Robert Ross McCormick

Surrounded by his loving wife and children, Rob died peacefully on December 29th. During his two-year battle with cancer, he was the epitome of courage, hope, and positivity.  He has left behind a legacy of tenacity and an unshakeable, deep faith.

Rob grew up and completed high school in St. John New Brunswick.  He received his Bachelor of Arts from Notre Dame University (Nelson, B.C) and a Master of Administration and Curriculum Development from Gonzaga University (Spokane USA). 

Rob’s professional life included varied accomplishments.  He was a doer and a visionary and liked the challenge of initiating new projects.  Of significance was the establishment of and procuring of operational funding of a residential addiction treatment facility, Crossroads in Kelowna, of which he was the CEO for 13 years.  Rob was instrumental in spearheading the funding and construction of a Ski Patrol Safety Facility with housing at Big White Ski Resort.  He developed his own company, Interface, offering consultations for nonprofit agencies, as well as small business human resources evaluations.  Passionate about community involvement, Rob served as an elected Central Okanagan School trustee for 3 terms and acted as Chairman for a United Way fundraising campaign.   For 11 years he volunteered as a Certified First Aid Patroller at Big White Ski Resort.  As a retirement career Rob worked as an instructor for five years at The Higher Colleges of Technology in both Oman and The United Arab Emirates.  Living in this part of the world provided many exciting travel opportunities and adventures to different countries.

What we admired about Rob was that he lived life with a passion, was authentic, self-confident, outgoing, and loved meeting new people.  Rob was an intellect, insightful and quick to spark debate and encourage conversation, enjoying discussions on religion, philosophy, history, and politics.  He was always optimistic, positive, and a true friend. Rob had a passionate commitment to helping others, showing kindness, generosity, and care.   Serving on a Refugee sponsorship committee, he was instrumental in helping new refugees to Nanaimo with settlement issues.   Rob was so full of life and enthusiasm, had a joyful sense of humor, was the life of every party, showing off his classic dance moves.  He was always a fashion statement, wearing his jaunty hats and collection of scarves, and loved dressing for costume events.  Rob was a man of many talents, a Bon Vivant, a host to extraordinaire, gourmet dinner parties, with artistic and detailed food presentations and garnishes. Friends have been recipients of his delicious, elaborately decorated birthday and wedding cakes. 

Rob leaves to cherish his memories, his wife of 51 years Anne, son Jordan McCormick (Emma) and daughters Tonya McCormick (Devon Chouinard) and Natasha McCormick (Jimmy Towers) and his two loved granddaughters Keira and Sienna McCormick. He will be missed by his sister Jane Rocca (Nicky) and brother Daniel McCormick (Andrea) of St. John New Brunswick.

The family was impressed by the medical attention and exceptional care given to Rob during his final days in Palliative Care.  Donations in memory of Rob can be made to The Nanaimo Hospital Foundation and will be directed to the Palliative Care Unit at NRGH.  The link is https://nanaimohospitalfoundation.com/2023/01/11/in-loving-memory-robert-mccormick/

Rob’s Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday April 1st at 1:00 p.m. at Brechin United Church, Nanaimo. Please RSVP Anne at [email protected]

Rob made the world a whole lot brighter and left an imprint that will live on in our hearts and memories.

Your Life Was a blessing Your memory a treasure You are loved Beyond words And missed beyond measure.

Online condolences and sharing of memories can be made at

https://www.yatesmemorial.ca/obituary/Robert-McCormick