Rohitesh "Roy" SHANKARAN

Rohitesh (Roy) Shankaran

April 28, 1952 - March 3, 2026

We are heartbroken to share the unexpected passing of our dearest Roy on March 3rd, 2026, after a short term illness at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, just shy of his 74th birthday. 

Roy was definitely a Family Man and loved his family more than anything in the world. He was a loving husband to his wife, Gita, for 38 years, devoted father to his children, Justin and Alyssa (Nick) and the most amazing grandfather (Nana) to his 3 beautiful grandchildren, Tristan, Rainer and Remi. Roy was a brother, uncle, cousin, and friend to more people than we can mention. He will be sadly missed by all of his family and friends on the mainland, in Fiji and all around the world. 

Roy was born in Fiji and loved to tell stories about life on his beautiful island. From the tall tales and delicious stories of food, he was never short of conversation. He knew how to entertain and make people laugh. After proudly becoming a Canadian Citizen in 1993, he ended up going back to an island to raise his family, in Nanaimo, BC. Island life was important to Roy; he loved the ocean, the wildlife and walking in nature with his dog. Roy was a huge sports fan; football, golf, hockey, and rugby. He also really loved food: cooking, eating and learning new recipes. He was so proud of his BBQ skills and loved when we shared photos of his creations on social media.

Roy was a dedicated employee and supervisor at North Town Mall, still working fulltime, even though he could have retired years ago. Everyone knew who Roy was and he had many regulars at the mall who became wonderful friends. Besides working, this last chapter of his life was spent being a grandfather. He was so proud of their accomplishments, continually sharing videos and photos of their endeavours with all of us. The hole he has left in our lives will never be filled and he will be forever missed. 

We will be celebrating Roy’s life on Sunday, April 5th, 12 noon, at the Cedar Community Hall, 2388 Cedar Rd, Nanaimo, BC V9X 1K3. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society, in Roy’s name.

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