To view the livestream of the funeral service for Wallace, please CLICK HERE
Born at home on September 9th, 1935, our dad was named after the famous William Wallace, Guardian of Scotland, a Scottish knight and one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Youngest child of James and Sarah Robertson, he was baptized Wallace James Robertson at Central United Church in Brandon, Manitoba, along with nephew Jim Murray and great nephew Alexander James (AJ) Murray, at about the age of 45. Dad and Mom almost celebrated 60 years of marriage but fell short on this side of the veil. Wallace is survived by sons Adrian (& Coralee) and James.
Dad was somewhat interested in genealogy, and while we don't have enough room to include all those important to our family and still living, we can at least provide a list of extended family who have also survived him. On Dad's side and in no particular order, he is survived by Debbie (& Dan) [April, Ashley, and Donald and families] Campbell, Donna (& John) [David, Holly, and Derek and families] Scinocca, Jim (& Margaret) [Alexander James, Nicholas, and Jonathan and families] Murray. Jeanette's brother and sister-in-law, Ed and Adeline Melnick, their daughters Charissa and Loriena and their children. Cousins Geri (& Don) [children Scott and Dawn and families] Nielsen, Donna Requeima, Bev [Brett and Candice] Lockhart. Finally, there are the neighborhood kids, as well as friends of Adrian, James, and Coralee. Many of them have at one time or another said that Dad was like a father to them.
Surprisingly, the homecare worker, who arrived the morning of the 17th, confided in Coralee and James that he felt like Wallace was more than just a client – he was family, a second dad. Dad was quietly proud of both his Scottish heritage and his family. Nephew, niece, friend, or neighbour’s children, all were treated with respect, as though they were young adults right from an early age. Neither he nor Mom would speak down to you unless you had justly incurred their anger. He was always involved in the community and was a member of the Earl Grey Neighbourhood Safety Association in Winnipeg.
He enjoyed going to the Winnipeg Amateur Movie Maker meetings and frequently brought Mom, us, and Coralee along. He was pleased when we too became members and helped him create both film and video. Wallace worked for Manitoba Hydro, initially as a draughtsman and later as a Contracts and Specifications writer. He held multiple diplomas, one in Electrical Drafting from International Correspondence Schools, 1964, another in Auctioneering from Reisch American School of Auctioneering in Mason City, 1967, and one in Article Writing from Writer's Digest School, 1976. He was also certified with the Canadian Institute of Management in 1987 – he was immensely proud of that one. Prior to this, Wallace worked as a houseman for the Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta.
Years later, he fondly recalled his eldest brother, who also worked there, having met Marilyn Monroe and another notable actor, with photos to prove it. Dad didn’t just love making movies; he loved entertainment – whether dancing with Jeanette, where he could still cut a rug as recently as 2019, leaving younger couples in the dust, or joining a senior’s glee club here in Winnipeg a couple of years pre-pandemic.
In the last year, Wallace missed his wife, Jeanette, so deeply that he suffered Takatsubo syndrome – simply, he died of a broken heart. He passed away in Coralee’s arms at 9:20 p.m. Monday, February 16th, 2026. Services will be held at Brockie Donovan Funeral Chapel, 332-8th Street, Brandon, Manitoba, on Friday, March 27th, 2026, at 1:00 p.m., with viewing on Thursday, March 26th, 2026, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Though Dad would decline donations, flowers are graciously accepted.