Randall Leonard Fletcher
1950-2019
On July 24, 2019 we lost a ‘gentle’-man
in every sense of the word. Randall Leonard Fletcher passed
away unexpectedly but peacefully in his sleep as he endeavored to
sneak in 40 extra winks in preparation for 2 weeks of summer vacation
and entertaining his 5 visiting grandchildren.
Born under a
full moon on Friday October the 13th in Toronto Ontario, Randall was
the 2nd child of Watson and Winnifred and younger brother to Dennis.
Randall supported himself through University
working a variety of ‘odd’ jobs including
concessions at Argonauts games, taxi driver, gold bouillon smuggler
for the Toronto Stock Exchange and luxury vehicle valet. He
also worked for one fateful summer as the waste management specialist
at Camp Wahanowin in Orillia, Ontario. At one point that
summer there was an unparalleled run of dry biscuits being tossed
daily from the camp dining hall. In an effort to reduce
waste Randall attempted to address this with the cook and ultimately
sacrificed himself to a life sentence of her cooking to save the camp
kids. In his courting years Randall could often be found
hitch-hiking between the University of Guelph to visit the reformed
camp-cook at MacMaster University in Hamilton. During this
period, he survived an attempted drowning via tipped canoe and was
able to combine two of his greatest passions (puns and frugality) when
he proposed to Carol Jean Craig with a « dime and a
ring ». The two were legally bound in marriage on May 5,
1973 and made time to travel and ensure they were a solid match before
embarking on their life-long goal of « having three children and
keeping the best two! ». (Editors Note – only 2 of these
children are currently authoring this generous biography).
On November 7, 1978; with the birth of their first son Adam,
Randall entered his most daunting (and arguably his most successful)
career choice – that of father. Following a desire
to raise kids in open spaces the young family soon relocated to
Georgetown, PEI when Randall took a job with Community Mental Health
in Montague. Soon afterwards a second son Ryan was born in
1980 and a daughter Rachel in 1983. Randall was the father
who inspired his children through his example. He never
raised his voice or became angry; he would need only to let his
children know from time to time if he was
‘disappointed’ in a behavior. Always
supportive and open-minded he periodically guided his children only
after giving them enough room to make their own mistakes.
A
man with a big heart in a small frame he was always able to find the
good in all of those around him and bring people together towards a
common good. While some strive to make art their life
– Randall made life his art. Constantly
challenging himself with new endeavors he was a life-long carpenter
and painter, and worked to add wood-burner, sailor, cartoonist,
gardener, vintner, story-teller, brew master, rabbit farmer,
pun-maker, step-aerobics instructor, actor, playwright, and
singer (against the wishes of all those around him) to his
resume. In his adopted hometown of Georgetown, PEI he was a
well-known volunteer – serving for many years on the board
of directors at the King’s Playhouse. He was at
varying points a volunteer fire-fighter, cub-scout leader, set-maker,
sign painter, bar-tender, usher and was also well known by his alias
‘Sneakers’ the face-painting clown. In
2008 he was named Georgetown’s Citizen of the Year for his
contributions to the community.
In between (and to fund)
his many hobbies Randall was also a very passionate and respected
Social Worker and counsellor. After completing his training
in London, Ontario Randall worked for Community Mental
Health in King’s County and later in his career specialized
in assessing and rehabilitating those with more criminally inclined
deviances in his work with the Department of Justice. In
1994 he was presented with a Provincial Crime Prevention Award in
recognition of his significant contributions to crime prevention in
Prince Edward Island.
In his retirement years Randall did
struggle with chronic back pain but was determined not to let this
interfere with his passions. He learned to pace himself and
split his time between volunteering with the King’s
Playhouse and devoting himself to making treasures for his
grand-children and planning travel adventures with his wife.
Randall is survived by the love of his life Carol (Craig), his
children, Adam (Jessica) Fletcher, Ryan (Zoey) Fletcher, Rachel
Fletcher (Rob Forbes); brother, Dennis (Dorothy) Fletcher; cherished
grandchildren, Axel Dionne, Iris Dionne, Myra Fletcher, Clyde Fletcher
and Thompson Fletcher and numerous extended nephews, niece and their
families.
No visiting by personal request.
Celebration of Life Service to be held on Thursday, 2:00 pm August 1,
2019, at the Kings Playhouse, 65 Grafton Street, Georgetown. In lieu
of flowers, donations to the Kings Playhouse, Kings County Memorial
Hospital or a charity of choice would be appreciated. Ferguson Logan
Montague Funeral Home entrusted with the arrangements.
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Randall Leonard Fletcher 19502019..
ferguson-logan Montague funeral home
Décès pour la Ville: Montague, Province: I-P-E