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Robert Beattie Obituary
Born November 10, 1935, Robert died peacefully in the palliative care wing of Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, on the morning of Saturday, December 13, 2014. Widower of his beloved wife, Patricia (née Wiley); father to Steven and Christopher; father-in-law to Sarah Dunn and Jennifer Wetherell Beattie; grandfather to Abigail, Ethan, and Xavier; brother to Anne Beattie; and brother-in-law to Peter and Mary-Estelle Wiley, Michael and Anne Wiley, and Jerome and Carol Wiley. Fondly remembered as a devoted and inspirational teacher of drama at Toronto's Oakwood Collegiate Institute, Robert was a lover of film, theatre, the music of Stephen Sondheim, good red wine, and rich desserts. He will be profoundly missed by all who knew him. The family will receive friends at the HUMPHREY FUNERAL HOME A.W. MILES – NEWBIGGING CHAPEL, 1403 Bayview Avenue (south of Davisville Avenue) from 2:00 – 4:00 and 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 17. A Service of Remembrance will be held in the chapel on Thursday, December 18 at 11:00 a.m. If desired, donations may be made to the Parkinson Society Canada, the Canadian Cancer Society, or the Sunnybrook Foundation (Palliative Care Unit). Condolences and memories may be forwarded through www.humphreymilesnewbigging.com
At this moment, he glints and shines, / as if it will be only a small dislocation / for him to pass from this paradise into the next. – "Parkinson's Disease," Galway Kinnell
Memories and Condolences
for Robert Beattie
8 Entries
Sabine
October 26, 2024
I attended Oakwood and had the pleasure of taking Mr. Beattie´s drama class. He had a huge impact on me. Mr. Beattie was an amazing drama teacher and all of us truly could appreciate his passion for theatre. I learned a lot from him and he made us all feel like we were part of a theatre group:) I have thought about him from time to time and even tried to find his house to go visit him. I was unsuccessful and tonight I happened to think of him again, did a google search and discovered that he passed. Mr. Beattie was such a kind, witty man with a wonderful sense of humour. I know that I was just one student of many that he taught and I´m sure that he impacted those students just as much as he impacted me. I will always remember him. Rest in peace Mr. Beattie.
Rogene Reid
January 3, 2015
My deepest sympathies to the family, my heart broke when I heard of the passing of Mr. Beattie. He was without a doubt one of my favorite teachers at Oakwood Collegiate Institute. A gifted teacher, his love for drama and consideration for students are responsible for my long appreciation for the Dramatic Arts. While I mourn the loss of a great man, I feel blessed and honored that he was a part of my life.
Paul Cadario
December 25, 2014
Bob was a wonderful next-door neighbor. I remember how happy my mother was when he and Pat moved in, the 'next generation' of young married couples who had children and maintained the family traditions of Leaside.
When I was at UofT, he and Pat were always plugged-in to the latest news and culture of the city, Ontario and Canada. Try as he might and with a master teacher's patience, Bob could never get me to understand how TIFF ticketing worked, but he always saw all the best films--before 5 pm of course--and invariably knew who and what was going to win. His English and drama students were very lucky; over the years he spoke of them fondly and with pride about what they went on to do.
As our mother became more frail, Bob kept a neighborly eye on things, saw how she was, and discreetly let us know what we might on our regular, but brief visits, have missed.
Bob was a wonderful man and a wonderful friend and neighbour.
December 19, 2014
Bob was an amazing person full of life and I had known him since my high school days in Windsor in the 1960s and stayed in touch with him and Pat. I will miss his views on films. Geraldine Robinson
Peter Jensen
December 17, 2014
I remember Bob well.....more than 40 years after I graduated from Oakwood.
He was a passionate, committed intense teacher and person who interacted with and reached his students in a way that made them feel important and mature.
He was one of the significantly memorable people in my life .
'We bombed in New Haven'
Peter Jensen , class of '72
Peter Moore
December 17, 2014
Bob was a great help to me when I first started teaching in the early seventies. Drama was in its infancy and Bob was one of our few leaders. He was also a wonderful person - great sense of humour and he always conducted himself with grace. It was a privilege to know him.I will always remember meeting up with him again at a Code Conference a few years ago. Thank-you, Bob!
Peter Moore
Beth Allen
December 17, 2014
I remember Mr. Beattie as my English teacher at Forster Collegiate in Windsor, Ontario. I remember him for his fierce enforcement of the rules of English grammar. I attribute any talent I have in that area to the dread I felt when he would call students out on grammar errors. Over his years of teaching, he compiled a list of the most commonplace and egregious errors students would make. To each tyoe of error he assigned a symbol. Beside each symbol he would cite the nature of the error.
So when he would hand back your paper it would have red symbols all over the pages according to the errors you had made. You would look to your trusty symbol sheet to determine which error you had made. Did I ever push myself to learn English grammar.
Fortunately, I did get the opportunity to call him after I was appointed to the Bench as a judge to tell him how eternally thankful I was for his contribution to my writing abilities. I told him I owe my confidence in writing to his fierce tutelage in English! He laughed and said thank you. He was a great teacher in English and Drama. He will be dearly missed.
Beth Allen
Mr. Beattie, Room 133, OCI, 1976
Aida Jordao
December 17, 2014
Mr. Beattie taught us to adore theatre and to stage it with the utmost rigour and professionalism. That is not to say we didn't have fun -- but it was of the wry kind. He treated us like adults and we loved him for it. What other 1970's high school students can boast of producing The Ecstasy of Rita Joe, The Zoo Story, And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little, or The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds? We did all that in Theatre 55 in Room 133 at OCI. It was training for our careers and our lives. You marked us, Bob, and you will be missed.
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Humphrey Funeral Home A.W. Miles - Newbigging Chapel Limited1403 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, ON M4G 3A8