Obituary of Ron Patrick Day

48, Herring Cove, born July 23, 1963, died suddenly at home, May 28, 2012.  Ronnie, born in Halifax, the 3rd son of Lorraine (Young) and Charles "Bucky" Day, was a man of words but cannot be aptly represented by mere words.  Witty, whimsical, passionate, brilliant, humble, loving and generous are terms that only scratch the surface of his soul. He loved people and loved to share laughter.  He attended William King Elementary, Herring Cove School, Herring Cove Junior High and J.L. Ilsley High School.  Upon graduation he entered the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and achieved a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Art, majoring in photography.  Inspired by Ansel Adams, he created beautiful large format photographs of natural scenes with "Blackie" his camera that he affectionately named after Eric Clapton's favorite stratocaster guitar.  Through his love of photography he chronicled daily life in his notebooks, scrapbooks, poetry and lyrics.  He believed in the cyclical and Karmic nature of life and that what one gives out, comes back.  This was reflected in the countless, thoughtful cards, gifts and letters that he lavished on his cherished friends and family over the years.  After studying computer programming at Compu College, he worked in the production of educational software at E.O.A Scientific.  The ocean was also close to Ron's heart.  While still a student he rigged various forms of netting and fishing gear at an enviable pace.  He baited tubs of long-line trawl in Sambro.  He later worked for Federal Fisheries in the North Atlantic plotting every course sailed on his nautical charts.  With an affinity for a traditional and sustainable inshore fishery, he was proud to work on several lobster boats over the years.  Ron was active in his community.  As a fire fighter at Herring Cove and District Volunteer Fire Department he received provincial certification as a Level 1 fire fighter from the fire fighting school in Waverly.  He also trained and was certified as a Medical First Responder.  His meticulous record keeping skills were well employed in several volunteer positions including secretary for Herring Cove Rate Payers Association, secretary for the local municipal planning strategy committee, as well as a steering committee for a water and sewer project.  Once, in an act of community solidarity, Ron and other volunteers continued to operate the much loved community pancake breakfasts out of Ron's home after the Halifax Regional Fire Service locked the H.C. Volunteers out of their own community recreation hall.  His employment experience was diverse.  More recent jobs included the I.T. customer service and support and personal care work.  Of all his gifts, fatherhood was his greatest.  He was an involved parent who took a keen ineterest.  This would often involve volunteering at the elementary school and assisting in the latest science experiment.  His cherished son, Dylan, who Ron and Gennine named after the lyrical legend, Bob Dylan, was a constant source of inspiration.  Many summer's evenings Ron and Dylan could be seen walking home covered in mud, scrapes and grass stains, returning from the pursuit of another passion, baseball.  The Expos were mourned, the Blue Jays were ever present.  Come hockey season, every year might be the year that his beloved Habs would recapture the cup.  The Ken Dryden No. 29 jersey would be donned.  The shrine of Habs banners and knick knacks would be placed on the altar over the TV.  In terms of other passions, there are far too many to mention but the short list would include fantasy and science fiction, (his dog Frodo, seen above, is named after a character in J.R.R. Tolkien's, The Hobbitt), any board game or puzzle that involved a huge vocabulary and of course...music.  he exalted in the Beatles and never forgot how their cultural, musical and lyrical prowess changed popular music and changed the world.  The social catalyst of a generation of N.S.C.A.D. graduates and beyond, Ronnie will be missed.  He is survived by his son, Dylan; mother, Lorraine; ex-wife, Gennine (Silliker); brother Dereck "Rick", brother Gary and sister-in-law, Jaqueline; nieces, Taylor and Cleanne; cousin Danny Winsa; second cousins, Theresa, Leah and Michelle.  He was predeceased by his father, Charles "Bucky" Day; maternal aunts, Rita (Young) Donaldson and Nonie (Young) Eisenor; cousin, Karen Miller, second cousin, Denise; brother Gary's first wife, Carol; paternal grandparents, Beatrice and Edmund Day; maternal grandparents, Sadie and George Young.