentals. Through many difficult nights and days these ventures became successful and in 1997, this time he sold them for enough denaro to retire.

This time, the plot of land sought out would be far enough away to shed the past and still close enough for us to find them...(there was no escaping!) The beautiful homestead that manifested from his imagination is where he once again was able to enjoy the earth under his feet. Here he and Carmen rooted the trees, picked the rocks and planted the Roses. His final home.

With this record of Robert's life, had it been without struggle and pain? On the contrary. Struggle as it was, note here that he NEVER GAVE UP! No matter how high the mountain or how low the valley, if anyone shunned him or debt lay ahead, He Never Gave Up. When you find yourself during those times in your own life, and I know you will, when you are ready to throw in the towel and walk away, remember the man who has lived his life to the outer edges and claimed his space that so rightfully was his, brave as a soldier faces the front lines, but believes that no matter the risk, "The only risk is NOT TRYING, not attempting and ultimately not living! Filling your bank account is not success, it's being successful that fills your bank account.

The man has enough trophies to fill a museum, has climbed many mountains around the world and forged more waters than anyone that I know.
He never waited for the world to be built around him or the stars to be in alignment to begin. He was a man of action that starts when he says GO. He ran his own race and finished when he was finished, not stopping when someone was not looking but lived to his own standards and he set the bar high.

Isn't it an absolute wonder of the world that a man so strong, brave and courageous can cultivate and grow such a delicate thing as the rose? Clearly this shows us his giving soul. Would he fight a raging beast for you at his own risk if he knew you were in danger? Would he search for you every second of the day if he knew you were lost? Would he shed a million tears to fill an ocean so you could live your life to the fullest? And would he select the perfect Rose from his garden and give it to you when you needed the tenderness? Yes, and Yes to all.

Robert Mark Ruhl is a man that dug the trenches, mile after mile after mile, and we as family and friends were able to enjoy this glorious triumph even though we didn't share the blisters that were forever branded on his hands. Did he deserve to fill his plate first, or deserve for you to step aside as you passed him? Yes, Yes and Yes! Respect is Earned.

As we go through our lives and utter the word MAN in any context, whether it be to honor someone or to describe yourself, you best be using that word carefully, for we now know what a man is. Let the gift of Robert Ruhl shine through us all and let God know you are grateful for knowing him, sharing his life that he lived so well. I'm sure that there have been many time that he sat quietly and contemplated his life...and during those moments when alone said " I want them to know who I am"

Now you know...The man behind the name of Robert Mark Ruhl.

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