We mourn the passing of Robert William Dunbar, born January 26, 1942, and died October 14, 2024 after a struggle with dementia with his family at his side. Known to his friends as Bob, he is survived by his wife of 55 years, Jeannine Dunbar, his daughters Norah Dunbar and Heather Wilhelm, his sons-in-law Gordon Abra and Joseph Wilhelm, his grandson Robert Abra-Dunbar, his siblings Joyce Sikora (Don Sikora) and David Dunbar (Mary Ann Dunbar), and several nieces and nephews. He will be remembered for his kindness, his quick wit, and his love of both golf and a tasty dram after the round.
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba to Gordon and Della Dunbar, Bob left Nelson McIntyre High School after Grade 11 to begin the Chartered Accountants Program at the University of Manitoba. He graduated in 1964 and began a successful career in a variety of companies in Winnipeg (and briefly in Montreal in 1972-1975) as an accountant, working his way up to Chief Financial Officer. In 1989, he moved his family to northern Nevada to accept a position as the CFO of the Richardson’s timeshare resort at Lake Tahoe, The Ridge Tahoe. He and two business partners, Lex Adams and Ron Wilhite formed a new company in 1995, called Resorts West which managed The Ridge Tahoe and several other timeshare resorts around the US and Canada. After over 30 years of a very successful partnership, Lex, Ron, and Bob sold their company in 2019 and he finally retired at the age of 77.
In his free time, his passion was golf. He took up the sport at the age of 13 because he said his skinny legs didn’t look any good in tennis shorts. He was a scratch golfer with a smooth swing and was known as “the best putter in Manitoba.” He won more championships than we can count, beginning with the Manitoba Junior Amateur in 1959 and many club championships at Niakwa Country Club and St. Charles Country Club in Winnipeg, The Royal Montreal in Montreal, and then at Genoa Lakes Golf Course in Nevada. He was also an accomplished curler, serving as the skip of both men’s teams and mixed teams with his wife Jeannine in Winnipeg for many years. He was an avid social bridge player with an “idiosyncratic” bidding system. He was heavily involved with the Clan Dunbar Society in the U.S., serving as its elected Chieftain from 2000 to 2008. He then served as treasurer for many years after. He enjoyed trips to Scotland every few years to play golf courses there and tour with the Clan Dunbar on historical trips. He enjoyed summers at his cottage at Beauty Bay in Kenora, Ontario where he played golf and spent many hours playing ping pong with his grandson, Rob. He was a quiet philanthropist, devoting his time and money generously to Catholic causes and people and organizations that he knew were in need, often anonymously without the need for fanfare or even acknowledgement. He put his financial background to good use serving as treasurer for St. Charles Catholic Church in Winnipeg and again with St. Gall Catholic Church in Gardnerville, Nevada. He was fiercely devoted to his family and the best cheerleader his daughters ever had, always supporting them to achieve their life’s dreams. His sense of humor, and his kind and generous spirit will surely be missed by all who knew him.
Bob loved his many dogs he owned over the years. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to the Northern Nevada Humane Society or to your local Alzheimer's Association branch in his name. A funeral mass will be held at St. Gall Catholic Church in Gardnerville NV on January 18th, 2025, at 10:00am. Internment at Eastside Memorial Park in Minden NV and a Celebration of Life reception will follow.