C’est avec une immense tristesse que nous vous annonçons le décès de Bob, survenu le dimanche 12 décembre 2021 à l’âge de 96 ans. Il laisse dans le deuil son épouse bien aimée, Dorothy, ses fils Robert, Tom (Sue) et Mathew (Andrea), ses petits-enfants Thomas (Krysta), Sarah (Craig), Adam et Gillian.
Robert est né à Calcuta, lui et sa famille déménagèrent en Angleterre. Après ses études, il se joint à la Royal Navy. Il sera posté dans la région de l’Asie et du Pacifique pour une partie de son service militaire à la toute fin de la Deuxième Guerre Mondial. Après sa décharge de la Royal Navy, il débute ses études à l’Université Saint-Andrews en Écosse où il rencontre Dorothy Peattie avec qui il se marie en 1953, en Écosse.
Bob a étudié en enseignement et a enseigné en Angleterre avant d’émigrer au Canada en 1956. Il a débuté sa carrière d’enseignant au Canada au “Rothesay Collegiate School” au Nouveau-Brunswick. Tombé en amour avec les cantons de l’Est, ils emménagent à Knowlton au début des années 60. Bob devient enseignant à la “Knowlton High School” et y sera nommé directeur. Au début des années 70 il enseigna au “Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute” avant de terminer sa carrière d’enseignant à la “Chambly County High School”. II était un professeur d’anglais aimé et respecté.
En 1969, Bob et Dorothy ont ouvert leur boutique d’antiquité “Griffon Antiques”. Cette boutique était une source de grande joie pour Bob. La boutique a été ouverte de 1969 à 2021.
Ses conversations animées et son magnifique rire manqueront à tous ceux qui ont eu la chance d’être dans ses classes ou ceux qui ont visité le « Griffon Antiques » ou bien qui l’ont croisé dans la rue.
Un service pour la famille aura lieu en toute intimité à Knowlton, Québec.
Les arrangements ont été confiés au salon funéraire
Désourdy inc.
101 rue Jean-Besré
Cowansville, QC J2K 0L3
We are so very sad to announce the passing of Bob — at age 96 — on
Sunday, December 12, 2021. He will be dearly missed by his beautiful wife
Dorothy (married in 1953), his sons Robert, Tom (Sue) and Matthew (Andrea),
along with grandchildren Thomas (Krysta) and Sarah (Craig), and Adam
and Gillian.
Robert was born in Calcutta and shared memories of wonderful early family
life there, with vivid and detailed recollections of “painfully delicious”
mangoes, and butterflies covering tennis courts. He recalls family life in the
country, with beautiful hill scenery — as painted by his father.
The family eventually moved back to England — settling in Worthing — and
Bob and his two brothers were educated at Prior Park College in Bath (where
there were many shenanigans, one involving a box of Moirs Pot of Gold —
sent over from family friends in Canada — stolen by rats). After graduation,
Bob joined the Royal Navy and travelled to the Asia-Pacific region as part of
his service, just at the end of WWII. Following his discharge, Bob enrolled at
the University of St Andrews in Scotland where he met and fell for Dorothy
Peattie. Mom’s smile had him right away, and they married in Scotland
in 1953.
Bob trained as a teacher and taught in England prior to immigrating to Canada
in 1956. He began his Canadian teaching career at Rothesay Collegiate School
in New Brunswick, but on their pre-autoroute travels to Montreal, fell in love
with the countryside of the Eastern Townships, and moved to Knowlton
in the early 1960s. Bob taught at Knowlton High School and eventually
became principal there. In the early 1970s, he taught at Kingston Collegiate
and Vocational Institute before spending the last part of his teaching career
at Chambly County High School. He was a beloved and respected teacher
of English, and former students to this day recall his Shakespeare plays at
Knowlton High, and his inspiring classes (with special connections made
through attention to poetry and literature), wherever he taught.
In 1969, Bob and Dorothy opened their antique shop, Griffon Antiques. This
shop was a source of great joy to Bob. He loved the antiques and would
describe passionately the details of each piece. The selling part was of
course rewarding, but it was the discussions with the customers in the shop
(or at antique shows in North Hatley, Knowlton, Robertsbridge, Eastman,
Ottawa and Toronto), that provided equal or more joy — to both Bob and to
his customers. The shop was open from 1969-2021.
He loved old cars and once owned a 1923 Bean 14 Tourer, in which they
honeymooned. He was a connoisseur of fine food and especially of Indian
food and he maintained that “spicy” should not mean “hot”, but rather
should refer to “taste”. Bob enjoyed dry-fly fishing and fished at his favourite
trout-fishing pond in Baldwin’s Mills, QC for over 25 years. He loved England
and he and Dorothy spent part of the years from 1993-2003 in the East Sussex
village of Robertsbridge; and they spent many winter months in Naples,
Florida from the 1980s to the early-2000s.
One of Bob’s greatest passions (in addition to teaching and antiques),
was music, and he was a particular lover of the interpretations of Willem
Mengelberg and the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. Many long
afternoons were spent listening to these and other performances.
His memories of all of these things were vivid and incredibly detailed and
precise, right ’til the end.
Bob loved to talk and his engaging conversation and wonderful laugh will be
greatly missed by those who were fortunate enough to be in his classes, or
to visit Griffon Antiques, or to meet him on the street.
A private family service will be held in Knowlton, Quebec.
Arrangements entrusted to the
Désourdy Funeral Home
101 rue Jean-Besré
Cowansville, QC J2K 0L3