Robert Weisman

Robert Morris Louis Weisman, known as Bob (Rob) to his family and friends, passed away on March 26, 2024. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Brenda, his three children, Marina (Kyle) VanKoughnett, Sean (Megan) Weisman, and Sheena (Martin) Myers, six grandchildren, and his sister, Vivian (Bob) Testa alongside many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, Fred Weisman and Sophia Hoy-Frank.

Bob was born on October 15, 1954, in Montreal, Canada, where he grew up as an active curious child, who enjoyed scouting, cadets, and soccer. He was a lifelong student with a passion for military history, the arts, culture, and languages; he spoke three fluently (English, French and Dutch) alongside studies in German and Latin. He aspired to be a history student and teacher, but life’s circumstances conspired otherwise leading him to pursue Civil engineering first at CMR (Collège Militaire Royale) and finishing his studies at RMC (Royal Military College) in Kingston Ontario. It was during his studies at RMC that Bob met his future wife and life-long love, Brenda, who was studying at Queen's University.

Brenda and Bob married in 1978 and moved throughout Eastern Canada in support of his many roles in the armed forces where he served as a construction engineer, squadron commander, decision support researcher, and a command & control portfolio manager. Bob was a very involved and loving father - during this time his most cherished role was as a dad to their three children.

Through his travels with the Military, Bob was first introduced to and fell in love with the Canadian North, building some of the first airfields in Spence Bay (Taloyoak, Nunavut) and collecting Inuit art. During his time in the Military, Bob completed a master's degree in computer science in 1992 and taught at RMC where he found a passion for teaching. After completing his Masters Bob was posted to Ottawa where he thoroughly enjoyed all that the National Capital region had to offer, relishing his time at the various museums, festivals, and National Monuments. In 1999, after 27 years of service, in the Canadian Military, Bob retired with the rank of Major.

After his retirement from the Military, Bob continued work as a consultant, enterprise architecture lead, and chief information architect as well as launching his own company, Build The Vision. He was a leader and innovator in the fields of planning, enterprise architecture, and knowledge management with major contributions to the TOGAF standard, an open methodology for enterprise architecture. While in Ottawa, Bob continued his love of education, obtaining his PhD in digital transformation and innovation from the University of Ottawa in 2019, where he subsequently taught as a part-time professor and an engineer in residence until his passing.

Bob was a lifelong learner, mentor, and a caring person. He loved to travel, visit museums, read books, and had a special fondness for Star Wars and Star Trek which he passed on to his children. He cherished his family and his pets (even though he pretended to dislike animals) and was a continuous source of spontaneity and mischievousness, especially when it came to his grandchildren. Ever the devoted husband, father, and Opa he enjoyed taking his children and grandchildren on outings to the zoo, aquarium, Wye Marsh, and the Rideau Canal, just to name a few. The kids in the family were frequently surprised with kinder eggs, and his wife with flowers, just because! Bob sought to teach his children and grandchildren valuable lessons, skills, share his stories, and support them in their dreams and goals.

Everyone who knew Bob felt his strong sense of moral duty and a desire to make a positive difference in the world. He lived a life of service, learning, and adventure but his family was always the most important part of his life. He made them laugh with his jokes and pranks. He hugged them, kissed them, and told them he loved them regularly. He will be dearly missed, but we carry him forward in our hearts and remember him fondly.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the United Way.