MAY 5, 1932 - OCTOBER 14, 2023 As my father, Robert George Liptrap (1905-1998) aged into his early 90's, mobility issues and pain dominated his life, but his mind remained as sharp as usual. I teased him one day that What he really wanted was to wake up some morning and find that he had died peacefully in his sleep. He laughed, and nodded, yes. And now, good heavens, here I am, "like father, like son." I died peacefully at Hospice Wellington in Guelph having been thoughtfully, caringly, and compassionately looked after and with my family surrounding me. I was born on May 5, 1932, to Alice Rebecca (nee Bartholomew) and Robert George Liptrap in Toronto. My brother Dick (Richard John Liptrap) was born almost two years later. Our parents had come to Canada from London, England in the late 1920's, first my father, and then my mother when he had saved enough to bring her over too. Our family moved several times, and Dick and I thought it prudent to accompany them. During the early depression, we lived in Toronto and witnessed the devastation of it on people's lives. I attended school in Preston, now part of Cambridge before we were on the move again to St Lambert, PQ. In my late teens I went off to Macdonald College in Quebec to study agriculture for a year before enrolling at the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph. It was there that I met Pat (Patricia Ruth Lawton). The wisest decision I ever made was to marry her. After graduation, I went into a large animal practice and was mentored by Dr. Keith Mountjoy of Brooklin, Ontario. It was during that time that daughter, Kimberley Ann (1959) and son, Robin Scott (1961) joined our family. They still continue to make life loving and interesting. Becoming restless after five years, I returned to the college to take up graduate studies receiving a MVSc and a PhD. Universities were expanding then, and I pursued an academic career teaching many young inquisitive minds and doing research on farm animals. Around 1985, a young lady named Cheryl Niemuller bounced into my office and asked if I knew anything about elephants. This occasioned an abrupt shift in my studies, and I spent the last 10 years of my working career with an outstanding group of intelligent, resourceful young women studying reproduction in wild animals. When I reached 65, retirement was mandatory and to make sure I did not become a nuisance, Pat signed me up for a photography course with Trina Koster. This led to some wonderful years taking and teaching courses in photography. It was during that time that I met Neils Hansen (1940 to 2010), also an avid photographer. Together we explored beautiful Southern Ontario in all seasons, seeking the right light and the right composition. The last few years of my life have been challenging but still rich as l adapted to life in a wheelchair. And now I leave this world with many memories of warm, stimulating, exciting friendships and adventures. And so dear family and friends I bid adieu. A celebration of Bob's life will be held at Gilbert Macintyre & Son, Hart Chapel, 1099 Gordon St. Guelph, at 12:00 p.m., on Sunday, October 22, 2023. Reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to Hospice Wellington or the Arboretum, University of Guelph. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be made at www.gilbertmacintyreandson.com.