Chester Robert Chrobot

Loving father of Ted and his wife Barbara of San Francisco, Barbara Reid and her husband Brian of Guelph, and Larry and his wife Carolyn of Prince George, BC. Chester was the proud grandfather of Diana, Christina, Matthew, Drew, Caitlin, Tristan, Andrew, Kathryn and Lauren.

He was also the great-grandfather of Lucas, Ariel, Jacob, Hannah, Aiden, Hudson, Maddux, Megan, Maxwell, Michelle, Madison, Harper, Elliott, Hailey, and Brooklyn.

Predeceased by his loving wife Wanda (Rosenbaum), his parents Stefan and Maria Chrobot and his sisters Diana Szymczak of Germany and Irena Krauze of France. Chester also leaves behind many beloved nieces and nephews, lifelong friends and extended family.

Chester was born in Bialy Lug, Poland on March 25, 1932. During the war, his family was transported to Germany and upon liberation, moved to a displacement camp in Lubeck Germany, where he met his future wife, Wanda. After WW2, he joined the British Army until he came to Canada in 1954. He was an avid soccer player, skilled and motivated. As part of the Canadian immigration program, Chester worked on a Manitoba farm to fulfil his obligation and moved to Ontario to be closer to Wanda. Here, he held several jobs including truck driver, dishwasher at Homewood and finally joined International Malleable Iron Company pouring iron into molds, marrying his sweetheart and working to build his first house. He upgraded his skills to include English, electrical, drafting and welding, which led him into promotions and jobs with Bucyrus Erie, Koehring Waterous and Tube-Lok Products as superintendent. This is where he taught his kids to drive forklifts safely and instilled the principles of hard work and fair play. After 6 years, Tube-Lok closed and the property was acquired by TC Industries in 1978, where Chester became the Plant Manager for 20 years. He opened two new plants in Saltburn, England (1985) and Selkirk Manitoba (1997), using his talent of leadership, cooperation and patience with new situations. Chester retired in 1997. He led by example and showed all of us what “work hard, play hard” truly meant.

Socially, Chester had joined the Guelph branch of the SPK (Polish Veterans Association) and the group helped the local Polish community, Polish school for young children (like us) and church with summer weekend picnics on a plot of wooded land they cleared for a baseball field and volleyball court. He held the office of Secretary, Treasurer and President over the decades with the 25th Branch.

Chester and Wanda were eager participants in the local dance scene of Polish events in Hamilton, Grimsby and Toronto. Together they were quick to volunteer for weddings, funerals, christenings and anniversaries. They loved music, singing their childhood songs, and supporting their family. A visit to their house always started with a drink in your hand as you entered the home.

Chester was always ready for a trip to Wasaga or Sauble beach, where he introduced us to the new gadgets such as a portable charcoal BBQ and car-powered cooler. He loved building and exploring.

Chester and Wanda were happiest when they were with the kids on vacation, but did their share of exploring the resorts in the Caribbean or cities of Europe without the kids.

We wish to sincerely thank the doctors, the nurses, volunteers, and all the support staff at The Elliott Community, Guelph General Hospital and St Joseph’s Health Centre in Guelph for the exceptional care and compassion they gave Chester in the final years of his life.

He will be remembered with love and missed every day.

The family will receive their family and friends at the Gilbert MacIntyre & Son Funeral Home, 252 Dublin St N., Guelph on Friday, November 6, 2026 from 6-8 PM. A mass/service will be held at Sacred Heart church on Saturday, November 7 2026 at 10 AM, followed by interment at Marymount Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Foundation of Guelph General Hospital or St. Joseph’s Health Centre Foundation in recognition of the amazing care and compassion provided to Chester during his time there.