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Robert GILLIS
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<div itemprop="description">GILLIS, R. B. (Bob) <br />1922 - 2013 <br /> <br />On July 20th, 2013, at age 91, Robert Brendan (Bob) Gillis passed away in Vancouver, surrounded by loving family. He was predeceased by his wife Marjorie (nee Anderson, 1921-2011) and his little sister Audrey. He is survived by his six children, Joan, Dhiresha (Matthew), John, Mary, Bob and Donald (Patsy), and eight grandchildren. <br /> <br />Bob started life in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia as a fifth generation Canadian. Entering WWII, and stationed in the UK, he became the youngest officer assigned to the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals. Post war, he completed a degree at McGill University. <br /> <br />Bob started his working life in telecommunications with Canadian Pacific (CP) Limited. He then spent more than 30 years within CP, moving through various roles in research and development, including Director of Operational Research and Systems Planning, a role and department he created. A major accomplishment during his CP years was the development of SPEC (Structured Planning Evaluation and Control), a general process for the systematic management of change, innovative for its use of the participative involvement of people planning their own work. <br /> <br />His final role with CP was as Director of Systems Services, a corporate resource organization which provided planning and development services to various entities of CP and, on a consulting basis, to major companies, organizations, and government departments worldwide. <br /> <br />After leaving Canadian Pacific in the early 1980s, Bob moved to Vancouver and formed R.B. Gillis and Associates which continued to provide interactive planning services in Canada and internationally with IMPACT - his non-patented Interactive Manage Processes &amp; Communication Techniques. He continued to further refine and develop his life's work by studying emerging literature on brain based studies of communication and learning. He continued as a presenter and guest lecturer world-wide until his early eighties, when he retired to care for his ailing wife Marjorie. <br /> <br />Bob was very active in professional organizations concerned with projects and the management of change. He was a founding member of International Project Management Association, IPMA, based in Switzerland. He was also an active member of PMI, Project Management Institute, and a founder of the Montreal chapter. A PMI Fellowship Award recognized him for his sustained contributions to the state of the art of project management, and to the progress of the Institute. <br /> <br />As an active community member, Bob donated his time and expertise to organizations as diverse as the founding group of the David Suzuki Foundation, SEVA Canada Society, and the Delta Health Coalition. <br /> <br />Bob will be remembered primarily as an engaged and passionate thinker, for his wit, and as an innovator, contributor, friend and family man. <br /> <br />An informal Memorial will be held in Vancouver on Monday, July 29th at 5:00 pm. Please contact the family for details at 778.926.8243.</div>