‘The Bobfather’ a towering figure in valley sports
Bob Lindsay, a man vital to the success of the Okanagan Sun football team and a builder of community sport for decades, died Jan. 21 after a six-year battle with cancer.
He was 78.
Just days prior to his death, the Sun had announced Lindsay would headline their 2021 Hall of Fame class.
Sun general manager Jay Christensen was head coach for many seasons under Lindsay’s watch and called him instrumental to his professional and personal success.
“He was a president like no other,” said Christensen, who also worked with Lindsay in the financial industry.
He was with the club from 1990 to 2008, helping the club win two national championships.
A towering figure at six-foot-seven, the Sun family nicknamed him “The Bobfather” in tribute to a man who could get things done.
“He truly was a larger-than-life presence,” Christensen said.
Lindsay is a former winner of the Canadian Junior Football League’s and BCFC executive of the year awards.
Born in Regina, Lindsay spent 45 years in banking before retiring in 2005 as Senior VicePresident
of Valley First Credit Union.
Family and sports were always paramount for him. He founded Kelowna Minor Lacrosse in 1983 and was also involved in racquetball and tennis and was a member of Gallagher’s Canyon Golf Club.
Christensen said Lindsay didn’t love sports as much as he cared for the players.
Lindsay had relationships with all the Sun players, and his tradition of a graduating players dinner was so popular, players couldn’t wait for their turns to celebrate together.
“He definitely set a tone for just what it was to be an Okanagan Sun player,” said Christensen, who characterized Lindsay as hard working, dedicated and caring.
Lindsay is survived by his wife, Nette, sons Michael and Anthony, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are pending given the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Bob was one of the toughest guys when it came to junior football,” former colleague, Paul Shortt, wrote in a Facebook tribute.
“When I was president of the (B.C. Football Conference), Bob was the beacon of light at meetings and wasn’t afraid to say how he felt. But always kept the BCFC front and centre. First appearance was a gruff guy, but inside a teddy bear who cared deeply for the players who suited up for the Sun.”
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