Tribute

With immense sadness, we share that we lost our beloved Neil on New Year’s Day to a swift and decisive heart attack.  Neil was a kind, funny, loving, generous and supportive father, husband, son, brother, uncle, and friend.  He leaves behind his wife of 31 years, Victoria (Vicki) Sjoberg (Burnell), their daughters Veronica and Lucy, brother Stephen Sjoberg (Bonnie), sister Claudia Sjoberg and her children: Wyatt Sjoberg-Fox and Matilda Sjoberg-Fox; as well as his aunt, Lois Field and many, many good friends.  Neil is predeceased by his parents, Harry and Leslie Sjoberg (Field).

Neil lived his entire life in Duncan, adored the Cowichan Valley and loved to “take the scenic route,” driving the roads he knew so well with the windows down, the music blasting and a cup of coffee close at hand.  At 16 he started working at Bruce’s Grocery, then spent more than twenty years in Overwaitea/Save on Foods, as he worked his way up from stocker to Assistant Manager. He also was a real estate agent with Sutton Realty for nearly four years.  His love of motorcycles led him to become a motorcycle riding instructor, to work at Duncan Motorcycle as a small engine mechanic and most recently to become the Service Manager at Mile Zero Motorsports in Ladysmith. As an entrepreneur, he was ahead of the curve. He started a coffee cart with his good friend Peter Sunnar in front of Overwaitea Foods on the cusp of the burgeoning coffee phenomenon that would follow.  He also created Acme Hobbies, an early online mail order business, selling model kits to customers internationally.

Neil excelled at skating, baseball, curling and competitive swimming but his true love and talent was realized in watching and racing motorcycles, specifically fast sport bikes!  With Vicki as his pit crew, he sometimes raced at Seattle International Raceway. Two holidays were planned around the Motorcycle GP at Laguna Seca in Salinas, California so he and Vicki could watch the races.

Neil loved his “girls” fiercely. He was so proud of Veronica and Lucy and enjoyed watching them dancing and performing on the stage. He was a super fun dad who shared his wisdom over ramen, during board games and just chilling at home. The family bonded on many trips to Palm Springs, Hawaii, Tofino, Disneyland, BC and Alberta, as well as with the whole clan during annual trips to Hardy Island.

Neil also had a great love of music and music trivia.  He loved classic rock, metal, 60s, 70s, 80s, and notably Rush (he saw them at least 7 times)! He had a great sense of rhythm and loved to play the drums.  Neil loved spending time with his family and friends, going for coffee (tall Pike in a grande cup, 7 sugars filled to the top with skim milk), and creating woodworks in his shop. He was a truly funny person who was infamous for quoting movie lines at the right times for a “dynamite drop in.”  His favorite movies (on repeat), were all the James Bond and Guy Ritchie films as well as “So I Married an Axe Murderer,” “Flushed Away,” and “Chicken Run.”

He was a fantastic mimic and channeled Krusty the Clown, Donald Duck, Pee Wee Herman and Bubbles flawlessly.  He was a great cook, an all-round creative soul who was handy with tools, enjoyed fixing things and building models.  He had a deep knowledge of aircraft and ships from the World Wars.  He was fascinated by history and was always keen to visit museums, particularly air and war museums.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, January 28, 2024 at 2:00pm at Mellor Hall (Exhibition Grounds).  In lieu of flowers, donations, in Neil’s name, to Heart and Stroke Foundation or the Cowichan Music Festival are appreciated.