Robert Maron

Robert Ivan Maron passed away on April 12, 2025, in Victoria, BC at the age of 84. Robert made his wishes known: he did not want a funeral or a burial. But he did not say anything about an obituary memorializing his life.

He is survived by his wife, Deborah Fortney; his son, Daniel Maron (and wife Lisa DeMoor); his son, Benjamin Maron (and wife Stephanie Carey Maron); and his two granddaughters. He is also survived by several cats who provided great companionship in his later years.

Born on December 1, 1940 in Montreal to Helen (née Rother) and Arthur Maron, Robert and his sister Joan grew up with privilege. Always a lover of the water, he enjoyed sailing, played water polo (and claimed his devotion to the sport was the reason he let his studies slide, having to repeat a year at Westmount High), and often told tales of joining the girls' synchronized swimming performances at his summer camp (equal parts showing off and proximity to the girls). He enjoyed going to Montreal's jazz clubs in the 1950s and spending time in the Laurentians with extended family at "Lac Robert."

While he knew he did not want to be an architect like his father, he nonetheless studied architecture at Kent State, graduating in 1964. His whole life, Robert was trying to figure out who he was and where he belonged - though it's unclear if he knew that. He moved a lot after college, always trying to find the right community and locale, calling many towns home along the way, including Toronto, ON; Vancouver, Prince George, Vernon, Salmon Arm, Armstrong, and Victoria, BC; and Kirkland and Edmonds, WA. He married three times. He tried multiple professions, including architect, travel agent, salesman, and project manager. He took pride in learning about the world around him, from local issues to global politics, and was always open to finding new communities through volunteering, whether sponsoring Afghani refugees with his neighbours, getting involved with his small town Jewish communities, or fostering/adopting cats and dogs.

His sons appreciated his willingness to learn new things and hear challenging opinions. He was supportive and kind (especially once he hit his 60s). He had a good sense of humour (at least, he thought so) and relied on it as his mind increasingly failed him.

We're left wondering where he was heading for a midnight walk in the rain, with nothing but a pocketful of cutlery. We can only hope he had finally figured out where he belonged.

His end of life care was exemplary, with thanks to Dr. Dennis Kim, Dr. Andrew MacPherson, and the team at Victoria General Hospital's trauma unit. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in their honour to support their work: https://www.victoriahf.ca/nominateacaringspirit/