Dr. B has left a legacy at York which will continue to shape the institution for years.  His caring voice tone and reassuring smile and  quick wit will remain with me for a lifetime.  SIP Dr. B and as the legendary Jamaican folklorist, the Hon. Louise Bennett Coverley  (Miss Lou) would say, "walk good"! I will miss our little chats and so much more. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. 

When Bob started at york at the Vinson  centre for students . There where Peter and John and Bob.  I met Don too

My dearest Bob-O,

You will always hold a special place in my heart because to me you represent the very best of humanity and the epitome of what we should all aspire to be. I will always remember the first time I  met you. It was at a low point in my life for despite completing my UG studies earlier that year, I had just lost my grandmother. I was sad, nervous and worried about not fitting in but then you walked into the resource room with a warm smile on your face and introduced yourself with a joke and a high five :) Your presence and kind welcoming words put me immediately at ease and let me know that everything was going to be okay. In that moment I felt the same sense of safety, comfort, peace and belonging that I always felt in my grandmother's presence; it was like she sent me a friend when I was in need and you made me laugh like I hadn't done in awhile. 

It truly pains me that we won't have more time to laugh as we always did but I feel truly blessed to have the precious memories I do and I will cherish them always. 

Sending prayers of peace & support to you and to those you leave behind. Rest in peace my friend. Yours always, Aleek.

My dear friend Bob, we began simply as colleagues but soon became dear friends.  You taught me how principled, collegial governance can have such a positive impact.  With diplomacy and kindness you were the bridge over many troubled waters.  I will miss your wise calmness and reassuring ways; our wonderful chats about our Toronto sports teams, the beauty of the Haliburton Highlands and the Ottawa Valley. I will miss your wickedly wonderful wit; our giggles.  You are forever in my heart.  
My deepest sympathy to Lesley and Bob’s family.


I had the honour and pleasure of working periodically with Bob at York, and saw him intermittently in recent years. Here are some things I know. He was diplomatic, principled, and wickedly funny. He cared deeply about words and used them adroitly. He was the calm in the eye of the storm. He made everyone he touched feel that they mattered. He’s too soon gone but left an enduring legacy, professionally and personally. 

Paul Axelrod


What a special man Bob was. What a gift his friendship was to all of us. I was lucky enough to become a registered member of the Kharma Gheezers's fan club in 1989 and got to see Bob in his quiet but devilishly happy element over the years of the band's existence from that point on. It was always an experience getting to watch and listen to this group of 5 very different men come together to play! These were some of the happiest days of all their lives, I reckon, and perhaps more so with these bittersweet memories now that Bob has left us far too soon. Roy and I wish we had kept in better touch. Time moves quickly and teaches us: too many beautiful Christmas cards can be exchanged over the years without a plan to gather. We will need to gather (when that is possible again) to remember, laugh, cry and hug for the gift that was this wonderful friend, Bob.   

I always loved seeing Bob with Lesley at our gatherings over the years; he was always warm and kind, and clever... Jeff especially appreciated Bob's welcoming nature.  He and Lesley were such great partners and supports for each other.   I only regret that we never got around to making music together.  My heartfelt condolences to all of Bob's loved ones.

Bob's contributions to York University will continue to shape the institution for years to come. He will be missed by all the faculty, staff and students who he helped along the way. My warmest condolences  to his family and friends.

The world has lost a bright and generous soul. I will always remember our chats in the elevator at York and how you always had a happy smile no matter what the day would bring. Your strength and positivity has inspired me to live life to the fullest everyday. I will miss you. Rest in peace dear friend. 

What a magical man our friend Bob was.  Brilliant and humble, he imparted wisdom with a soft voice and wicked wit.  One of my favourite recollections is that wonderful habit he had of tilting his head slightly and tapping the side of his nose when intrigued by an idea and thinking it worth pursuing.  And who can forget his reminder that in life we need to take "the crunchy with the smooth".  It was such a privilege to work with him and to know him.  We have lost a true gem.  Rest in peace dear friend.

I had the pleasure of working with Bob in the Secretariat in the mid 90’s.  He was always so kind and thoughtful to everyone he knew and met. He had a wonderful way of connecting with people and he was never too busy to take the time to help out a student, colleague or friend.  He was a joy to be around and brought so much laughter in the office!  I will miss him dearly. My deepest and most sincere condolences to Bob’s family and close friends. May he Rest In Peace. 

Bob had an incredible life, both personally and professionally. The way he worked and lived created strong bonds and deep respect and admiration.  He was given a beautiful ending because of those strong bonds and Lesley's respect for his wishes. Others have said it, too: I wish I knew him so much better. 

Bob has been one of the most important and influential people I have met in my life.  I will love him forever and he will always be in my heart. 
 
His belief in social-economic justice was based on love and compassion for others.  I have rarely met a person so authentic, true, and loving as Bob was.

My warmest sympathies go out to Leslie and Bob’s family.


Those we love don’t go away,
they walk beside us every day.
Unseen, unheard, but always near;
still loved, still missed and very dear.

Bob, I will always love you.

Barbara





Dear Mrs Greenspoon,

Zoie and I want to extend our deepest condolences for your loss.  Know you are in our prayers and hope to see you again soon.

Shari and Zoie (Starkman)

I was lucky enough to share an office with Bob while PhD students at York in the 1980s. More than anyone else I have known, he combined a wicked wit and ready humour with an authentic caring nature. I could therefore see how well suited he was to a career in administrative mediation and negotiation involving both students and faculty. While we helped lead a short teaching assistants’ strike in 1985, Bob’s later position with the University Secretariat put him on the other side in several more prolonged union disputes.
As well as sharing a mutual interest in public policy and political communications, within and beyond York, I remember the fun we had as members of the Grad Lounge “lizzard” softball team. After returning to Saskatchewan with my young family, I missed his “Bradstock” days, but we reconnected via regular emails and occasional visits, especially during the last decade.
Near the end of our student days, we took in a showing of the film, “A Boy and His Dog,” described as a black comedy science fiction with the promo: “The year is 2024…a future you’ll probably live to see.” Sadly, we won’t be able to share that experience, but fond memories of Bob’s unique character will always stay with me.


Dearest Lesley: 

My heart breaks for you at the loss of your longtime friend and partner.  It is a huge loss.  Please know that I am here to talk with you at any time.  Not an easy time.  Much love,      Auntie Sandy

Heartfelt  condolences to Robert Everett's family and friends. His kindness and warm demeanour in all the ways he took time to celebrate colleagues,  wonderful qualities indeed, have made impressions that are longlasting.  What a wonderful person, who shone light into the spaces where he was.
Blessings, Dr. Maria Figueredo

It’s safe to say that we have never known anyone quite like Bob. Really, who has? But, we are also confident in saying that anyone who met and knew Bob would like to be a little more like him. In these days of viral pandemics, our wish is that whatever Bob brought to all our lives is catching.  His sense of humour, intelligence and humanity were second to none.  We already miss him terribly. 

My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here;
My heart’s in the Highlands a-chasing the dear;
A-chasing the wild deer, and following the roe---
My heart’s in the Highlands wherever I go.

Somewhere, the phone at Ferness 261 is ringing like a piper in the glen.

“You were a good Gordon, Gordon.”

Don Murdoch, Sue Walker, Hart Murdoch and drew Murdoch


His laughter,  stories, and suit jacket will be missed. Bob always returned phone calls and emails from students, staff and faculty and all questions/wonderings were met with respect, patience and dialogue. His legacy lives far beyond academia and we will continue to hear his words of wisdom every gloaming. 

Andrea and I hosted a three day music festival every June for 25 years on our property north of Bradford. We called it Bradstock. 
Bob played on Friday night every year:  sometimes solo, sometimes with friends, sometimes with a band, sometimes with parts of a band. For the second year he composed "The Bradstock Boogie", which immediately became our anthem, and which he performed as part of our opening ceremonies for the next  24 years. He was "The Bobi Everett Experience", and he became a Bradstock institution and legend. After the "Boogie" Lesley would set fire to the campaign sign, but that's another story!
Andrea and I knew Bob at York, but we also knew a somewhat different Bobi at Bradstock. Dr. Everett would let his hair down (so to speak) and become Bobi. We loved both versions, but there was no experience quite like The Bobi Everett Experience. We are forever grateful for the experience.
We love you Bob. We love you Lesley.
Terry Conlin & Andrea O'Reilly

What a lovely way Bob’s obituary ends — “He barefooted through Shakespeare’s ‘mingled yarn’ of a beckoning, bedevilled world.” It reminded me of a cherished memory that I would like to share about a Bob Everett barefooted escapade from our early days together at York U working at the Advising Centre. 

Over the summers we would help new 1st year students choose their York courses for the fall. On one particular day, as I sat down at my advising station with a student and her mom, the mother noticed that Bob at his cubicle was wearing no shoes (as was his predilection that summer), and with a disdainful whisper she said to her daughter, “Do you see that advisor, he’s in bare feet.” To which her 18 year old daughter replied: “Oh Mother, this is a university, people are supposed to be different.”

All of us who knew Bob from junior high and high school, as well as through our student days at university, and finally throughout his years working at the University Secretariat, knew Bob as somebody “who was different.” And always in a good, precious, and original way. 

A beloved friend. I will miss him.


OBITUARY

Dr. Robert Allen Everett, PhD.

July 14, 1953 – May 10, 2021

Kane-Jerrett Funeral Homes

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