Robert Ottereyes is fondly remembered across Eeyou Istchee

Robert L. Ottereyes, known to many as Lobbut, passed away at Montreal’s Royal Victoria Hospital November 17 at around 2 am. He was a member of the Cree Nation of Waswanipi, where he was laid to rest November 22.

In mid-October, Ottereyes was medevaced to Montreal for respiratory complications and was in the intensive care unit at the Glen Site.

The son of Juliette Trapper and Billy Ottereyes, he grew up with 14 siblings. As an adult, he had three children of his own – Joshua Mathias, Juliette Ottereyes and Julianna Ottereyes.

Juliette, 29, married to Eric Bearskin, remembers her father as a traveler and a great host to his friends and family at his home. “He loved to share his food with others,” she said. “He thought that food brought people together.”

A number friends and business partners from different companies attended his funeral. “He knew a lot of people, but I didn’t know the scale until they all came,” said Juliette. “He was kind, generous and very humble ¬– I don’t know how many times I’ve been told that.”

Lobbut was a true outdoorsman and loved going to his cabin near Kilometre 130 on the James Bay Highway, between Matagami and Waskaganish. He could often be found on the links during the summer months, at golf benefits with friends, meeting new people. He was known to schedule his summers around the sport he enjoyed so much.

As a financial consultant and advisor, Ottereyes was passionate about helping derive benefits from the mining industry for First Nation peoples, and was a member with Secretariat to the Cree Nation Abitibi-Témiscamingue Economic Alliance in 2002. Before his passing, Ottereyes was working with the Conseil des Atikamekw de Wemotaci as Director of Finance.

“He was a man of numbers, always was,” Juliette observed.

He studied at Cégep André-Laurendeau and Concordia University in Montreal, where he majored in administration and financial management. He administered project developments and was part of the management team at the business-consulting firm, efficiency.ca, for over 12 years.

Ottereyes was also a supporter of former Waswanipi chief Paul Gull, and helped MP Romeo Saganash during his two federal election campaigns.

George Oblin, who is married Ottereyes’ sister Caroline Diamond, remembers Lobbut as being a strong kid in 1974.

Oblin was 25 at the time, and the 13-year-old Lobbut was carrying a motor on his shoulders, while trekking to their cabin by the highway. “I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, I wouldn’t be able to do that,’” Oblin said.

Lobbut was a man who always had a smile on his face, and was eager to help others and enjoyed people’s company, Oblin reminisced. “He would make people laugh. He had a presence. When he walked into the room, you knew he was there.”

The day after the funeral, the family gathered to remember Lobbut and shared stories about his life.

Oblin was asked to sing Lobbut’s favourite songs – Conway Twitty’s It’s Only Make Believe and Elvis Presley’s Are You Lonesome Tonight?

“I sang in remembrance of Lobbut,” he said. “It was just my way of honouring him.”

Oblin remembers watching Lobbut singing karaoke and making people laugh with his performances. “He might not have been much of a singer, but he was an entertainer,” Oblin said.

Friends for many years, Oblin remembers a trip they took to Val-d’Or. As they drove along 3rd Avenue, Lobbut kept pointing out people on the street and telling Oblin, “That’s so and so.”

“He seemed to know everybody and everybody knew him,” Oblin said.

The viewing took place November 21 in Chibougamau during the day and at the Waswanipi Anglican Church in the evening.

On the back of his eulogy-card his family wrote: “Good food, good friends, good times.”