Born on August 2, 1926 in Victoria, B.C., passed away at home on July 7, 2022. Predeceased in 2007 by his beloved wife, Marion. He is survived by his son, Chris (Susan) and his granddaughter, Olivia.
Bernard grew up in Oak Bay and attended Monterey Elementary School and Oak Bay High School. While in high school, he reached his height of six feet five inches and towered over his classmates who gave him his nickname, Tiny. He became accustomed to this nickname and, for the rest of his life, referred to himself as Tiny. After high school, Tiny served his machinist apprenticeship at the Inverness Cannery on the Skeena River which was operated by J.H. Todd & Company. After completing his apprenticeship, he returned to Victoria and worked at a cannery in Esquimalt. Afterwards, he began working at a welding and machine shop in Langford which he eventually purchased. Tiny owned and ran this business, Empire Welding, for approximately fifty years. During this time, he became very well known in the community for his ability to build and repair almost anything constructed of metal.
After retirement, Tiny discovered golf and played frequently until he turned ninety. He also drove until he turned ninety. During his retirement years, Tiny became an avid collector of everything from B.C. chauffeur badges, to First Nations masks, to miscellaneous items produced by Victoria merchants. He had the largest collection of B.C. chauffeur badges in the province.
Tiny was an enthusiastic raconteur, often mixing fact with fiction to enhance the entertainment value of his stories. He and Marion hosted many memorable parties at their waterfront home in Sooke. Both of them were fond of a glass or two of scotch. After Marion passed away in 2007, he sold his Sooke property and bought a house in Oak Bay near to where he grew up.
Over the last several years as he started to slow down, Tiny was fortunate to receive assistance from Care & Company, enabling him to stay in his home. Eventually, he required round the clock assistance and all his caregivers were wonderful. Particular thanks to his main caregiver, Shirley who went above and beyond in her care of Tiny and who was with him when he passed away.
Not only tall in stature, Tiny’s presence and personality were larger than life. He will be profoundly missed.
A small graveside service was held on July 18, 2022, with family and some of Tiny’s friends attending. The family requests that you remember Tiny by toasting him with a glass of scotch or any other beverage that you enjoy.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
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Brian Fardoe
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Scott MCCORMICK I had the privilege to friend Tiny, as we shared the fascination of collecting.
He was a ferocious haggler and wouldn’t let you get the best of him unless he really wanted that item !
I enjoyed helping him sell parts of his collection when he was down sizing from the house in Sooke and spent a couple of nights making him dinner and having a few drinks in the kitchen.
The one night I cooked a chicken and I asked him if he had any vegetables, only potatoes he said. So looking out the window I saw sea asparagus and went down to the waters edge and picked a bundle and cooked it up with the meal, Tiny was amazed at that and we had another drink !
The stories were endless and I have a few treasures to remind me of good times with him, happy collecting and adventures on the other side !
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Robert Tiny was a great character who will be missed by many; a gentleman of the old school. He was a man of keen instincts, strong principles, good humour and faith. To know him was a pleasure and an education. He knew his Kipling and he “played the game”. R.I.P.
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john Fletcher I knew Bernard as a customer when I worked in a bank in Langford. We had either done something wrong or he thought we had! He wrote this letter of complaint to me that was both scathing and really funny. It was brilliantly written, and as I thought this was the kind of letter that I would have loved to write, I thought I should get to know him.
I did, and we had several enjoyable lunches together and I did visit he and Marion in their Sooke home. I can safely say he was my favourite customer . Condolences to the family and thanks for the opportunity to know him.
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Alan & Daphne Kotila Hello Chris
When I was reading the memorial to your father I had some pleasant memories of the time when he was showing me around the waterfront property in Sooke that I was appraising for him. He was a nice man and it sounds like that he had a good life.
All my condolences
Alan Kotila
Tiny was a fine gentleman and a great friend! We shared a deep interest in history and collecting, and I enjoyed his company over many years. Tiny told fascinating stories about growing up in the Victoria area and I was alway impressed by his memory of early days. He was one of the “weasels” and was known for his ability to negotiate a better price on something he wanted. He used to jokingly say “oh that’s too much to pay. You are taking advantage of an old age pensioner”. We shared many enjoyable Sunday mornings at Western Speedway flea market where Tiny joined other collectors at the picnic table. He was a regular at local antique shows and was always searching for the perfect item. I will miss Tiny and extend sincere condolences to his family. RIP Tiny!
Brian Fardoe
Weasel Number 2