J. Robert JANES

1935 - 2022

The Janes family is sad to announce the peaceful death of J. Robert Janes on Monday, February 28, 2022. Born in Toronto in 1935, Bob attended North Toronto Collegiate and graduated with a BSc in Geology from the U of T in 1958. His early career included work in Alberta and Saskatchewan oil fields, at the Ontario Research Foundation, Don Mills Collegiate, the Ontario Science Centre, and, later at Brock University where he led the first cross- Canada camping trip course on the Geology of Canada. At age 32, he found his true career as a Canadian and International author of 33 published books in 5 genres i.e. geology for grades 3 to University level, children's fiction, thrillers, a table top book -The Great Canadian Outback and the 16 book St-Cyr and Kohler series set in France in the Second World War. This prodigious output, plus every letter, memo or other background information on his writing life is in the McMaster University Archives collection. He will be greatly missed by his wife of 64 years, Gracia, daughters Anne and Cathy, sons, Peter and John; grandchildren Emily Sophie, Patrick, Sarah, Mackenzie and Jeannette; and great grandchildren Rocco, Pippen, Teddy and Madeline - all of whom he "loved to bits". There will be a private family picnic celebration of Bob's life in his beautiful historic garden in niagara-on-the-Lake this Summer. As Bob was a strong supporter of Niagara fruit land preservation from the first year he moved into 58 Grapeview Drive, amidst the vineyards, in 1968, it would be appreciated if donations in his name were sent to the Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society (PALS) at Box 1413 Niagara-on-the-Lake ON L0S 1J0.