Jan 7, 1936 – Sept 8, 2021
Bob passed away suddenly at the Lakeshore General. He leaves behind his wife Nancy (Gould), daughter Hayley, sons Cuyler (Annie), Jaime and grandchildren Dorothy and Emerson, sister-in-law Ellen (late Murray). He also leaves behind his twin brother David (Anne) of Georgetown, sisters Katherine (late Ted) of Vancouver, Marilyn of Cornwall and their families, Dan, Steve, Sarah, Bonnie, Kimberly, Peter and memories of Rob. He thought fondly of cousins Jim (Eileen) Ross, Alan (Susan), Brian (Arlene) and Joanne (Bob) Conrad.
Born in East Angus, his family lived during depression times in a variety of pulp and paper towns in Quebec and eastern Ontario, where his forestry engineer Dad found his employment. Having a ready-made companion and left to their own devices as was child-rearing of the time, the twins spent their days making their own toys, playing out in the woods, railway tracks, rivers and turbine ponds of the wood mills. Shadowing his brother’s lead is what got them into trouble, at least according to Bob. The stories they tell have the family wonder how they survived. As a young man, he followed in his Uncle Wally’s footsteps where he trained and was briefly a pilot in the air force. He worked for the same company for some 40 years, selling marine hardware well into his 80th year.
He and Nancy found their home in Beaconsfield where they brought up their children. He drove them all to their activities and spent many early mornings in cold rinks for the boys’ hockey practices. Saturday night baths getting ready for church, Bob’s pancake dinner while watching Star Trek, created family bonds as fans which continue today. A handy person, he did some woodworking and there was always some shelving unit to build or bathroom to refinish around the house. He was very skilled in cutting glass and before children arrived, he worked with Nancy in stained glass, selling their pieces at craft fairs. As the craft leader in the Boy Scouts he was responsible for a most notable project getting the boys to learn how to string their own snowshoes. Summers were spent in nature, camping, hiking, cooking over campfires and swimming in our cherished spot in Glen Sutton, thanks to the Ghikas family.
Later on, he joined his sons at the Pointe-Claire Canoe Club, where he enjoyed wonderful comradery training and competing in Dragon Boat and kayak racing. The opportunity to compete in the War Canoe race in Ottawa in 2015 along with his two sons was a real dream-come-true for Bob. He and Nancy did some travelling and shared many great memories with family on the beach in Saint Martin. In his final years, he stayed very active able to sprint kayak, cross country ski and his daughter devotedly would take him biking, ice skating and for many, many walks.
He leaves a large hole in our hearts.
In lieu of flowers, we ask you consider donations be made in Bob's memory to: The Alzhiemer Group Inc, agiteam.org or Nova West Island, www.novawi.org. They so compassionately helped to keep his mind and body active these past few years.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIOCOMPARTA
v.1.11.6