Geoff Lister/The Ubyssey

For our full obituary of Travers Wimble, click here.

One of the SUB’s most familiar faces is no longer with us.

A man who often sat in the armchair next to the south SUB entrance, was reportedly found dead in the UBC Village on Tuesday evening. While he was known to AMS Security as Trevor Wimble, RCMP have confirmed that his name is Travers Roy Wimble.

“Last night at about a quarter after 7[pm], the fire company from Firehall 10 responded to a medical emergency, a report of a man down at Wesbrook and University. When they got there, they found one deceased male,” said Gabe Roder, a captain at the Vancouver Fire Department.

Roder was unable to release any official information about the man’s identity or the cause of death.

AMS Security employee David Pendlebury learned of Wimble’s passing from UBC Campus Security.

“[Campus Security] phoned me up earlier to let me know,” said Pendlebury. Pendlebury first said to The Ubyssey that the death had occurred between February 6 and 7, but when he was asked again for comment he stated, “[Campus Security] said he’d been found earlier this week.”

“He was found in the [UBC] village. [His death was due to] natural causes, as far as we’re aware,” added Pendlebury. “I’m pretty devastated he’s gone.

“Every day I’d say hi to him, he knew my name…I called him Trav, that’s what he told me to call him. I’m not sure what his actual name was.”

Wimble, who could regularly be seen reading newspapers in his chair, was a well-known figure among UBC students. According to AMS staff, he had been spending most of his time in the SUB for nearly 15 years, never once causing a disruption. Staff and security described him as a quiet, gentle man who never created a bother.

Third-year pharmacy student Erik MacKinnon spoke to him almost every day, after striking a rapport with him from working at AMS Security in his first year at UBC.

“He liked coming to the SUB and [hanging] out.” He loved watching Canucks games, MacKinnon said, and would watch them on the TV screens at Pi R Squared.

“But he was an incredibly private guy, he never shared anything about his personal life or his background or anything…But all we ever did was shoot the shit, you know.”

And while many students generally assumed that Wimble was homeless, it was never confirmed. AMS staff said he had a place he went to sleep each night, but didn’t know the exact location.

“He would stay in the SUB until 9 or 10 o’clock sometimes, and then leave,” said MacKinnon.

“For all I know, he would have been a millionaire who lived in one of the houses on the Endowment Land.”

But he never caused any trouble, MacKinnon added.

“He sat and bought food in the SUB all day long, he never asked anybody for money, he never approached people, we never had a problem with him…I’m sure the rest of the security team would tell you he’s never been an issue. Never.”

His death has touched many, despite his private nature.

“Personally, knowing he passed away is awful for me, I don’t feel like I lost a family member—I feel like the whole AMS community lost a family member. The guy is someone who I’m not going to see on a daily basis anymore,” said MacKinnon.

“He’s always been there, he was a constant presence,” said UBC student Ania Kasprzak. “I’m sad…It’s always sad when someone passes away.”

After his reported passing, a bouquet of flowers was placed on his chair, along with an issue of The Globe and Mail.

On it was written, “In memory of the old man in the chair: ?-February 8, 2012″ in black marker.

In the subsequent hours, many students put flowers and cards on his chair. One of them, written by a fourth-year English literature student, is presented below:

Dear “Old Man in the SUB”:

I will miss you. Rest in peace.

—With files from Justin McElroy and Kalyeena Makortoff

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