In memory of
Robert Jean
March 16, 1944 - February 7, 2025
A Celebration of Life will be held at Mt. Pleasant Funeral Centre,
375 Mt. Pleasant Rd. Toronto on Saturday, March 15, 2025, at 1pm.
Followed by a reception. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation, or a charity of your choice.
Bob was the 7th of 12 children born to Elizabeth & Roland Jean in Sudbury ON living in the Noelville area French River. Bob loved the outdoors, fishing and hunting, a significant part of his French& Cree heritage.
He remembered tante Blanche and grandpere Joseph Beaulieu fondly and enjoyed playing with his many siblings after chores were done.
He left home early to join the Canadian Navy for 2 years, where he learned to be a millwright and fabricator. Bob is a member of the Royal Canadian Legion.
He met his 1st wife Betty-Lou working in St. Catherines. In his case marrying a virtual stranger at 19 did not work out, so he volunteered to fight in Vietnam for the American Army. That decision had him medevac’d to a Denver Col. Army hospital for shrapnel in the leg & PTSD. Discharged, he ended up working and sailing in BC where he bought the 1st of many boats he has owned with the 26’ “The Jean Machine” Chris Craft his favourite.
In BC, he lived for a time on a reservation and bonded with the chief who treated him like his lost son. When the lumber camp closed the chief gifted him with an Appaloosa horse as a parting gift. Well, Bob had to rent a small ranch to house his
2 horses and his Blue Heeler dog “Sassy” when he arrived in Edmonton Alta. He was briefly a bouncer at the infamous Yellowhead Saloon.
Rolling stone Bob was soon on the road again as a long-haul trucker from Alberta to Texas and back before taking a more lucrative gig in the NWT as an ice-road trucker for the oilpatch in Tuktoyaktuk.
Next working as a welder in Kuwait for 1 year paid huge dividends. He also worked for his brother Gil up north. Bob broke his back the 1st time being knocked 14’ on his back by a careless crane operator -6 mo. Hospital stay – 4 fused discs. The 2nd time was a fall from a tree stand hunting deer. He crawled to his ATV & drove to the hunt camp and home next day to the hospital. Tough guy had a strong pain threshold. Workmen’s Comp. sent him for retraining after the crane accident.
Hi School Equivalency (because his dad pulled him from school at age 14 & sent him to work) and a 2yr. College Degree from CDI in Lan Admin.
Bob and I were both members of the Toronto branch of the Tall Club – Men 6’2”+ Women 5’10” +. We met in Mississauga - Tall Club World Convention & dance.
We married a year later June 29/97 on the yacht Obsession II on Lake Ontario with 100 guests including most of Bob’s immediate family. We both loved to travel and certainly did so after I retired from teaching at age 55.
Ocean Cruises: Alaska, Baltic, 2 Caribbean, Hawaii, Mediterranean, Panama Canal, and the last one Sept./2024 via rail -Montreal Nfld to Boston. Porter Airline to Tor. Islands via DeHavilland Dash 8
River Cruises: Grand European River Cruise: 3 rivers Maine, Rheine, Danube. 5 countries Holland, Germany Austria, Slovakia & Hungary. Portugal - Douro R. Wine tasting French River Cruise: Paris – Riviera (just before Covid hit the world.). St Lawrence R. from Kingston to Ottawa. Trent R. Cruise
Train Trip: Rocky Mountaineer in B.C. Road Trips: Motor Home trip to Gaspe, car trips to NFL, Prairies, * Australia New Zealand favourite 3 wk. trip 8 interior flights
Camel riding in Alice Springs, snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef.
Bob’s happy place was outdoors, boating, fishing, hunting, walking in parks or the bush, building decks or trailers, fixing things – the jack of all trades. He felled trees, and chopped wood for our fireplace, and plowed snow in Udora.
Bob made his own wine for years. He enjoyed socializing dancing, playing cards, singing in French, English or Estonian. The native sweat lodge and northern European saunas had some common features he enjoyed.
Family was important to Bob: Claude, Ray, Noel, Gilbert, Colette, Mary, Madeleine, Nicole, Fran, Lorraine and Carmen. My children Trina and Rita became his naturally as did the 5 grandchildren and 4 greatgrandchildren.
Eesti Kodu was /is a perfect place to live for seniors and Bob took full advantage of the shop, sauna, pool, library, billiard room, party room and walking paths & gardens around the buildings and Morningside Park viewed from our windows. New friends were made and jokes were shared with fellow residents, and he was happy at EK.
Bob lived a colourful wide-ranging life well lived. A physically restricted old age would have been anathema to him. Bon Voyage et Au Revoir Mon Cher Amour
• Ta femme Anne.
375 Mt. Pleasant Rd. Toronto on Saturday, March 15, 2025, at 1pm.
Followed by a reception. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation, or a charity of your choice.
Bob was the 7th of 12 children born to Elizabeth & Roland Jean in Sudbury ON living in the Noelville area French River. Bob loved the outdoors, fishing and hunting, a significant part of his French& Cree heritage.
He remembered tante Blanche and grandpere Joseph Beaulieu fondly and enjoyed playing with his many siblings after chores were done.
He left home early to join the Canadian Navy for 2 years, where he learned to be a millwright and fabricator. Bob is a member of the Royal Canadian Legion.
He met his 1st wife Betty-Lou working in St. Catherines. In his case marrying a virtual stranger at 19 did not work out, so he volunteered to fight in Vietnam for the American Army. That decision had him medevac’d to a Denver Col. Army hospital for shrapnel in the leg & PTSD. Discharged, he ended up working and sailing in BC where he bought the 1st of many boats he has owned with the 26’ “The Jean Machine” Chris Craft his favourite.
In BC, he lived for a time on a reservation and bonded with the chief who treated him like his lost son. When the lumber camp closed the chief gifted him with an Appaloosa horse as a parting gift. Well, Bob had to rent a small ranch to house his
2 horses and his Blue Heeler dog “Sassy” when he arrived in Edmonton Alta. He was briefly a bouncer at the infamous Yellowhead Saloon.
Rolling stone Bob was soon on the road again as a long-haul trucker from Alberta to Texas and back before taking a more lucrative gig in the NWT as an ice-road trucker for the oilpatch in Tuktoyaktuk.
Next working as a welder in Kuwait for 1 year paid huge dividends. He also worked for his brother Gil up north. Bob broke his back the 1st time being knocked 14’ on his back by a careless crane operator -6 mo. Hospital stay – 4 fused discs. The 2nd time was a fall from a tree stand hunting deer. He crawled to his ATV & drove to the hunt camp and home next day to the hospital. Tough guy had a strong pain threshold. Workmen’s Comp. sent him for retraining after the crane accident.
Hi School Equivalency (because his dad pulled him from school at age 14 & sent him to work) and a 2yr. College Degree from CDI in Lan Admin.
Bob and I were both members of the Toronto branch of the Tall Club – Men 6’2”+ Women 5’10” +. We met in Mississauga - Tall Club World Convention & dance.
We married a year later June 29/97 on the yacht Obsession II on Lake Ontario with 100 guests including most of Bob’s immediate family. We both loved to travel and certainly did so after I retired from teaching at age 55.
Ocean Cruises: Alaska, Baltic, 2 Caribbean, Hawaii, Mediterranean, Panama Canal, and the last one Sept./2024 via rail -Montreal Nfld to Boston. Porter Airline to Tor. Islands via DeHavilland Dash 8
River Cruises: Grand European River Cruise: 3 rivers Maine, Rheine, Danube. 5 countries Holland, Germany Austria, Slovakia & Hungary. Portugal - Douro R. Wine tasting French River Cruise: Paris – Riviera (just before Covid hit the world.). St Lawrence R. from Kingston to Ottawa. Trent R. Cruise
Train Trip: Rocky Mountaineer in B.C. Road Trips: Motor Home trip to Gaspe, car trips to NFL, Prairies, * Australia New Zealand favourite 3 wk. trip 8 interior flights
Camel riding in Alice Springs, snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef.
Bob’s happy place was outdoors, boating, fishing, hunting, walking in parks or the bush, building decks or trailers, fixing things – the jack of all trades. He felled trees, and chopped wood for our fireplace, and plowed snow in Udora.
Bob made his own wine for years. He enjoyed socializing dancing, playing cards, singing in French, English or Estonian. The native sweat lodge and northern European saunas had some common features he enjoyed.
Family was important to Bob: Claude, Ray, Noel, Gilbert, Colette, Mary, Madeleine, Nicole, Fran, Lorraine and Carmen. My children Trina and Rita became his naturally as did the 5 grandchildren and 4 greatgrandchildren.
Eesti Kodu was /is a perfect place to live for seniors and Bob took full advantage of the shop, sauna, pool, library, billiard room, party room and walking paths & gardens around the buildings and Morningside Park viewed from our windows. New friends were made and jokes were shared with fellow residents, and he was happy at EK.
Bob lived a colourful wide-ranging life well lived. A physically restricted old age would have been anathema to him. Bon Voyage et Au Revoir Mon Cher Amour
• Ta femme Anne.
Funeral Details
Show location:
Celebration of Life
Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Cremation & Funeral Centres
375 Mount Pleasant Road, Toronto, ON, CANADA, M4T 2V8
Get Directions
Saturday, 15 Mar 2025 1:00 PM
Info: Please enter into the cemetery through the EAST gates off of Mount Pleasant Rd., drive straight forward towards a small red brick bungalow and turn right in front of this building, turn down the first laneway on the left which will bring you to the Funeral Centre. The Funeral Centre is a large two-story building alongside a large parking lot.