Hard to imagine it’s been 5 years since Bob left us. Every time I wear my red t-shirt I think of Bob.

Actually I was just thinking of Robert yesterday when I was watching Oscar Peterson talking about Art Tatum, two of Robert's favorite pianists.

A friend from many years ago, I extend my sympathy to his family and friends. We shared our love of cars, engineering, and mountain biking. 

I met Bob through my good friend Carmen a couple years ago. I loved that Bob would come out dancing with us, even when sometimes he was the only guy! I was shocked to learn of his sudden passing and reinforces that we need to spend our time doing things we enjoy.  Bob was doing that with his cycling, photography, music and dancing. I am glad he was able to spend his last few years with Carmen as his companion as she has the kindest heart I know. We will remember you on our dance nights Bob and hopefully you are sharing a beer in Heaven with Everett! Sincere condolences to all of Bob’s family and friends. Another gone too soon....

Dear Christian and Debbie,

We share with you a feeling of sadness in this difficult moment of loss and present to you and your family our sincerest  condolences. 

Jocelyne, Alexandre, and Anthony Bergeron  

I first met Bob six years ago on a group ride to a winery in the Fraser Valley.  He was wearing the red shirt which we have come to lovingly associate with him.  At one point he zipped past the group (on his mountain bike) and I wondered what on earth he was up to.  When we caught up, there was Bob, off his bike snapping photos of each of us as we rode by.  This too would become one of his endearing habits.  His wonderful photos captured our best (and sometimes worst) moments over the years. 

Bob was a great support to me as a ride leader, offering destination ideas, route suggestions, safety tips, pub recommendations, and local wisdom.  He frequently volunteered to take my waitlisted riders as a second group which enabled everyone to take part.   

Bob was funny, generous, knowledgeable, caring, and a joy to know.  I will miss him dearly. 

We always enjoyed having Bob at our house with Carmen, enjoying festivities.  He entertained us on the piano, and was always an active part of our conversation and humor.  He delighted in making us groan with his many puns.  He could be counted on to dig in and give a hand when you needed him in the kitchen or just hang out and keep you company.  We also appreciated him for the richness and happiness he brought to the life of our friend Carmen.  A great guy who will forever be missed.

Bob,
I've known you for the past six years. I wished you had been in my life a lot longer. Your energy and sense of humor always bring joy and happiness to all of our bike rides. I still remember when you showed me what you had in your pannier. That bag must've weighted as much as my bike, if not more! And you just kept flying like you were carrying nothing. Rest in peace my friend.  I miss you.

Something that I will always remember about you Bob (besides the red shirt), is your gratitude. 
Regardless of how tough the ride was, how many flats we had, or how much it rained, you always kept it positive.
I miss you my friend, I will miss you zipping past me, just when I thought I had beat you!
Here are some comments from Bob on some of the events I had the pleasure of joining him on:
“Thanks, Rhys, for posting. Thanks, everybody for a great ride and conversation.”
“Great ride, everybody. Thanks for the fun! Thanks for posting, Rocket Rob!”
“Thanks, Nar, for hosting another beautiful evening ride. Thanks to all the happy cyclists who made it so fun. Didn't need rain gear on the way home. No thunder, either. Perfect cycling weather!”
 “Great ride! Thanks, everybody - Especially Nar, Elspeth, Mark and Gillian for team navigation.”
“Thanks, Nar, for hosting another perfect ride and posting the photos! Thanks to everybody for making it such a fun and social event.”
“Thanks, everybody, for another fun White Rock ride. Thanks, Nar, for posting and leading!”
“Thanks, everybody, for another scenic and well-paced ride with great people. Thanks, Nar, for posting! The rain held off until about 1 mile before I got home. It stopped just before I reached the driveway. Can't complain! Good timing, Nar!”
“Thanks to Rhys for organizing and everybody for making this another fun "5 Bridges" ride!”
“Thanks, everybody for a fun ride! Thanks, Nar and Andrew for making it happen.”


[Christopher Robin: Pooh, there's something I have to tell you.
Pooh: Is it something...nice?
Christopher Robin: Not exactly...
Pooh: Then, it can wait.
Christopher Robin: It can? For how long?
Pooh: Forever, and ever.]



I  was Bob's friend for over 35 years.
We had a lot of fun together, going on  skiing trips , Mountain biking, going to many clubs and pubs,
Bob had a great love for music. He loved jazz and old music. 
Bob and I would get together at my place , He would play my keyboards and I would play my Guitar, 
once in a while we would get it right and it would sound decant.   
I watched him get Married and divorced,  and meet some terrific new girlfriends .
We would all get together  for dinner,  he liked East Indian and liked to try different  food from different cultures, Then come back to my place for movies, and always desert . 
Bob had a quirky sense of humor, when he laughed it would be the out loud and slap the knee type, He liked his pun's 
Which I heard too many times over the years. 
But now I will miss them. 
Glad he had the time to enjoy his riding the past few years, sounds like he met many people,  doing what he liked doing best. 
Lynn and I are thankful that we met you 
You will be missed


I first met Bob a few years back on a meetup ride a couple of years after the death of my wife . We soon where racing each other down hills . This led to riding longer distances and chasing Bob trying to keep up Leading to invitations from Bob to ride with him on riding adventures to destinations such as Vancouver ,North Van , Abbotsford . Riding all year round . Rides that usually ended with a good Craft beer . On days we couldn't ride we would explore new pubs and Craft breweries . On one such occasion. The Brewery had a small piano .Bob sat down and proceeded to play recieving a round of applause from everyone there . I learned there was much more to Bob than cycling. 
I was on holidays this week and was looking forward to that text "ride?" . I had signed up for Bobs famous Hot sauce ride to white rock . But this was not to be. 
Bob I will miss our adventures our humour battles . I will miss the way You would ride up and pass me with with your casual stride and that grin that would say the pursuit is on .

RIP Roadrunner
Ride in peace

I knew Bob for many years and never knew that he rode a bike. My connection with him was through the Vancouver AutoCAD Users Society where he was an active executive member. Through the years  he gave many presentations on how to program and customize AutoCAD.
His sense of humour will be sorely missed.

I had the pleasure of riding several thousand kilometers with Bob over the years and now I have those great memories to hold onto, I will immensely miss his companionship. Bob probably didn’t know that he was continuously teaching others to be better versions of themselves, I am so happy that I got to experience his subtle form of training first hand. 

One of my fondest memories of Bob is when I had music streaming through two high quality speakers on my bike, Bob & I rocked out to Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) as we rode through the entire day ending with constant pedal strokes towards a glorious setting sun. That was a rare ride where Bob was content to not push nor pass me and just to stick to my tail, after all, he had the best listening position within our little CCR cycling festival. For Bob & I, this was a rare ride where we just settled into a moderate pace to enjoy the ride, music and one another’s company.

Rock on Bob, you will always be in my memories!

Very sad , I will miss Bob his easy going ways, his great humor and his fast riding on his bicycle. 

I first met Bob on a ride with the Surrey Activity Group when I was assured he was 'pretty good' at fixing bikes. I witnessed many examples of this on subsequent rides over the years. I have fond memories of many rides with Rob and Bob the first winter of the group Bike Hike Live.  They spent a lot of time waiting for me with encouragement. 
My favourite memory of Bob is when I joined him on a ride to a new craft brewery in Port Moody: Yellow Dog Brewing Co. We sat at the short counter that had about four stools and chatted with our hosts. They wanted suggestions of names for upcoming brews. We threw out names like: shake a paw, chase my tail, sit-stay, play dead, roll over... Bob recalled this visit often to me. I always think of Bob when I look at the names of the beer at Yellow Dog Brewing Company. 

Bob and I met at a social function back in 2008.  Not long after we met, we spent the entire weekend dancing, at 5 different events.  By the end of the weekend we were exhausted. I realized then, that Bob had more batteries than the energizer bunny, and he was funny too.  It was an amazing time! 
Bob was very special to me and I will always value the relationship and friendship we had. He brought many good things into my life, including his wonderful family and friends.  I will miss Bob’s presence, his energy, his wit, his music, his intelligence, his friendship… and yes, his puns too.    
You left us too soon Bob, ride in peace and contentment now, I will always miss you.
My deepest condolences to Cecil and Bill, and all of Bob’s family, Carmen and all of Bob’s friends. 


Dearest Cecile, Bill, Debbie, Gordon, Jody and Chris -  It was with great sadness that we heard of Bob's passing.  He will be remembered as a gentle and generous soul.  We will join you in Vancouver for Bob's Celebration of Life, August 16th.  Lili and Enrique xxx

It has just hit home now, after reading the words below, that Bob is gone. Taken far too soon, and unexpectedly. We were next door neighbours in the beginning. And friends for 31 years after but were busy with different interests of late. He and Carmen came to my 60th last year, and it was the highlight of my day. We didn’t get to talk much but promised to keep in touch. 3 weeks ago he again wished me well on my 61st and said we should get together soon...  Soon didn’t come soon enough and now I will miss him, his humour, his judgement and intelligence. I have lost a caring friend to lean on, words cannot tell it. Our sincere condolences to Carmen and the Family. 
R.I.P. Bob.
M&M

Bob was a lot of fun.  He had a quirky sense of humor. Caught me off guard many times. 
I'm not a cyclist so I didn't know him that way, although I knew he was a cycling enthusiast. I knew him through music.
Our group used to dance at Cascades Casino and after that closed I met him and Carmen at blues night at the 120 pub.
He was very knowledgeable about a lot of things.
My condolences to his friends and family.

Two things I knew for sure about Bob:

1.  I had no hope of catching up to him on a hill, and
2.  He was never distracted by his cell phone ... that he didn't have :).

I think of him every time I get on my bike.  Gone far too soon.  

Lisa.

I loved riding with Bob. (I called him  "Bobbers" affectionately.) He always seemed to know where I was, I felt looked after.
His bike repair skills were legendary, in part because he was so knowledgeable and in part because he carried so many tools.
Not a couple months ago, near the dyke in Richmond, he helped with a small repair, for which I was very grateful. I bought him a beer at lunch, a token of my gratitude. He was surprised and a bit annoyed, like-no big deal, it was just what he did.
I am still in shock and disbelief; he was sooo healthy!!!!! And young. Part of me hopes this is all a bad joke on his part.
We will miss him for his wry sense of humour, his gentleness and his kindness. 
Fare well Bobbers.

Robert was a formidable athlete who inspired me every time we rode together. No matter how fit I became, Robert was always always a step ahead, he made it look so effortless. He always had a big smile on his face in that signature red jersey, he was loving every minute.

My sincerest condolences to his family and (many) friends, Bob was one-of-a-kind. 

I met Bob through our cycling community last year.  
My first time meeting Bob I pointed out his red shirt was inside out. From that day forward I always joked with him about having his shirt on inside out.  
Bob was a quiet and constant presence on all the rides I was on.  He shared his love of cycling with everyone.   I am thankful to have had the opportunity to share so many great rides with him.  
Rest in peace Bob.
~Anita

I have a story about Rob. While waiting at the bike tree there was a public piano and Rob starts pounding away. Vintage stuff - ragtime, stride, jazz from the 1920's. Because my brother played that stuff and I collect it we had a good conversation about those amazing 'ivory ticklers' 100 years ago. Anyway I gave him a thumbdrive of my old LPs transcribed from piano rolls. He was thrilled and carried that thumbdrive around on rides until I showed up at a ride so he could return it to me. Such a nice guy.

I was going on a Monday UBC ride when Bob showed up with a bent wheel. On his way to the ride, another cyclist rode into him on a roundabout.
It was like magic watching Bob straighten his wheel by loosening and tightening the spokes until his wheel was round enough to ride 50 km.
Bob was a great guy. He was always happy and always willing to help.  He'll be really missed at the bike rides. 

In life couldn't begin to imagine a kinder guy to be around, as a cyclist he was  tough to keep up with but always an inspiration to peddle in the right direction. Thanks Bob for sharing a small bit of your time, going to  miss you immensely. 

Bob. I loved you so very much. You were an amazing man. So intelligent, kind, skilled, helpful, and supportive. Your parting so suddenly is a shock.

Your passion for cycling matched mine for horses. You were so curious and supportive of my sport. I so appreciated your interest. I enjoyed your details of your rides which you shared with enthusiasm and photos. You were a great photographer too.

I will remember your knee slapping laugh forever. Your giggle. Your puns. Usually in runs of 5 or more. You wanted the eye rolls and groans. Your love for ice cream and apple pie.  

I will miss our time cooking together, just hanging out, your hugs, kisses and cuddles, our many conversations and chats. I will miss dancing with you, and your late night piano concerts. I was your biggest fan! I admired your  ability to repair anything in the home, car, or bicycle.

You enriched my life with your gift of friendship. I am forever grateful for our time together. I love you and I will never forget you. Rest In Peace.



AVIS DE DÉCÈS

Robert Norman Rea

10 juillet 1961 – 2 août 2019

First Memorial Funeral Services & Boal Chapel and Memorial Gardens

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