Vince Keyes was born the seventh of eight to Josef and Emily Keyes on Brock Street in Gananoque, Ontario in March 1930. Although part of a big loving Catholic family, he always said that the last thing anybody needed at the start of the Depression was another mouth to feed. Named Norman Vincent Keyes, he was Vince, Vin, or around town Vinny. Being from a large family, from a small town, born into tough times shaped his life. He left town to make his way in the world, first to Scotland in 1949 to play professional hockey; certainly one of the great periods of his life. He loved all of it; the people, Mrs. Cavendish’s boardinghouse, and Saturday night dances. And although he said that he had to take a penalty just to get off the ice, he loved that too.
His career and the work he did for all his days began with IAC in Kingston, the only company he ever worked for. He soon went to Kirkland Lake which started a purposeful journey across Canada going to Edmonton, Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Winnipeg, Toronto (twice) and finally Vancouver (twice again). He rose to become the Senior Vice President of one of Canada’s chartered banks, a source of great pride for all his family. The mosaic of people that came into his life over that time is remarkable, something he cherished and would recount with amazing detail until the very day he left us.
However, his greatest feat was the creation of his own family. It started when he met and instantly fell in love with Merle Jean Adams, his one true soulmate. So much so that when she was gone too early in 2003 he never remarried, never finding her equal. Kids - Four: Susan, Jim, Helen and Peter, who then gave him grandchildren to delight in. When retirement came, he and Merle settled on a mix of the life that they had lived, sharing time between Vancouver, Florida and their favorite place, the cottage on Howe Island, barely a stone’s throw from those humble beginnings on Brock Street. His service in Gan is planned for mid-August. He kept the troubadour pace until his last year - really remarkable. He had come full circle, living life on his own terms and don’t we all want to say that.