Professor Robert Michael Stelmack PhD Psychology

On June 27, 2018, Bob passed away with his loving family close beside him. After a lengthy battle with congestive heart disease, he died peacefully at home. In 2010, he suffered a major heart attack and had no pulse for 16 minutes. Thanks to the quick response of the Ottawa Paramedics and to many of the doctors and staff at the Queensway-Carleton Hospital and the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, he survived and not only continued his research for 5 additional years, he provided his family with many happy memories for almost eight more years.

Bob is survived by his wife Carole Brook (Andruski) and his daughters Patricia Louise and Cara Joan (Daniel Holloway) and a number of cousins. He was predeceased by his daughter Melissa Jane and his parents Stella and Michael Stelmack.

Bob was a wonderful husband and brought his wife flowers regularly. He respected her tremendously and always encouraged her to work towards her goals. He idolized his children, always supporting their endeavours and encouraging them in most of things they chose to do.

Born in Sudbury and raised in Windsor, Bob made many lasting friendships, some dating back to primary school and others dating from his teenage years. He loved the outdoors and for a number of years as a teenager he was a councillor at YMCA Camp Pine Crest in Muskoka Lakes. A very large photo of him hung in the YMCA in Sudbury for many years and still may be there.

Bob enjoyed woodworking and referred to himself as an amateur carpenter. He built the family cottage by himself with a lot of assistance from his family and friends. He also installed the plumbing and built much of the furniture. The cottage was his favorite place in the entire world and he spent many summers, weekends and New Year’s Eve celebrations there with family and friends.

Bob was a gifted student and an aspiring athlete. Hockey and football were his favorite sports and he played them with great intensity. In his final year at Assumption High School in Windsor he was selected to the first Canada Dry all-star high school football team for Ontario and he also won the trophy as the most valuable lineman in the province. Although he was scouted and offered opportunities to play professional sports, he decided that he would pursue an academic career and began his studies in psychology at the University of Windsor.

Upon completion of his Master’s Degree he taught at St. Paul’s College at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg for two years and then completed his doctorate in psychology at the University of Ottawa. In 1970, he began his lengthy teaching career, spanning 40 years, as a professor and adjunct professor at the UofO. Bob loved to teach and he was respected by many of his colleagues and former students. He treated everyone with respect and lauded their achievements and gave them the credit that was due to them all the time.

After his family and friends, Bob’s greatest love was research where he made significant contributions in the area of the psychology of personality and individual differences. Professor Byron Rourke, Director of Psychology at the University of Windsor said at a Canadian Psychological Association Meeting that “Robert Stelmack was the greatest research psychologist he had ever met.”

Bob greatly admired the work of Hans Eysenck who was an early leader in the study of personality and he spent two separate sabbaticals in London, England working and studying with Hans and others in the field. Dedicated to the study of intelligence and individual differences, Bob was one of the founding members of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences (ISSID). Beginning in 1983, meetings were held every two years in various places around the world and Bob looked forward to all the meetings, presenting his research and students and interacting with so many colleagues. He was a dedicated president and member of executive for many years and maintained the archives for a number of years as well.

In November2017, Bob’s scientific contributions were recognized in Volume 118, a special issue of Personality and Individual Differences (PAID), the official journal of ISSID. Some copies of the Introduction will be available at Bob’s celebration of life service. Additional copies of the Introduction and complete copies of the issue can be accessed at Personality and Individual Differences www.sciencedirect.com.
In his memorial to Bob on the ISSID website, Dr. Philip Corr, President of ISSID said that “Bob’s scientific contribution was matched by his generosity and support of many students and colleagues around the world. In a special issue of PAID, many of them fondly recounted this positive influence on their own development. Especially noteworthy was Bob’s humility: he was never one to chase the limelight – his was a conscientious and sure-footed approach, leading to a solid body of lasting research. Bob’s passing reminds us that the sophistication of psychological science today, including major advances in the field of individual differences, was made possible only by the pioneering work of those who may now be gone, but not forgotten.”

The Dr. Robert Michael Stelmack Memorial Research Award has been established at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, to fund research on the study of the psychological aspects of heart function prior to and during heart disease. This award is designed to honour Bob’s work as a scientific researcher and to honour the doctors, nurses and other staff at the UofO Heart Institute for giving Bob the “gift of life” for almost eight additional years.

Donations to the Dr. Robert Michael Stelmack Memorial Research Award can be made online at https://foundation.ottawaheart.ca/Robert_M_Stelmack_Award, by phone at 613-696-7030, or by mail to 40 Ruskin Street, Room H-2408, Ottawa, ON K1Y 4W7. Donation forms will also be available at Bob’s celebration of life service.

The “Celebration of Life” and memorial service for Bob will be held in the Sacred Space at the Beechwood, Funeral, Cemetery and Cremation Services on Friday, October 5, 2018 at 1:00 pm. A reception will follow. All are welcome to come.