Parcourez la nécrologie de Robert John Cockburn III 2024 résidant dans la province Ontario pour le détail des funérailles

Obituary
Robert John (Bob) Cockburn III, passed away in Oakville, surrounded by family and close friends on June 15th, 2024 at the age of 88.
Bob survived his wife Alison, and is survived by his son, Glen (Jeanine Laver). Grandchildren: Liam, Evan, Emmett, and Neve. Daughter Karen (Danny Logue). Grandchildren: Sam, Tom, and Emily.
He was also loved and will be missed by his closest of friends Michelle Champagne-Blythe, Bill Blythe, Cherie Over and their extended family, who were like family to Bob.
Bob was born in Toronto, Ontario on February, 22nd 1936. Bob was the only child of Robert John Cockburn II, and Sarah (Sadie) Cockburn (ne Kinaird). At the age of 10 Bob lost his father to complications due to an accident while laying track for the TTC streetcar lines. His father was in the 48th Highlanders, and played bagpipes. Bob took up this tradition and learned the chanter as a boy but did not become a regimented piper.
Despite this early loss, Bob went on to live an amazing life. After his father’s death, Bob had to start working to help his mother. His first job at the age of 10 was delivering groceries by bicycle for Bones’ Grocers. Mr. Bones once sent Bob home with some groceries at no charge. His mother quickly turned Bob around with the groceries along with a message that they did not need charity. At this young age his mother instilled a strong protestant work ethic in Bob that lasted his entire life. Bob was an excellent student, especially in mathematics. Circumstances dictated that he focus on work however. Bob and Sadie moved several times around the city as Bob grew up, with Sadie buying and selling property to supplement her income, which meant Bob never settled into one school, and although an excellent student, he never finished high school. A remarkable fact considering that he went on to achieve great things in his professional career.
Bob’s first full time job was at Eaton’s in Toronto where he was hired as a sales clerk, and quickly rose through the ranks to become the youngest department manager in Eaton’s history, at the age of 17. As Bob grew to be a young man, he developed a wanderlust. On weekends he would hop on freight trains with friends just to see how far they could go. On one of these adventures Bob made it as far north as Sudbury, Ontario. He stayed for a short while, making his way west to Espanola, Ontario, and was in need of a job. He was hired by the Espanola hotel to do maintenance. When he got around to calling his mother after he secured the job, Sadie had other ideas for Bob’s employment. Bob’s next job came through a neighbour in Toronto, who was a friend of his mother. Her son was an executive at the Toronto office for the Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment and Paper Company, that had a logging camp near Espanola, on the French River. The neighbour’s son sent word to the camp to hire Bob sight unseen, and Bob was hired to be a clerk in the company store at the camp. When Bob arrived he was met with the distrust of an outsider from the big city. He had to earn the respect of the men at the camp and his bosses. This is where Bob’s skills in accounting were honed, having to account to the penny for every transaction. Any discrepancy would be deducted from his wages. Bob often recounted that he never lost a penny in pay. This is also where Bob got to experience some of the best and worst of human nature and learned lessons that would last a lifetime. He already knew the value of hard work, but the logging camp, with it’s isolation over a cold winter had different effects on men. There were men who would save their wages to take home to their families in the spring, and those who would squander two weeks wages in town in a weekend. Here he was also exposed to the cultural mosaic of Canada. Men working the camp included: First Nation, French Canadians, Martimer’s, Scanadanavian’s, as well as the Scotch Irish he grew up with in the city. He learned lessons and would recall in detail his admiration for their hard work, but would also tell the cautionary tales of what can happen to men who lack discipline and a strong work ethic.
The next chapter in Bob’s life took him to the UK or, «the Old Country» as he liked to call it. He stayed for a time in Northern Ireland with his uncles from his mother’s side, traveled some, and eventually ended up in London. He immediately fell in love with British culture. The UK felt like home to Bob. He worked as a brick layer, and made several friends. He became quite fond of pubs, which seemed more civilized to Bob than Toronto’s dimly lit Taverns, and their, «men only on this side», and, «no un-escourted women» policies. This is also where Bob was introduced to live jazz, often visiting jazz clubs in London, and his passion for jazz lasted his entire life. Bob loved the UK so much that he went on to become a life member of the Monarchist League of Canada.
On Bob’s return to Canada he attended George Brown college where he received a degree in accounting. This is where he met his future wife Alison Meikle who had recently immigrated to Canada from Tobago, West Indies. Alison was also a student, taking a secretarial course. They would go on to marry in Kingston Jamaica, where Alison’s sister Winifred was living with her husband. The location was exotic, and had the added benefit of affording Alison’s family to attend from Tobago. Bob married into a large family. As an only child, he now had nine brother and sister in-law, and Bob’s extended family became a focal point in their lives. The newlyweds came back to Canada and settled first back in Toronto, but on the birth of their son decided to move to Oakville, Ontario where they raised their two children, and where Bob lived out his life. Over the next few years, many of Alison’s siblings also immigrated to Canada and with their arrival, weekends were spent with Bob and Alison hosting family get-togethers, which only grew as children, nieces, and nephews came into the world.
It was important to Bob and Alison that their children receive a good education. Bob made the sacrifices needed to send his children to Appleby College, and St. Mildred’s, in Oakville, giving them the opportunity for an education that he never had.
Bob’s career defining job was at Jolly Jumper. Bob was hired at first as the accountant, was promoted to General Manager, then when the business was sold by the original owner, he was kept on and promoted to President, and eventually bought the company. During Bob’s time at Jolly Jumper, he diversified a light manufacturing business to become a distribution and import business also. Seeing opportunity south of the border, Bob also opened a US office and manufacturing facility in Rhode Island. Looking overseas he appointed a distributor in Australia, and grewJolly Jumper into the largest Juvenile products company in Canada employing over 200 people at it’s peak. Bob was recognized as a leader in the industry, and was the first Canadian appointed to the Board of Directors of the U.S. Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association, (JPMA) and the founder of the Canadian Juvenile Manufacturer’s Association (CJMA). As a distributor Bob made several lasting relationships, the most enduring of which was with Chuck Wilke, who was the president of Gerry Baby Products Co. at the time. Bob and Chuck shared many adventures and they went on to be lifelong friends. Bob’s career also gave him the opportunity to travel the world, visiting Asia, Europe, and the South Pacific. Many of those trips were with his friend Chuck.
As success sometimes dictates, Jolly Jumper began to face challenges, and in the 1990’s increased competition, combined with a retail recession and the bankruptcy of Jolly Jumper’s largest customer, Bob’s ownership of Jolly Jumper came to an end. Not one to give up, Bob and his son Glen started a sales agency in the same industry, which continues to successfully operate today as a legacy to Bob, and his career. His daughter Karen went on to marry and move to New Zealand with her family and would fly Bob to New Zealand every year, or come back to Canada to see her dad. Karen was Bob’s «poopsie» growing up. Bob had a special place in his heart for his daughter.
Back in Oakville, Bob quickly became a local legend as Jolly Jumper grew, becoming friends with some of Oakville’s local politicians, and business owners. These men shared Bob’s social and extra curricular interests that would often end in misadventure and late nights at local establishments. Bob always had great taste and now he could afford the best. Custom made suits, and jewelry, and his cars were the physical manifestation of his larger than life personality. He dressed well, he ate well, and drank deep from the cup of life. He was, «a lad» as they say in the Old Country.
You always knew where you stood with Bob. He pulled no punches. He could be stubborn and opinionated, as are all men of principle, and when pressed on a matter of conviction his «Irish temper» would come through. It was fierce, but thankfully saved only for the end of his wit. He loved his family and friends and extended his generosity to everyone he loved. He always took time for and supported his grandchildren and would see them regularly and enjoyed at times heated debate with the younger generation.
Counter to his generosity Bob was not one to be taken advantage of. His life’s motto was «Love many, trust few, and always paddle your own canoe». He lived it every day.
As Bob grew older his hobbies evolved. He was a gardener, curating an amazing backyard oasis. He loved the birds and other animals that came to his back yard to enjoy what he had created. His love of animals extended especially to his «grand dog» Bella, who he would walk for hours in Bronte Creek Provincial Park on weekdays, rain or shine, combining this with his personal mission to eliminate the Virginia creeper that was growing through and killing some of the trees in the park. Bella was a gift of sorts from his friends Bill and Michelle, keeping Bob active in his older years. He met Bill and Michelle on one of his evenings out at Salvatore’s restaurant in Downtown Oakville, when they noticed him dining alone and invited him over to their table for an after dinner coffee. That was the beginning of a 13 year friendship. Bill and Michelle, Bill’s sister Cherie, and their entire family, «adopted» Bob and he became part of their family.
Bob left an indelible impression on everyone he knew, and will be remembered with love by all who knew him.
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to MS Canada

2024

Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home

Décès pour la Ville:Oakville, Province: Ontario

avis deces Robert John Cockburn III 2024

nécrologie Robert John Cockburn III 2024

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