It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Roland Romuald Joseph Maillet, resident of Grande Prairie, AB on Wednesday, March 13, 2024 at the Points West Hospice at the age of 65 years old.

Roland was born in Montreal, QC on July 13, 1958 to Alphonse and Rolande Maillet. At a young age, he hitched-hiked all over Canada and ended up in Grande Prairie where he fell in love with this little town and decided to stay.

Roland started off driving a taxi for a living and then became a water hauler for the oil patch. In March 2007 he became a bus driver with Cardinal, then First Student and finally worked for the City of Grande Prairie as a Transit Operator. He was with the City of Grande Prairie for 10 years. He would greet his passengers in a lively manner with a big smile and say, “Are you ready for another fantastic day?” and when they would leave he would say, “Have a magical day!” In 2016 he played as a GP Transit Mascot, where people voted to name the Mascot and was given the name “Rollin” after him. He received the Safety Driver Award from the City of Grande Prairie for six consecutive years, from 2018 to 2023. A testament to how he loved his job and his ability as a professional driver. He was very passionate about driving. He mentioned this during one of his performance reviews. “I love driving and to be doing this as my career is very rewarding. Aside from this, I’m serving the public in different ways and I feel a sense of accomplishment every time I help someone and put a smile on their face.”

Roland had a great sense of humour, loved talking to people and was a great listener, which is why he was beloved by everyone.

He was very compassionate about giving back to the community and volunteered at Meals on Wheels, where he would deliver meals to Seniors and people incapable of cooking for themselves. He also volunteered at Christmas time with the Salvation Army Kettle campaign and also for Stuff the Bus during the Santa Clause Parade.

Roland loved life and the outdoors, he was very active before his diagnosis. One would often see him riding his electric bike, electric scooter and hoverboard in the Summer. In the Winter he would be skiing at Nitehawk or Marmot Basin in Jasper, AB. He had been skiing since he was a little kid and also loved cross-country skiing.

Roland was very active in church, serving as a minister of Holy Communion, helping with the collection and recently became a part of the Knights of Columbus as a fourth degree.

Roland loved sports, particularly Hockey, in which his favourite team was the Montreal Canadiens. Guy La Fleur was his favourite player and he was fortunate to meet him when Hockey Night in Canada came to Grande Prairie.

Roland was fond of making people happy, especially the kids. He would dress up as Santa on the bus or would go around on Christmas Eve and visit family and friends to spread Christmas cheer.

He loved to watch movies and the TV game show The Price Is Right every day without fail. He also liked listening to music, enjoying different genres from the 70’s, Country, Classic Rock and Christian Music. He loved the band Trooper and the song. “Here for a Good Time, Not A Long Time.” He saw Trooper in concert in Grande Prairie and got to meet them after the show getting some autographs. He also did karaoke and would always sing the song “Piano Man” by Billy Joel.

Roland had a penchant for photography and he would often take pictures of nature and everything and anything that would catch his eye. He had a knack for capturing precious moments at the right time.

Roland will be sadly missed by his wife Ana Liza Maillet and their little puppy Chloe; brothers: Daniel from Calgary, Michel (Manon) from Montreal, Jean-Luc from Montreal, Ronald from Ontario and Andre from Calgary; nieces Marie-Andre from Montreal and Marie-Eve from London, England.

A Viewing will be on Thursday, April 4, 2024 at 11am at St. Joseph Catholic Church (10404 102 St.) Grande Prairie, AB with a Funeral Mass at 12pm. The Interment will follow at the Grande Prairie Cemetery (84 Ave. and 112 St.).

Memorial donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society (cancer.ca/en Donate).

A Livestream of the service will be accessible prior to the service on Roland Maillet's obituary on Oliver’s Funeral Home website.