Bob Gorman.
Glaciologist, bird watcher, loving husband, sweet baby brother, wonderful friend to all. Born Aug. 9, 1957, in Quebec City. Died Sept. 8 in Ottawa of a brain tumour, aged 53.
When out with his best friends in the woods one day as a child, Bob Gorman witnessed a large flight of birds spooked by a loud noise. He became fascinated by this new world he had discovered, which sparked a lifelong love of nature and birding.
A member of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club, Bob participated for decades in the regional Christmas bird counts. He had 1,300 "lifers" in his ornithology catalogue - birds he had seen from his backyard and around the world. Although he had spotted hundreds of rare birds, his favourite was the common and abundant black-capped chickadee, which stays in Canada all winter. When he was out in the woods alone on bird counts, the chickadees always kept him company, eating seed from his hand.
The youngest of four children of Viola Corcoran and Ernest Gorman, Bob moved with his family from Quebec City to Ottawa in 1962 for Ernest's work.
In 1988, Bob graduated from Carleton University with an MA in geography. He found a rare niche in remote sensing with a specialization in sea ice. He started his career with Canarctic Shipping as a research scientist. There he met the love of his life, Claire Aubry, and they married in 1990. From then on they were inseparable. They travelled the world on exotic vacations, mostly cruises, covering more than 50 countries by the time Bob was 50. They would have celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary this past Oct. 6.
In 1998, Canarctic became part of Fednav Ltd. and Bob became manager of subsidiary Enfotec Technical Services, where he was one of the world's few glaciologists. He often travelled to the Arctic to guide icebreakers to safety using satellite imagery. His ice knowledge and expertise were respected worldwide.
While in the Arctic, Bob took many beautiful nature photographs. Two of his enlarged photos of polar bears on the ice are on display in the simulator room at Fednav's head office, which has been named the Gorman Room in his honour.
On Labour Day weekend in 2009, Bob was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma multiforme. He fought his brain cancer with the same attention to detail and stubbornness he had applied to his career. Participating in clinical trials, including a trip to Houston, he never gave up hope.
Bob became philosophical in his final months, reflecting on what a wonderful life he had lived, although it was ending far too soon. His favourite farewell to people was: "Every day is a gift - that's why it's called the present."
His memorial service in Ottawa was packed to the rafters with adoring family, friends, fellow birders and a busload of colleagues from Montreal - all in attendance to pay tribute to Bob and celebrate his life. He was truly a gift to all who had the privilege of crossing his path.
By Cheryl Gorman, Bob's older sister.