Georgette
I send my deepest sympathies to you Georgette. It is never how we plan things, it doesn't matter if the loss in sudden or prolonged, the grief is the same. I am so happy you had this time together.
MOUNTFORD, Robert
1951 - 2024
Family and friends were saddened by the passing of Robert Joseph Mountford at the Ottawa Hospital General Campus on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024.
A well-liked raconteur and international traveller, Rob was regarded by everyone who knew him as a true bon vivant. He spent his life travelling through Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia. When he wasn’t travelling, he was a voracious reader consuming books on general history and the U.S. Civil War.
Along with reading, Rob was also a travel writer publishing two travel guides on Amazon.
From his earliest years he was an exceptionally talented pianist. His had an early career as a performer appearing as keyboard player for a number of regional bands then eventually as a solo act as a vocalist who accompanied himself on the piano. After retiring from the stage, he spent many of his leisure hours listening to singers like Frank Sinatra and international music.
At home, Rob was a gourmand and a very good amateur chef. He enjoyed entertaining with Georgette - his wife of twenty-three years. Dining companions could always count on a wonderful selection of interesting dishes and fine wines at his table.
Friends and colleagues regarded Rob as a fun companion and a joy to spend time with. His stories were always entertaining and enlightening.
Born in Wirral, England, he arrived in Canada at the age of three with his parents, Eileen and Ronald Mountford. In the post-war years the family settled in Sarnia, Ontario, where his father found work as a lab technician at the Imperial Oil Refinery.
Rob began his educational journey at Sacred Heart Catholic School. After graduating from there, he attended Northern Collegiate and Vocational School. He went on to graduate from Lambton College in the 1970s and began working in the local Sarnia chemical industry, but the lure of the music business soon saw him take to the road with one of his bands.
Rob and Georgette Tatray, of Montreal, met in 2001 and were married in Prince Edward County in 2004. They lived in Ottawa until Rob’s passing.
Rob is survived by Georgette. He was a beloved member of the Tatray family (the late Gabriel – 2014; the late Yolande – 2021; and the late Em 2013). The Lothian family from his late wife Joanne Lothian (1999) have always loved and cared for him until this present day. He had no children or siblings, but had a wide group of good friends and acquaintances he considered family.
A Celebration of Life service will be held for him at the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa, 30 Cleary Ave, Ottawa ,on November 21, at 2:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Canadian cancer society.
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