Roy Andersen: A Remembrance

By Chic Scott Back to the Cairn Roy Andersen, one of the Whyte Museum’s most loyal supporters, died on August 19, 2021. Born January 11, 1938, in Kirkenes, in the far northeast of Norway, Roy was only two years old when the German army invaded his country. Roy’s earliest memories are of airplanes, bombs and being evacuated to the country. Roy and his family emigrated to Canada in 1951, crossing the Atlantic and arriving at Pier 21 in Halifax. Travelling by train to Montreal, they then continued for another four days across the country arriving in Brooks, Alberta, in -25 degrees C. After nine months in Brooks, the family moved to Haney (Maple Ridge), B.C. Life in Canada was difficult for young Roy, learning a new language and adapting to new friends and a new culture. But when he joined the military in October of 1956 he found a place where he felt at home and excelled. Roy served for eight years in the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) and these were some of the best years of his life. The army gave Roy the stability, the education and the friendships that he needed. Some of the highlights of his career were the giant military exercise in January 1958, when he parachuted into Northern Alberta in -40 degrees C.; trooping the colours in Calgary in 1957 and trooping the colours in Edmonton in 1958. Roy qualified as a Physical Training Instructor and for three years taught new recruits ski and winter survival skills at Camp Cuthead in the northeast part of Banff National Park. Roy was honourably discharged from the army in October of 1964 and soon began a new phase in his life. After leaving the army, Roy taught skiing at Sunshine Village Ski Resort and lived much of the time at this beautiful little community high in the mountains near Banff. For Roy, the sunshine, the powder snow, the fresh air and the purity of the mountains were over whelming. Roy later said that when he first saw Sunshine Village he thought he had died and gone to heaven. Roy was teaching skiing at Mount Norquay in January of 1967, when he met Catharine Whyte. Her husband, Peter, had died just the month before and she had decided to take up skiing again. Roy was assigned as her ski instructor and a friendship soon blossomed. For the next 12 years, until Catharine died in 1979, Roy became the son she never had. In 1969 Roy married Ellen Wilson and together they had a son Robb and a daughter Lindsay. Although the marriage did not last, they remained close friends and watched as their two children created successful paths through life for themselves. An avid ski jumper, Roy played a key role in organizing the jumping events for the Calgary Winter Olympics in 1988. Appointed Chairman for Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined he pulled together a team of 230 volunteers for the events. Roy was also a fine photographer, pursuing a passion that had enjoyed since his youth. He loved flying and qualified as a fixed wing pilot and as a helicopter pilot. For many years Roy lived in his little cabin on the Bow River. He loved the Rocky Mountains and its rich history. He loved Banff and its community. And he loved the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, serving nine years on the board. Roy always reminded us of Catharine and of her kind and generous ways. He was one of our last connections to the founder of the museum. Roy was a kind and charming man; warm, adventurous and intelligent. He had many friends and will be missed. In 2019 Roy participated in a Fireside Chat with me in front of a live audience at the Whyte Museum. It is a real gem and now that Roy is gone is a great treasure. To view this chat, click here here . Back to the Cairn