VANEK, ROBERT Passed away peacefully on November 24, 2020, at age 67, after a brief illness. Predeceased by his parents, Morris and Faye Vanek.
Beloved brother of Leonard (Arlene Lax) and Arthur (Ellen Friedland). Fondly remembered Uncle to Joey, Jessie (Jonathan Rogers) and Alannah, and Allison (Jules De Vincentis) and Jackie (Brayden McGregor). Robert, as he preferred to be known, or Bob or Bobby as many knew him, lived a semi- independent life until fairly recently despite the challenges posed by Asperger’s Syndrome and chronic medical conditions.
He had no joy in life more than calling a taxi and going out for lunch or coffee, especially on weekends when his brothers would join him. He will be remembered as a creature of habit, for his stoicism, as a consummate packrat, for his laughter at the seemingly mundane oddities in life, and for a well-developed streak of stubbornness. For the past 30 years, Robert lived with expert and caring support from Reena whether in his own Reena-supervised apartments or in Reena group homes.
Thanks to Tami and Adah and all the other Reena staff with whom he was blessed. Special thanks to the dedicated staff at Mackenzie Health who have placed their own lives at risk every day for the past 8 months to save lives of those like Robert. Memorial donations are encouraged to the Morris and Faye Vanek Endowment Fund, Reena Foundation, 905-763-8254 ext 2.