Obituary of Robert Arthur Lowndes

After 87 remarkable years, it is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Bob peacefully here in Ajijic, Mexico.He was the dearly beloved husband of Joan for 64 years, father to Ruth, John (Sylvia), Ann, and David; loving grandfather to Ashley (Josh), Kristen (Fumiki) and, Kyle; adored great grandpa to Freya, Cailan, and Kiana.Bob had an extraordinary life! He was raised during the Great Depression on a market farm with his 3 brothers: Kent, Grant, Kim and, his sister Lona – since that time, Bob always “needed a little land” to grow vegetables. Gardening became a life-long hobby and to this day, Bob grew tomatoes in his garden in Mexico.In high school, he was proud of his nickname, “Rugged”, which was given to him by his baseball team, where he played shortstop in the year that they won the Ontario Softball Championship. Bob and Joan were both members of Port Credit First United Church. They met through the church youth group as they put on a variety show. The initial spark grew and they were married on September 24, 1955. There, the “Sets and Singles Club” anchored a lifetime of friendships, bridge tournaments, outings and, companionships.Bob first worked as a land surveyor for the Toronto Township, where one of his duties was to create the land registry for the Township. One day as Bob was walking down a road, a gentleman stopped him and asked what he did. This gentleman’s name was Elgin Armstrong. Elgin hired Bob to come work for him at Peel Construction. This Company grew to become Canada’s largest road builder and, eventually, became the foundation of one of Canada’s greatest Companies, Aecon.As Executive Vice-President, Armbro Construction, Bob pioneered many road construction techniques and designs. We see these innovations today, including; slip-form concrete paving, asphalt recycling, asphalt milling and, the concrete median barriers which improve safety on our highways. Bob would go on to talk about designing the express/collector lanes concept for the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) with the Province of Ontario. The Armbro Construction team was instrumental in building Ontario’s road infrastructure in an era when there were no major highways. The depth and breadth of projects this team built under Bob’s tenure are many, from “turning the sod” in building Square One, to car plants, dams, airports, canals and subdivisions. Over several decades, Bob was held in high esteem by employees and Business Associates. He was a Past President of Ontario Road Builders Association (1983-84).Notably, Bob was a family man. Consensus was reached when the family voted, on a Sunday in 1970, to move from Port Credit to “the country”. The Lowndes family bought their first farm in Alton, Ontario. Forty years of adventures and good times followed in the Caledon, Terra Cotta and Belfountain areas. It was an idyllic time and a perfect environment for raising teenagers - instilling strong family values, and creating tight bonds that exist to this day. The family travelled extensively and, they grew to love Ajijic - a quaint, artistic Mexican town. They put down roots in 2005 with the purchase of “Villa Corona”. For many years Bob and Joan split their time between Mexico and Toronto, before deciding at the age of 86, to embark on another adventure and relocate to Ajijic. It was in Ajijic that Bob spent his last winter, completely happy and enjoying every day.Please celebrate Bob’s life with us - a life well lived, loved by so many, a remarkable man of great integrity, insight, and compassion. We have been truly blessed.We invite you to sign our guestbook, offer a memory, and post any pictures you may have of Bob.With Love,The Lowndes Family.