Robert Unger

UNGER, Robert Samuel 90, of Victoria, beloved husband of Beverly Kerness Unger for 63 years and devoted father of Jane Unger, Martha Rothstein, Thomas Unger and Sally Unger, on Oct. 12, 2007, of cardiac arrest in Portland, Ore. Like a cat with nine lives, his life had many incarnations. Born in South Bend, Ind., on April 14, 1917, he grew up in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, N.Y. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dentistry and then served as a Lt. Commander for the U.S. Navy in Newfoundland during World War II. He developed a passion for fly fishing there, which he passed onto his children and in-laws, traveling with them to remote corners of the world to pursue this sport. His work as a master dentist led him to a thriving practice in Manhattan, which later moved to Hempstead, N.Y., then to Westbury, N.Y., and then to Salt Spring Island, where he lived for 28 years before moving to Victoria. Referred to by many of his patients as the Michelangelo of dentistry," he specialized in reconstructive dentistry and did his own crown and bridge work. His artistry as a dentist extended to a mastery of jewelry making. His many other passionate interests included Scrabble, the N.Y. Times crossword puzzle, tennis, the theatre and social reform. He will especially be remembered for his love of story-telling, his sense of humor and above all, his love for his wife, his four children and his seven grandchildren. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the Robert S. Unger Memorial Scholarship Fund c/o Gulf Islands Educational Trust on Salt Spring; Amnesty International; or the NAACP. 417851