Roger Manley Francis

Roger M. Francis

[September 6, 1945 – October 13, 2023]

On October 13rd, we lost a much-loved partner, brother, uncle and valued friend, Dr. Roger Francis. Roger was born in Wrexham, North Wales, youngest son of Dr. Emrys and Phyllis Francis. He is survived by his dearly beloved partner, Dr. Donna MacIntyre; and his two older brothers, Anthony (Lynne) and Neil (Judith) plus his six nieces and nephews.

His niece, Helen has been by his side sharing both good times and sadness during these recent months of Roger’s very difficult challenge with painful pancreatic cancer.

Roger emigrated to Canada in 1969 after he received a degree in Dental Surgery from the University of Liverpool. His first position in Canada was at the Ottawa Civic Hospital and from that he was offered an exciting position as a flying dentist based in Yellowknife. In all types of weather, he would get into small planes and fly into northern communities to provide dental treatment for the local people, including Inuit children. In 1972, his next move was a dental residency program at Shaughnessy Hospital in Vancouver, where he took the BC Dental Board exam enabling him to practice dentistry in BC. In 1975, he became a Canadian citizen and began a position at the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA). He continued to work in the DVA, both in Vancouver and Victoria, until his retirement in 1995. Although Roger was a dentist by profession, his passion was investing, most especially in real estate and helping his friends and family to also succeed.

Roger met Donna in 1978. He described her as a gentle, kind, considerate and caring person. To seal the deal, she owned a yellow Triumph Spitfire! Romance followed and they spent the next 45 years enjoying many adventures together. They loved the outdoors and have hiked extensively throughout Vancouver’s north shore and the Whistler and Invermere regions. They have backpacked in the Grand Canyon, taking many friends on the trip of a lifetime. They have walked next to flowing lava in Hawaii, kayaked amongst the grey whales along the West Coast, and cycled 135 km from Germany to Switzerland. In 2014, they moved from Vancouver to Victoria where they continued to have adventures.

We look forward to bringing family and friends together to celebrate the life of Roger in time to come.