My wife and I moved into our home in 1998, and Bob was already a long-established fixture in the neighbourhood. Upon first meeting him, he seemed quiet and fairly private so we didn't get to know him too well initially, but a few months after moving in we got chatting and discovered that we were both into Information technology - I run a help desk - and that was a springboard into some interesting conversations.

We soon settled into a comfortable neighbourly relationship, and I enjoyed the chats we had. We had a bit of an informal race with each snowfall to see who could get out and clear the other's driveway first, and at those moments, Bob's sense of humour would come shining through, often with a hilarious comment delivered completely deadpan, with a wry smile appearing only after I had processed the joke. Bob was incredibly active when we met him, cycling, skiing and walking all with equal enthusiasm. A few years ago, after Bob had the first of his micro strokes, he had to give up much of that activity, and his driver's license as well, but he didn't let it dampen his sense of humour, nor his determination to keep our friendly snowshoveling competition going. Despite our efforts to get him to leave that work to us, Bob was intent on "pulling his weight".

Over the last year or so, we had the pleasure of getting to know Bob even better - he would tell me very interesting anecdotes from his years with the government, as well as what he had found out about his family history while researching his book. Bob's humour was evident at all times, but perhaps more importantly was his determination to continue to live life on his terms, depsite his new physical challenges. We had a few occasions where I would be at his house assisting him with something small, like hooking up his new cable box, and he and I would have some great conversations about subjects as diverse as politics, what was in the news, and sometimes just about the challenges he faced in adapting to his new reality.

We count ourselves as extremely lucky to have had Bob as a neighbour over the years, and even more lucky to be able to count him as a friend. He will surely be missed by all who knew him, but the world, and our neighbourhood, were richer for having had him in it.