You may think that you鈥檝e never seen Ron Hupper, but if you鈥榲e lived in Chilliwack and you鈥檝e ever driven along Keith Wilson Road, you almost certainly have.
Do you remember a guy sitting in a motorized wheelchair at the end of a driveway, waving at you as you drove by? Do you remember asking yourself, 鈥榃ho is that guy?鈥�
That was Ron, a local celebrity of sorts who epitomized the saying, 鈥榃hen life gives you lemons, make lemonade.鈥�
Nearly nine years ago, he suffered a bad stroke that left the right side of his body completely paralyzed. Beforehand, he was an active guy who owned his own business and traveled the world with his wife.
Having all of that taken away would leave most of us wallowing in self pity, but not the man that Taylor Roseboom called 鈥楶apa.鈥�
鈥淲hen he got home after months of physical therapy in Vancouver and Coquitlam, it was really hard for him because he used to be the man of house,鈥� said Taylor, Ron鈥檚 20-year-old granddaughter. 鈥淢y Grandma started bringing him outside when she was gardening, and while he was out there, occasionally a family member would drive by an honk.
鈥淪o he ended up going to the end of the driveway to sit, and that鈥檚 where it started.鈥�
The stroke left Ron mostly non-verbal. He could say a few words, like yes and no and good.
鈥淎nd a few choice curse words,鈥� Taylor added with a laugh.
But the stroke didn鈥檛 take away his smile, and that鈥檚 what drew people in. They鈥檇 drive by and there he鈥檇 be, relaxing in his wheelchair, grinning and waving.
People started honking, which encouraged him to wave even more.
鈥淚t became this thing where he wanted to go out there every day, because it gave him something to smile about,鈥� Taylor said. 鈥淗e grabbed his newspaper first thing in the morning and then he鈥檇 come inside to eat breakfast, but some days he鈥檇 be out there before he even had breakfast and my Grandma would have to call out, 鈥楬oney! You haven鈥檛 had your toast yet!
鈥淚f there was snow outside and his wheelchair couldn鈥檛 make it, or it was super rainy, he would be so frustrated. But even when he was stuck inside, he could still hear people honking their horns. I鈥檇 be like, 鈥極h Papa. There鈥檚 your fans honking for you.鈥�
Soon enough, some of the more curious among the passers-by started pulling over to introduce themselves. People brought him cookies and brownies, and one kind-hearted soul brought him a blanket to keep him warm on chillier days.
鈥淧eople started saying to me, 鈥楬ey, have you ever seen that guy over on Keith Wilson?鈥� and I鈥檇 say, 鈥楬e鈥檚 my grandpa!鈥欌�� Taylor said.
Ron鈥檚 health started deteriorating in March of this year, with a series of strokes and seizures landing him in the hospital for several months. Around four weeks ago he was moved to a care home, and doctors discovered two untreatable brain bleeds.
鈥淚t was hard with COVID because we weren鈥檛 allowed to visit him,鈥� Taylor said. 鈥淚t was hard for him because he didn鈥檛 have his Keith Wilson Road anymore, and I didn鈥檛 realize so many people truly enjoyed seeing him until he wasn鈥檛 there anymore. The day he died, I heard eight cars honk out there and I thought, 鈥極h my. He鈥檚 not even here anymore and people are still honking for him.鈥�
Taylor posted the news to Facebook Saturday and was shocked by the response. Two hundred and six heartfelt comments (as of Sunday afternoon) from people whose lives Ron touched, every one of them read and appreciated by Taylor.
鈥淢y Papa was a really tough man. What he went through was so hard and it was so hard watching him go through it,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he biggest thing I learned from him is that I鈥檓 never going to treat life like it鈥檚 short or dwell on things, ever, because he adjusted and overcame something horrible and he was still our Papa.
鈥淚 will always push through and persevere, just like he did.鈥�
