Robert David Coreau

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of 'Bob', who peacefully departed this life on November 20, 2025 at the age of 79 after a brief and courageous battle with cancer.

Born on January 9, 1946 in Chapleau, ON to Dorothy & Gerald Coreau, he lived in Thunder Bay, ON where he met and married the love of his life Donna. He worked for the Department of Highways in Thunder Bay, surveying in the northern wilderness before being transferred to Toronto and working for The Ministry of Transportation & Communications before accepting a job for the Attorney General. It was there he raised his family and in 1991, moved to Rexdale, bought a motorhome so that he and Donna could travel across Canada, the USA, and even Alaska & the Yukon. After several years of traveling and spending winters in Florida, Bob pursued working as a contractor. Bob has always been a handyman and excelled in carpentry and flooring, helping pave the way for his son to be the accomplished contractor & business owner he is today.

Bob was active in sports during his youth, playing baseball and hockey, and began coaching & mentoring a hockey team of boys from minor Peewee to Bantam with his long time friend Craig (Mary) Elliot. Bob's interest in sports included watching baseball, hockey (Columbus Blue Jackets), and over the years grew to include curling and soccer matches. He most recently was cheering on the Toronto Blue Jays hoping for the MLB Championship. Over the decades, he never failed to miss several Dance competitions, Hockey, T-Ball & Soccer games for his kids, grandkids and great grandchildren, always cheering from the side lines as a proud father & Poppa. He taught his kids and grandchildren to skate, to bike ride, and would enjoy taking them to local fairs and even tobogganing.

Bob's interests included hunting & fishing, bird watching, his collection of National Geographic magazines, and movies. Always the outdoorsman, Bob and Donna loved to camp and took many trips often exploring hikes & trails, rock climbing, and exploring deep caves and rugged terrain.

His love of literature would have him reading daily, visiting libraries wherever he was, sometimes checking out 20 books at a time. In the last decade, his extensive book collection in chronological order and by numerous authors grew, to be that of at least 1000 novels. Donna knew his dream was always to open a 'used book store' where they served soup & sandwiches. His love of making his homemade chicken soup and his 'infamous Dagwood' breakfast sandwiches are a true favourite of his grandchildren.

Over the years Bob became enthralled with researching and mapping out the family's ancestry on both sides, as part of his legacy gift. He and Donna, on their travels, visited numerous churches, mausoleums, cemeteries and Town Hall & Statistics agencies to acquire the history of 'our ancestors' to create a tree of 'Our Family Lineage' dating back to the 17th Century. He loved to share his findings and would often tell us stories and anecdotes of his discoveries.

Bob's love of dogs always had him caring for his pets like they were 'his babies', that only he could care for, often making homeade food, making sure they were always comfortable, and giving them the best seat in the motorhome when traveling. As his dogs grew older, in their later years, everywhere Bob went 'his babies' were with him. They truly had the best life with him as their caregiver.

His love of country music by artists like George Strait and Alan Jackson would often find him and Donna dancing like no one was watching, or he'd sweep up one of his grandkids and dance with them in his arms.

Bob is survived by his loving and adoring wife of 58 years, Donna. His legacy lives on in his beloved and devoted children Carri-Lynn and Jason (Diana). He was a proud and loving Poppa to his 5 cherished grand-daughters, Arielle, Alexis, Aiyesha (Derek), Rachel, and Layla, and of course his treasured 5 great-grandchildren, Tristan, Noah, Tucker, Oaklee and Maycie.

He is predeceased by his parents, his brother Fred (Joyce), his brother in law Frank, and his sisters in law Charlene & Helen. He will be remembered by his brothers Jim & Doug, his sister in law Brenda (Ed), his brother in law George (Annette), as well as his many nieces and nephews from as far as British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg & Australia.

A skilled and dedicated man, one of honor and integrity, Bob was widely respected for his unwavering work ethic, his quiet wisdom, and deep kindness. He carried himself with grace and humility, always taking pride in his workmanship, and putting the needs of others before his own. He always took care of his family who were his top priority. A penchant for being thrifty, he would spend hours making lists of all the sales and spend his Saturdays shopping for food for the family.

Special thanks to Dr. Y. Meghory, his devoted doctor & friend for more than 50 years, his medical care team at Brampton Civic Hospital including, Doctor's Dhaliwal, Sethuraman and Iafolla. Sincere gratitude to the nurses and nurse practioners who showed Bob a great level of compassion and care these last few weeks.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Toronto SPCA.