Remembering Pat Rowe, longtime firefighter in Fort Simpson, N.W.T., who had 'zest for life'

Owen Rowe has a story about his beloved cousin, Pat Rowe, the longtime contractor and community volunteer in Fort Simpson, N.W.T., who died last weekend at 64.

It was about a dozen years ago, when Pat had been diagnosed with brain cancer. At an appointment not long after his diagnosis, the doctor shared some relatively positive news: it didn't appear as though the cancer had moved anywhere else in Pat's body.

"Pat gets up and starts jumping around and cheering," Owen recalled.

"The doctor finally goes, 'Pat, but you know you still have cancer.' Pat says, 'oh yes … only from the shoulders up though, Doc!'"

To Owen, the story illustrates his cousin's whole approach to life, and why Pat left such a mark on his community and most anybody else who met him.

"Pat was a fighter, through and through," Owen said. "He lived his life to the fullest that he could, with the deck that he was given."

Pat Rowe grew up in Hay River, N.W.T., and moved to Fort Simpson with his family when he was still young. It's where he would spend most of his life.

Pat Rowe, left, with his cousin and close friend Owen Rowe where they loved to hang out together: on the golf course. (Submitted by Owen Rowe)

Owen tells another story about Pat, a bit prone to mischief as a young man, being set straight by a judge at the behest of his friend, Pat's father.

"'Son,' [the judge] says, 'I think you've got two choices. One, you can go to jail, or two, you can go to the Navy,'" Owen recalled.

Pat opted for the Navy.

"And I think he changed for the better. So you know, the moral of the story is that we always have paths — you choose which one you want to be on," Owen said.

After the Navy, Pat came back to Fort Simpson and started working with his dad. Eventually Pat took over the contracting business, and worked at it "right to the end," Owen says.

Pat also became a volunteer firefighter in Fort Simpson and it became his passion. Over the years he worked his way up to become fire chief, and according to his close friend Roger Pilling — who was also a longtime firefighter — his impact on the local department was "huge."

Pat Rowe, middle, receiving his Fort Simpson Volunteer Fire Department long service award. (Fort Simpson Volunteer Fire and Ambulance/Facebook)

Pilling says Pat helped make the local fire department a more effective operation, with better training and equipment than it had before, and a more aggressive approach to fighting fires and actually saving buildings.

"He led by example," Pilling said. "He was always moving things forward."

After his cancer diagnosis, Pat stepped back a bit from firefighting and became deputy chief instead of chief. Still, he was "always there," Pilling said — right up until he finally retired a year ago, after 40 years of firefighting.

"It was a big part of his life, for sure," Pilling said.

Still, work and firefighting weren't the only things in Pat Rowe's life. He loved golf, curling, his regular hunting trips with Pilling, his cabin at Tungsten — and of course, his family.

Pat Rowe, second from left, was also passionate about curling. (Fort Simpson Volunteer Fire and Ambulance/Facebook)

He also had countless friends, Pilling said. Pat could strike up a conversation with seemingly anybody, anytime, and he was always willing to lend a hand.

"Everybody knew Pat Rowe … wherever you'd go, he'd bump into people," Pilling recalled.

"It was always hard to get him going in the morning, because he was always B.S.-ing with people, and drinking coffee."

Owen Rowe recalled a time when Pat was travelling on the remote Mackenzie Valley winter road between Wrigley and Colville Lake, N.W.T., and came upon an older American man whose vehicle had broken down.

"Pat and him hit it off like Pat would hit it off with anybody," Owen said.

"So much that the guy [later] came up and visited Pat, and Pat made sure that he went down to visit the guy [in] Seattle — went to his home and met his son. And he did that more than once. And he actually wanted to do that one more time but you know, it turned out time wasn't there."

Pat Rowe, at centre wearing a blue shirt, with some of his golf buddies. Rowe seemed to make friends all over the place. (Submitted by Owen Rowe)

Pat's death leaves "a big hole" for his family, friends, and the whole community of Fort Simpson, Owen said. Owen is grateful for the years he got to spend with Pat, his "cousin, brother and friend" — and says losing him at 64 is just too soon.

"But I'm going to tell you — that 64 is multiplied by probably 1.5, to 1.8, for the way you live life, and the way he treated people," Owen said.

"He had a zest for life."

A celebration of life for Pat Rowe is planned for May 18, at the Fort Simpson Recreation Centre.