ROBERT DOUGLAS TONN

Adjust Text Size: A+ A-

ROBERT DOUGLAS TONN

June 4, 1948 - May 21, 2026

Robb, beloved spouse, father, grandfather, uncle and friend, passed away at St Boniface Hospital on Thursday May 21st. Robb is survived by his wife, Susan Devine, his daughter Sarah Dymund (Michael), and granddaughters Rowan Dymund, Lilah Dymund, and Audra Dymund, all of Regina. He is also survived by his sister, Elaine Piamsalee (Narong) of Winnipeg, brother Karl (Joanne) of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, sister-in-law Ginny Devine (Gary Doer) of Winnipeg and brother-in-law John Devine (Rena) of Red Deer, Alberta as well as numerous nieces, and nephews. He was a thoughtful, kind, and generous relative, friend, and mentor and will be missed,

Robb was born in Winnipeg to Oscar Tonn and Helen Bowley on June 4, 1948. He was a lifelong resident of Winnipeg and Ste Agathe, except for a year spent in Thailand as a teenager and a couple of years living in The Pas in the seventies.

After a few years working for the Manitoba government at the Manitoba Human Rights Commission and then at Northern Manpower Corps, Robb went to law school late, graduating at age 32. After Robb’s articling year, Mel Myers invited him to join his firm and to exclusively represent labour unions. Robb had found his legal home.

Robb was passionately committed to social justice and was a fierce, effective and creative advocate for his clients. A former colleague commented on his ability to see openings and develop litigation strategies that snuck up on the existing law – and often broke through it. He could see around corners when other people just saw a wall.

One of his cases that he was particularly proud of mandated pay equity for health care employees. Robb was also one of the first lawyers in Canada to represent provincial judges in lawsuits against the government. These involved the process for how judges’ salaries were set so as to maintain judicial independence. After a successful decision at the Supreme Court of Canada, he later represented Newfoundland judges and judges from some other provinces in similar lawsuits.

Unfortunately for Robb he developed chronic pain in 1995 after an unsuccessful discectomy surgery. Nonetheless, he managed to practise law for about ten more years before deciding that his health precluded him from continuing to do so. Several years ago he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease which compounded his health issues.

Robb was a creative thinker. even securing a patent for one of his inventions. Like his father, his view was that there was virtually no tool or device that could not be improved upon, often through the liberal application of Velcro.

As he aged, modifications in his interests had to be made. Duck hunting in Manitoba in a canoe became fishing in a charter boat in Florida in later years. Robb was also a competent woodworker and his early accomplishments of furniture building transformed eighteen months ago into producing wooden pens on his lathe.

Sports were another interest of Robb’s. He played Senior Men’s Hockey in his teens and also in the lawyers’ league for several years and remained an enthusiastic fan of both hockey and football. He had season tickets to the Bombers for more than 25 years, earning a brick in the walkway at the new stadium.

A competent enough pianist to play his church’s organ as a pre-teen, Robb’s piano teacher, his mother, wouldn’t let him play the music in vogue in the sixties. Accordingly, he stopped playing but continued to love listening to music. His tastes were eclectic but his first love was jazz. Towards the end of his life, listening to music was the only activity he could enjoy independently and became his true joy.

Robb and Susan were both enthusiastic travellers from the beginning of their relationship. In the first dozen years of their marriage they travelled widely and often. Then accommodations had to be made to continue to travel, given Robb’s health limitations. He refused to let his physical condition prevent him from the activities he enjoyed and took his mobility scooter along on most trips after 1995.

Cruises proved to be one solution to seeing many exotic places by, in effect, taking one’s hotel along on the trip. One of their last cruises was around the Arabian peninsula from Mumbai to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Oman ultimately ending in Cairo, Egypt.

In 2009 Robb and Susan bought a place in Fort Myers, Florida and enjoyed spending winters there until they decided to sell after the Covid pandemic. Their granddaughters have fond memories of their shared trips to Florida and to Disney World during those years.

The family thanks the staff of ward 4E at St Boniface Hospital for their kindness and care of Robb during his recent stay. They would also like to thank the staff of Partners for Home Care for looking after Robb so compassionately over the last six weeks.

A Celebration of Robb’s Life will take place on Thursday June 4th at 11 a.m. at Cropo Funeral Home, 1442 Main St, Winnipeg.

If friends so desire, donations may be made to Parkinson’s Canada, 4211Yonge St., suite 316, Toronto, Ontario M2P 2A9, donate@parkinson.ca or a charity of their choice.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on May 30, 2026