Greg Romanow

It was a pleasure to have known and served with Greg. I mourn his loss. More especially I mourn the fact that, now that he is gone, our lives are more predictable. I know no higher tribute.

Greg will be missed by all who knew him well. I have too many adventurous memories to list here, every one of the, as Greg would say we’re, “Magical”. Thank you, Greg, for each and every one of those memories. Rest in Peace, Sir. Rest in Peace.

It was a real pleasure to sail and work with him and I must add that he had a great laugh and I enjoyed his wit .

The first Combat Officer we had when the clasdification from ORO, Weapons Officer etc, onboard HMCs Fraser. RIP Capt I’ll visit you in Beechwood soon.

Greg was my first CO in CHARLOTTETOWN one of the best ship handlers I have sailed with. A pleasure to watch a master at his craft. Later he was DMTE while I was at D Mar Pers he was instrumental in moving the NAV COMM MOSID forward. Thank you sir for your service to Canada and the NAVY.

Am feeling a great sadness with this passing of Greg, an outstanding naval officer in all respects. Greg gave so much more to all he served with and always at 100%. His finest hours were during the Persian Gulf War when he was seconded to the staff of the US Battle Group Commander where Greg was a force to behold and instrumental in the success of that mission. We were extremely proud of his service to Canada and the Allied effort during that War. He will be missed but remembered by all. My thoughts are with Marilynne and the family.
“Well done the boats crew”….his favourite saying!
..

Greg will be greatly missed. Truly one of the most dynamic Naval Officers that I have ever encountered and a legend! My sincerest condolences to the entire family.

Having known Greg since high school days in Belleville when he first started dating my sister, Marilynne, I have so many wonderful memories of Greg. These are but a few:
– stops at A&W in Morris (Greg’s old Volkswagen Van) with Stairway to Heaven, House of the Rising Son or Van Morrison’s greatest hits blaring on the stereo
– parties at the house we all rented on Mary St. during university years in Waterloo
– trips to both coasts of Canada to visit Marilynne, Greg, Nick and Heather
– Dean/Romanow family get-togethers with everyone gathered to celebrate special events or simply just to spend time together
– cottage time at Lake Clear with laughter, great food, bonfire times…and of course…story telling!
– vacations to Portugal with Greg as our tour guide extraordinaire
Greg, your heart was big, your commitment to family, friends and the Navy was immeasurable and your laughter was infectious. You were loved by so many and we will miss you forever. With love, Cathy ❤️🙏🏻❤️

So long old friend
Every life you touched was made a little better by your kindness

Love you buddy!

Greg was indeed an opinionated, gregarious and super professional naval officer. His role as liaison officer aboard the USS Midway during the Gulf War 1990-91 was outstanding and instrumental to the success of the Canadian Naval mission during the War. He went on to Command two Canadian Patrol Frigates and a superb naval career. Refurbishing a 21 foot model of an Italian 1889 barque kept him busy in retirement along with great travels with the love of his life Marilynne. So sad the results of the Gulf War ended up in his life at the Perley Veterans hospital. It was an honour and privilege to have served with him . Love, condolences and sympathy to Marilynne and the family. We too love you all 100 percent.

Cox’n gun lined his cabin (2 full spools), painted it pink (including his sea boots and steel helmet) and filled it with weather balloons filled with five tanks and loaded with foot powder. Finished off the reign of terror with beer, mustard and apple juice in his sink. Greg of course retaliated with confinement. In the Gulf and in Iroquois I was in awe of his abilities. Tactically in operations and training he was the sharpest. Compassionately he dampened the backlash from a few of us taking the remains of a chief on his last run ashore in St John’s. He also started me in wine making in 1992 with a batch of 30 empty bottles. I had the first copy of FRP 1995 from his desk a few months before it was released to the Fleet. I miss him.

Greg was a grand friend, wonderful shipmate, and simply an all-around great guy. I met him as a cadet/ASlt at VENTURE NOTC. He was a nav instructor amongst other duties. Later he became my XO in IRO when I returned as SYO. We along with the CO Lenny Edmunds and other members of the IRO refit crew, brought a ‘new’ TRUMP IRO into the fleet. Oh the stories! Greg always supported his shipmates without a fault. You can never find a better person to be a shipmate. One thing his obit didn’t say was that he was in OP FRICTION specially selected as a key staff officer to the Cdn Commander. He was seconded to USS MIDWAY as one of the Cdn LOs. His influence there was a critical aspect in keeping the allied fleet always replenished and ready for ops. Greg was a man with a great mind and could see things and opportunities other could not in many aspects of our society. Greg was also a proud man of Ukraine heritage a point he was always willing to mention. We have lost a great person. Fair winds and following seas Greg and we all hope your journey to your own Fiddlers Green is one that befits the man you are. Cheers shipmate!

Greg, thankyou for the great adventures, the stories and the lasting friendship. We carry you on with us in our minds and our hearts.

Sometimes people enter your life for a brief time but they make a lasting impact and Greg was one of those people. We met Greg and Marilyn in Portugal and they treated us to one of the best holidays ever. Greg was so keenly interested in everything he was simply a great tour guide. May he rest in peace and our hearts go out to Marilynn and family.

Thank you Greg. You will be missed. I have fond memories of our time together in the early 1970’s while attending Octoberfest with you and your brother John in Kitchener / Guelph while you were both attending University. It has been unforgettable joy getting to know you Marilyn and your entire family over the past decades. We shared the same values of a commitment to a life that served Canada. Thank you for including me in your life.

We have lost another of our compatriots who has been taken too soon. Marilynne and family may I extend to you all, Lynn’s and my sincerest condolences on his passing.

Greg was a gregarious, highly dedicated, astute, and imaginative naval officer who explained events, missions and tasks in terms of “magic,” and (one of my favourites) his gifted “expansive” descriptions no matter the subject…it was “uhuuuugge.” My first recollection of him was as a CFCSC Course 15 graduate of (1988-89), who was selected to be a senior Navy staff planner for my CFCSC Course 16 (1989-90). In particular, I recall his perspectives regarding Course 16 and the East German invasion of Lübeck during the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. Up to that time, the rules regarding fraternization with Warsaw Pact personnel required that we report any contacts with them. In his post-Field Study Exercise (FSE) report, he noted that Course 16 met with 50,000 East Germans in Lübeck! An exciting time!

My next experience with Greg came only two months later and was even more exciting! He, Jim Hayes, and I were assigned to the staff of then Commodore Summers and Captain Dusty Miller for OP FRICTION in August 1990. As the Task Group Combat Officer, he was definitely a driving and imaginative planner who was a key contributor in the successful training and preparation of the deploying Canadian Task Group. His drive and efforts significantly contributed to the successful execution of Canada’s assigned roles and missions. VAdm (Ret’d) Miller’s and Ms. Sharon Hobson’s book “The Persian Excursion” is an excellent reference of Greg’s activities both within the TG and his significant contributions as one of the key Canadian Liaison Officers on the staff of the Commander of Battle Group Zulu onboard his Flagship USS MIDWAY (CV-41) as OPERATION DESERT SHIELD transitioned to DESERT STORM.

Greg and I also served as directors on the staff of the Maritime Commander in Ottawa in the early 2000s. A gifted, dedicated and talented individual, he served Canada’s Navy and Canada very well.

BRAVO ZULU Greg! You stand relieved; We have the watch! May you Rest In Peace!
Yours Aye

Aloha my dear friend, shipmate and life guru for the time we spent together. It seems those young years at sea learning the ropes, having fun, learning about what real shipmates means and learning life’s rules of the road forged our careers. You were a treasure of a friend (none better) and I am grateful to have known you, sailed with you, and pushed those limits together. Love you man, Will miss you. Thanks. Gator!

I learned to know Greg during our joint deployment in STANAVFORLANT
back in 1998 – he as commander of HMCS Charlottetown
and I as commander of HNoMS Narvik.
We quickly got on the same wavelength, both professionally and socially, and were – together with 2 other commanders in the force –
nicknamed the 4 Musketeers.
During a longer maintenance period in Halifax, Marilynne and other wives also joined the social arena.

After the deployment we all kept in touch for many years,
including several social encounters in Europe,
before Greg “let go of the moorings and drifted away”
due to his illness that affected him more and more.

In the fall of 2024, I visited Canada and managed to track down
both Greg and Marlynne, but unfortunately, in Greg’s case it was too late
to resume our friendship.

My hope is that Greg now finally can rest in peace
and that family and friends can remember and focus
on the good times with, and great memories of Greg
after so many years of illness and suffering

I will forever cherish the countless adventures we shared — from spontaneous road trips, to the “mega” northern trips with friends and family and to all our shared moments in a boat, which were about so much more than just fishing. You had a way of turning the simplest days into unforgettable stories, filling every journey with laughter, resourcefulness, and warmth. Your friendship was a gift beyond measure. Though you are no longer with us, the memories we created will continue to guide me, reminding me that life is meant to be lived fully and without regret — just as you always did. Rest in peace my friend.

Ron and I met Greg and Marilynne in Portugal many years ago.
We enjoyed listening to his life in the Navy, an amazing person, he gave many years of his life to Canada protecting this wonderful country.
Perhaps Ron and Greg will play the dice game when they meet in heaven.
Rest in peace my friend, I now have great memories that I can share with his amazing wife Marilynne

My friend is gone. After almost fifty years of friendship, it’s hard to believe that a person who was so full of life is no longer with us.

It turned out that Greg’s life and mine were interconnected in ways that were unknown to us in our early years. Our fathers both served in Burma during the war, and in the post-war RCAF. Through stints at air force bases in Trenton and Germany, Greg and I had multiple connections and mutual friends. It is even possible that he and I had met during that time but didn’t realize it.

It is certain, though, that we met in October of 1977 when we both joined HMCS Nipigon as brand-new “subbies”. Nipigon had just come out of a refit at the Vickers yard in Montreal and Greg and I became part of the crew that would take her through Workups and a Combat Readiness Inspection. Greg had an outgoing personality and was often, shall we say, not bound by the rules of convention; he was easy to like. Nipigon’s wardroom was great and Greg, Mike Bell (a fellow pilot in our detachment) and I became the “Three Amigos”, we as a crew and Greg as our Air Controller. We enjoyed fantastic adventures (usually instigated by Greg, of course), and our time together in Nipigon cemented our friendship. Although it was only a little over two years as shipmates, we had enough “Salty Dips” to form the material for a chapter in a book, and that was just two years of Greg’s 34-year service in the navy! Our time together came to an end when Nipigon returned from a STANAVFORLANT deployment just before Christmas in 1979.

By this time the Romanow-Carter friendship included Marilynne and Barb, and our growing families. Following a CARIBOPS deployment in 1979, Nick Romanow and Sean Carter were born shortly after our return to Halifax. The following year began a period where our friendship was defined by military moves as the Romanow and Carter families crisscrossed the country from east to west. This resulted in a 1981 mid-continent meeting in Portage la Prairie when Greg and family were travelling to the west coast. A photo was taken during this visit of Marilynne and Barb with back-to-back bumps, which became Heather Romanow and Owen Carter. Our families and the kids remain close to this day.

As our military careers continued, Greg and I never did get the chance to serve together again. I was able to take him flying again in both the Kiowa and the Aurora, though. He in turn graciously took me to sea again just before his tenure as captain of VDQ ended. He also arranged for a final flight in a Sea King for me, which was difficult to do. Greg was well known for being able to get things done, though, and often in unconventional ways.

I retired in 1991 and put down roots in Ottawa. While Greg was in Halifax (or at Staff College in Toronto) for most of those years, he was the one that ensured that our friendship was maintained and that we never drifted apart; I was always grateful for that.

We connected full time again when Greg and family moved to Ottawa in 1999. During his last years in the navy and his subsequent years in retirement, our friendship was rekindled and we once again got to have many adventures and fun times. With his friend from university days, Bill Hallatt, and his friend from navy days, Jacques Gauvin, Greg (always the instigator) formed a fishing group (which later included our sons) that did annual or bi-annual fishing trips to Northern Quebec and to fishing lodges and camps all over Ontario. Jacques and I, and particularly Greg, were also able to help Bill with his sugar bush and maple syrup business on the shores of Lake Superior. Greg also started a nautical antiques and memorabilia business, “Captain’s Nautical Treasures”, and I was fortunate to be able to help him with that for several years.

These were good retirement years for Greg – he and Marilynne were enjoying time at the lake, they were travelling and they had four grandchildren. Greg was able to indulge his passions for fishing and nautical antiques and memorabilia, including the rebuilding of a 10–12-foot Italian model of a sailing ship built in Tasmania in the 1800s.

There was, however, a shadow looming on the horizon. Greg’s mental health began to deteriorate in the decade prior to 2020, and the origins of this were traced to his service in the First Gulf War. By 2020, it had progressed to the point where he required hospitalization and then long-term care. Greg unfortunately got what he expressly didn’t want – he “disappeared from the planet Earth”. I was around, so I got to visit him weekly for five years of the almost six years he spent in the hospital or the Perley. It was so, so hard to watch such a brilliant mind struggle for control and then gradually fade away. It also took a huge toll on Greg himself, his family and especially Marilynne.

My friend has now slipped his moorings and crossed the bar. While I miss him every day, I am content that his struggle is over and he is at peace. If you’ve ever heard Greg’s theory of the Church of the Whole Earth (and Bill, Jacques and I heard it many times over camp tables or around the fire), Greg is now sailing somewhere in the Cosmos and looking to hook his next big fish.

I wish you fair winds and following seas on “your next great adventure”, buddy; thank you for a long and wonderful friendship and for a “ba-zillion” memories (Greg’s word, usually used for the number of mosquitoes encountered on a fishing trip).

I remember how proud I was to have Uncle Greg in my family as a young kid. I learned how to sew for the first time so I could put the HMCS Charlottetown patch on my backpack for school, because “Patience My Ass” with a bear holding a scud missile was one of the coolest things I’d ever seen – and MY uncle was in charge of that ship. What an incredible amount of respect we had for him… even if my teacher and principal decided it was maybe not the most appropriate slogan to display in Ecole Holy Cross elementary. If I remember correctly, they allowed me to keep it on my bag because they, too, respected the work of those protecting our country.

I remember fishing for well, fish, at your cottage with big cousin Nick. We weren’t having much luck and somehow managed to catch an eel instead. Greg thought it was pretty hilarious and told us to try our luck shooting the BB gun instead. WHAT A COOL UNCLE!! If your fishing skills aren’t up to snuff, go play with a gun instead?! Awesome!!

Please accept my sincere condolences, big hugs, and tears of both sadness, joy and a bit of relief. While it is incredibly sad to say goodbye to a larger than life man like Greg, so many of us are beyond thankful to have had him enter our lives. He will be missed dearly.

I remember many places and events we shared in Portugal. Greg always planned interesting trips and adventures for all of us to participate in. I am sure there are many folks over there who will be greatly saddened by Greg’s demise.
For health reasons, I cannot attend personally, but my thoughts and prayers are with Greg.
Sherry

I met Greg circa 1972 when he, , then shaggy a university student,, was visiting his sister Mary in Toronto. I came to know him years later as a fried in Portugal, — on fishing trips with him and his brother John and friend Luis, on tours to his special places in the Algave and when learning the finer points of Romanow canasta late into the night. Greg cared deeply about Marilynne and his family and the navy. He left us all too soon.

Greg was a “one of a kind” human for all the right reasons. He was kind, generous, funny, charismatic, intelligent, and non-judgmental!

The positive impact he had on others by simply being himself and in turn allowing others to be themselves is was what made his character stand out. His warm heart, his loyalty to friends, his love of his family and his steady presence were a blessing to everyone fortunate enough to cross his path. He had the rare gift of making people feel safe in his presence. It was this gift that taught me what really defines a successful human. Thank-you Greg for being you!

My heartfelt and sincerest condolences to his wonderful family.

We were so blessed to have this kind and gentle soul in our lives for many years. Greg will always be lovingly remembered as a cherished friend, as is Marilynne, and we will, together, continue to honour this noble man.
With our deepest love
Derek and Sue

Thank you for defending canada as a nation and defending the freedoms that we hold dear, your wisdom and knowledge, Will forever Be a gift that you shared with us, may you forever have fair winds and following seas, and when we look to the sea, we know that you are back on the bridge of your ship on watch, for those that are still on patrol. R.I.P Capt(N)

One of my favourite people.

I came to know Greg when he was first appointed to the Maritime Staff at NDHQ. He was a man of amazing intellect who was not afraid to tilt at the bureaucracy whenever it tried to stifle creativity and innovation. May he rest in peace.

‘Captain my Captain’. It is my honor and privilege to have such an outstanding figure such as yourself in my life for the better part of 20 years. Although Nick and I have been friends for over 25 years, in true ‘Romanow time’ it only took 5 years for us to be introduced (haha).
I still remember the first time we met. It was a cold desolate winter on Lake Clear. Nick and I, two young, extremely handsome and distinguished gentleman, with our girls (Nova and Storm), headed to the cottage in hopes of ice fishing for the weekend. When we arrived there was a plan was already in place to ferry the “uber ice shack” onto Lake Clear. A Mr Romanow plan of attack! Which I would soon learn were somewhere between “a crap shoot” or “I can’t believe that actually worked”. With some humming and hawing we did drag (emphasis on drag) that shack out onto the ice and had it set up. Cold, worn out and accomplished i drew a small mickey of liquid gold from my Carhart pocket….. It was in this moment that the “sip of Fireball” fishing tradition was actually born. Afterwards we headed back to the warm cottage where we had ‘tea and crumpets’ *wink* and Mr Romanow regaled me with stories of everything Lake Clear and the cottage. More than I could possibly remember. All the while my dog curled up on his feet to keep them warm as if she knew it was her job for the weekend.
After that there wasn’t many weeks between where I didn’t see or hear from Mr Romanow. Nick passed the shenanigans torch onto me while he was in Guelph and it was my duty to keep you out of trouble while around you. I task I would soon learn was more difficult than a toddler running away from you with something in their mouth *hah*.
Mr Romanow, Captain my Captain, thank you from the bottom of my heart. For all you taught me, all the help you gave me, all the faith you placed in me all the adventures we had, but most of all always being such a staple in my life. Shenanigans and all.
As Marilyn always says it best “I love you to the moon and back”

I first met Greg in HMCS Qu’Appelle in 1982 where he was the navigation officer – Pilot, was his title bestowed upon him by another well known figure for may of us, then Commander Hal Davies, Commanding Officer. Between Captain Hal and Pilot, we young Acting Sublieutenants learned well the stars and astral navigation during our SOPLOY deployment to Australia and New Zealand and various Oceania Islands with of course, stops at Pearl Harbour. There was a memorable time sailing from Auckland for which all radio fixing aids were suspended as we A/SLts navigated Run/Sun/Run, Merpass, star and moon fixes which was our focus for the next four weeks leading to Pago Pago, Samoa and then Pearl. Pilot was stellar in instructing… A great trip but I must say perhaps Greg’s and Capt Hal’s enthusiasm for navigation pushed me to Destroyer Weapons Officer training. Greg and my paths crossed at sea often but it was not until he joined Midway during Op Friction did I join Athabaskan to backfill staff position in the Task Group with Greg’s absence. His later return upon the ceasefire was I able to claim to have sailed together once more. Flash forward to 2000, I had honour to join Maritime Requirements where he was leading the charge as Director – a wild ride the first months as he was pushing hard for Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile project approval with all the unexpected challenges this project had to met a deadline for Treasury Board approval. He was a great mentor during my time there as Section Head and I appreciated his guidance and leadership when I was new to the Requirements Section.

Thanks for your friendship and guidance.

Yours aye.

Marilynne and Family
It was with deep sadness and sorrow that we heard of Greg’s passing from Dan Murphy, our fellow classmate. We shared Greg’s service with you all today and it brought back many memories of you all. What a wonderful service! I find it hard to add to the wonderful words that were spoken about Greg today. What an amazing guy he was and we can all learn so much from him as we remember him.
Now I like the odd story here and there. Us military college kids were all nicely placed in the box and we had not met many colleagues from the civilian universities. We new right away that Greg was different …he wasn’t even in the box, and hence the fascination began. Some say he could be impulsive but I think some of that was born out of necessity. He needed a car … Van Morris was the solution. The log cabin incidents….all very true but here is more detail. Greg and a few of us friends went down to the cabin site after class one Friday. The mission was to get the walls all up as high as we could. We worked hard until it was dark and sat down in our make shift campsite inside the cabin walls. We drank a few bottles of the wine of the day, Donnini (large bottles). As the night progressed with some good stories, nature called and we had to climb over the 8 foot high walls to find a bathroom. (OK a tree). After a couple of near accidents Greg picked up the chainsaw and cut out a door. Problem solved by Greg’s quick thinking.
The next morning when we got up we noticed that the hole for the door was a perfect trapezoid. This did not bother Greg. He spent most of the next day making a door to fit the hole perfectly.
We lost touch over the last few years as we were in the US, Ottawa and Victoria, but Greg would always pay a visit if he was in town for a day or so.
Our daughter and husband and two kids are posted to Ottawa this summer and my goal was to get back in touch. It’s too late but look at all the wonderful memories we all have. Marilynne, God bless ,best wishes and enjoy that wonderful family you have.
Iain and Barb

Sad to hear about Greg’s passing especially his health issues during his last few years. Was with Greg on Nipigon 1979-80. Was a great fun loving guy and very entertaining. Glad to hear he did so well in the Navy. RIP Greg.

Greg was just starting his career and was my Divisional Officer when I was an Ordinary Seaman Radar Plotter onboard HMCS Nipigon DDH 266, in Halifax (1978). He was a fair, caring and exceptionally gifted officer. I wasn’t surprised he had a very successful career in the Royal Canadian Navy. My sincere condolences to Greg’s family. Rest in Peace Sir.