Obituary of James Robertson

Robertson, James F. (Jim) Jim Robertson, well-known member of the Kitchener-Waterloo community (formerly of Hamilton), passed away on Sunday, October 4, 2015 at the age of 90 years. Born in Acton, Ontario on February 8, 1925, the son of the late John F. Robertson and Marie I. McConville, Jim was raised and educated in Hamilton. He never forgot his farming roots. Jim's sense of civic duty came from his parents, particularly his father who was a genuine leader in the farming community of Acton for many years. John Robertson died tragically when struck by lightning in 1935, when Jim was only 10. Jim was a veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy, serving our country from 1943 to 1945. He spent 37 years in various management positions with Union Gas Ltd. in southwestern Ontario. Jim leaves his loving wife Mary, as well as numerous nephews and nieces in the Lantz, Forester and MacLean families for whom he held a special fondness and whose company he always enjoyed. He is predeceased by sisters Viola I. Lantz, Kathleen Forester and Mary Weiler, and a brother William A. (Bill) Robertson. Our community has lost a dear friend and a man with an unrivalled record of volunteer service. To his deep commitment to his community, Jim Robertson added a genuine sense of humour and a wonderful ability to work with people. In almost every case, he played a leadership role in the organizations with which he was associated. Jim was best known for the many community organizations which benefited from his energy and commitment. The Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, the Kitchener-Conestoga Rotary Club, the Kitchener & Waterloo Community Foundation, Westmount Golf & Country Club, the Kitchener-Conestoga Probus Club, and the Senior Ontario Gas Associates, are among the organizations he served as President. Countless other community, health, social service and sports organizations also witnessed Jim's ability to seize an opportunity to assist others and to make things happen. Numerous political campaigns benefited from his commitment and drive. Jim also played a key role in the capital campaign to raise funds to build the new addition to Freeport Hospital in Kitchener in the early 1980s, and pioneered the successful Rotary Dream Home Lottery. Jim spearheaded the 1989 "Campaign for St. Mary's," the successful fundraising effort which raised over $9 million for extensive renovations, new construction and equipment purchases at St. Mary's General Hospital. He was soon invited to become the Hospital Foundation's first Executive Director in 1990, putting it on a solid footing as an ongoing fundraising arm for St. Mary's Hospital. Although he retired from that position in 1994, he joined the Foundation's Board of Directors a short time later and became President of the Board in October 1998. Jim was one of the founding members of the Association of St. Joseph's Health Care Foundations, part of the St. Joseph's Health System. Jim received many honours in his lifetime. He was named Kitchener-Waterloo Citizen of the Year in 1987, the same year in which he was named a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow. He was awarded the Governor General's Commemorative Medal for Community Service in 1992, and was named an Honourary Director of both the Kitchener & Waterloo Community Foundation and the St. Mary's General Hospital Foundation, and an Honourary Life Member of both the Ontario Energy Association and the Kitchener-Conestoga Rotary Club. In 1995, to recognize his service to St. Mary's General Hospital, the Robertson Clinic for Airway Health was named in his honour. Jim was also the recipient of the Shamrock Charities Lifetime Achievement award in 2007, received the Mission Legacy Award from the St. Joseph's Health System in 2008, and was honoured by Westmount Golf & Country Club by being named to their Wall of Fame in 2010 and as an Honourary Lifetime Member in 2011. In short, Jim Robertson was a consummate volunteer, and a loyal and generous friend. Our community is a better place for his leadership. Friends are invited to share their memories of Jim with his family during visitation at the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King Street South, Waterloo, on Thursday, October 8, 2015 from 2-4 & 7-9pm. Parish Prayers will be held at 8:45pm Thursday evening. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Louis RC Church, 53 Allen Street East, Waterloo on Friday, October 9 at 11:00am with Rev. Phil Reilly, CR as Celebrant. Interment will follow on Saturday, Oct. 10 at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Burlington. Note: the intersection of King Street and Allen Street is closed due to construction, use alternate routes. See www.erbgood.com for detailed maps. Donations to the St. Mary's General Hospital Foundation (Robertson Clinic) or the Kitchener & Waterloo Community Foundation (James F. Robertson Fund) would be appreciated and can be arranged by calling the funeral home 519.745.8445 or www.erbgood.com