Robert (Bob) Davidson
May 7, 1942 – May 26, 2017
After getting a terminal cancer diagnosis, Robert (Bob) Bruce Davidson died peacefully on his own terms in Vancouver on May 26, 2017 surrounded by his immediate family.
Bob was born May 7, 1942 in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. He lost both his parents as a youth and finished high school in Guelph. He graduated from Carleton University in 1965 where he met Pat, his wife of 51 years who was his emotional ballast and lifelong equal partner. They spent their first 23 years just outside Edmonton raising three daughters as Bob toiled as a curator at the Provincial Museum of Alberta until he chose to quit at the age of 44 to lead a simpler and more purposeful life.
Bob and Pat escaped to the West Coast, eventually settling on Salt Spring Island in 1992. He was an avid photographer, contemplative kayaker, erstwhile gardener, and voracious reader of literary works. Island life and the subsequent arrival of his grandchildren softened his sometimes cynical edges as he struggled with the decline of decency in the world, and lamented the impending environmental crisis. Bob will be remembered for his irreverence for social convention, and his remarkable intellect and integrity that led to a lifelong interest in politics, the public good, and critical thought. He instilled in others an ethos of care, generosity, and a desire to leave the world a better place than they found it.
Bob is survived by his wife Patricia, daughters Judy (Toni Harris), Michelle, Laurie (Shree Paranjpe), grandchildren Asha and Kieran, and his sister Sandra Evelyn (Trevor). He is predeceased by his daughter in-law Sharon Rosenberg.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the David Suzuki Foundation.
Please join us at Pat and Bob’s home at 347 Roland Road, Salt Spring Island on Saturday, June 24, 2017 at 2:30 pm to share your remembrances of Bob.