Robert William Jort, 82, passed away peacefully at the Queensway Carleton Hospital on June 26, 2023, after a long illness.

Born and raised in Montreal, Robert was the second of three sons born to Carl and Ruth (Eriksson), who had emigrated from Gävle, Sweden in the 1920s.

Robert’s strength of character and his determination were evident in all his pursuits, even at a young age. When Robert was 7 years old, the family moved to the Cartierville borough of Montreal into a home he and his brother helped their father build. At 8 years old, he suffered from scarlet fever and spent an entire summer in hospital which resulted in vision loss. His eyesight always came though for him though when he joined the Cartierville Boating Club’s paddling team and won many races by the time he turned 18.

It was here that a young woman named Ruth Ann May from Otterburn Heights first laid eyes on Robert. Not wanting to side with the opposing team, she kept her distance. But as fate would have it, a year later they met each other again in downtown Montreal and have been together ever since. They were married for 58 years and were blessed with 2 daughters; Marianne (William), who was born in 1969 and Melissa (Julian) in 1971. Tragically, Robert was preceded in death by his dear “pal” Marianne who passed away in 2019, a heartbreaking loss that left him shattered.

Robert graduated with honours in Economics and Psychology at Sir George William University in 1963. Robert’s worklife took them initially to Toronto, Hamilton, and Des Moines, Iowa. Eventually, they settled happily back in Montreal when he joined Air Canada’s Human Resources Department in 1972, where he excelled for over 30 years. His mastery was in change management and organizational planning and development, which brought out his exceptional communication skills.

Robert was preceded in death by his older brother, Carl, of Vancouver, BC, and is survived by his younger brother Peter of Milan, Quebec. He was a caring and proud grandfather to Anna-Lisa, Jack, John and Caitlyn, a loving uncle to Sandra and Susan (Chester), and Gabriel a dear cousin to Kerstin (Bengt) in Sweden.

Robert is now on a long walk with his many canine companions who accompanied him throughout his life, notably Kuma and Annie but especially Skipper, who was a cherished loyal companion in his younger days.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, September 15, 2023, in the Mount-Royal Chapel at 1297 chemin de la Forêt, in Outremont, Quebec. The visitation will be held at 10:00 am, a service at 11:00 am, with a reception immediately following.

Many thanks to the exceptional medical and nursing staff at the Queensway Carleton Hospital for their compassionate care. For those who wish to make a donation in Robert’s memory, they may be made to the Canadian Red Cross for Ukrainian refugees.