McKellar BobMCKELLAR, Dr. Robert Gilbert - November 9, 1940 – November 15, 2020

Robert (Rob/Bob) died on Sunday, November 15, 2020 peacefully and courageously in the comforting presence of loved ones, a short time after his 80th birthday. 

He passed with dignity, great compassion, strong conviction and with both his sharp mind and dry sense of humour firmly intact.

Robert, son of Mack and Elsie McKellar, was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Rob lived his childhood years in Halifax until the family relocated to Devon, England where Rob spent his formative, high school years.

Following high school, Rob moved up to Scotland where he attended medical school at the University of Edinburgh.

 It was there that he met Anne McCurrach, who would become his wife. Like many at the time, Rob and Anne saw Canada as a great place to plant roots (or in Rob’s case replant roots). They settled in Toronto. It was here that they raised their family and where Rob began his long and celebrated career in medicine. 

Rob leaves behind all of his beloved children and grandchildren: his son Justin, Justin’s wife Jen (Barbour) and grandkids Henry and Juliet; daughter Ashley McKellar, her husband Andrew (Leitch) and grandkids Hamish, Fiona and Isobel; and son Hayden and grandson Finley; all of whom will miss him dearly. He will also be missed greatly by the McCurrach Clan in Scotland. 

He loved to play catch with his sons and accompany Ashley to father-daughter dances. He always talked with special fondness of his times and travels with Anne, Nan and James. 

Rob and Anne remained close after their marriage ended, focused on family and forever friends. Rob spent some of his final days and weeks at the family home, with tremendous care and love from Hayden, Ashley, Justin, Anne and Andrew. The family would like to thank those near and dear for their calls and visits, which Rob enjoyed without anyone being maudlin. The better bottles of scotch were uncorked.

Special thanks to David Thompson and Vlado Mirkovic for their long and ongoing support of Rob and his independence.

While the difficulty of coping with such a loss may be compounded by these difficult times, comfort may be taken by the knowledge that his battles with poor health, which had caused increasing pain and concern in recent months, have come to an end. The thought of him being reunited with loved ones who have gone before also helps to bring a smile to one’s face. And we hope these words he sang to a visitor in recent days are true:

We'll meet again
Don't know where, don't know when
But I know we'll meet again some sunny day

In light of present circumstances, a celebration of Rob's life will be planned for a later time when those whose lives he touched and enriched can safely come together to raise a wee dram and remember him. His family look forward to that occasion and will be communicating those details once a date has been set. 

Until then, please honour Rob’s memory by taking care of one another and by providing reassurance to those in need. 

If desired, donations can be made to Parkinson Canada or Doctors Without Borders.

TorontoObituaries.com

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