Passed away peacefully on Monday, January 9, 2017 at 7:10 a.m. in the presence of his family. Bob, in his 76th year, was a devoted husband to Rosemary, beloved father to Lisa (Saverio), Trena (Gino), Roberta (Frank) and Darris and wonderful grandfather to Nadine, Matthew, Madeline, Anthony, Evelyn, Michael, Lily and Marissa.

Bob was born on March 24,1941 in rural Windsor to Walter and Mary Bendera (both predeceased). He was raised as the youngest of three children and was "baby brother" to his sisters Beatrice (predeceased) and Betty Lou. His love of sports was instilled in him from a young age.

In 1965 he married the love of his life, Rosemary, and together they raised their four children in Etobicoke. A dream turned into a reality when Bob opened the doors to his business "Centennial Cycle and Sports in 1966, which grew into one of the most successful sporting goods stores in the city. Anyone and everyone who played sports in Etobicoke knew "Bicycle Bob." He shared his lifelong passion of sports with his family and friends, was a respected and much loved member of the community and left a lasting, positive impression on everyone he met. As a result of his commitment and impact, Bob was inducted into the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 as a Community Builder.

Bob will be remembered as the life of the party, the guy who loved to sing and dance to the oldies and someone you could always count on for support. He was strong, brave and lived life to the fullest and he loved his family more than anything in the world. Bob played any and every sport and excelled at it, especially hockey, baseball and (sometimes!) golf. He was Gigi to his eight grandchildren and they were his pride and joy. He was our Bob, our dad, our Gigi, our hero and, while we will miss him every single day, we know he will watch over us always.

A visitation will be held at Meadowvale Funeral Centre (7732 Mavis Road, Brampton) on Friday, January 13th from 2 to 5 and from 6 to 9 p.m. Funeral service will be held at St. Marguerite d’Youville Parish (2490 Sandalwood Parkway E., Brampton) on Saturday, January 14th at 10:30 a.m. Cremation to follow.

Special thanks to the staff at Extendicare Brampton for their care and devotion to Bob over the last four years. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Canadian Tire Jumpstart in Bob’s memory here: http://bit.ly/2jwvZWB