I am so sorry to hear this news. Rob was a great man to chat with, i learned so much.
Linda and Charlie –
I wish you strength and peace as you travel through these next few months.
Much love
Donna

My condolences Linda and family. I only knew Rob from flying but he was always fun to be around had lots of great stories and willingness to help out wherever he was needed

To Mrs. Salts and Charlie, my sincerest condolences for your loss. It was (and is) a privilege to have known such a man as Mr. Salts. He was that person, in life’s journey, that left a positive effect. One that you cherish fondly even decades later. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to have Me. salts as my teacher.

Linda and family

Rob will definitely live on as we all reminisce with our memories of chats with “Rob”. He could always bring a smile to anyone. The two of you came to mind yesterday (Fri.), Linda. Now I can understand why. Our sincere sympathies to you.

Linda and Charlie,
Our sincerest condolences to you and Charlie. Rob had many adventures and interest throughout his life. Rob was blessed to have such a devoted wife.
May your memories give you comfort.
Alanna and Steve Hosking

I was lucky enough to have Mr. Salts as my Grade 7 teacher at Biddulph Central.
He was patient, funny, and cared about his students. My condolences are with his family at this time.

Linda, Charlie & All your family
Sorry to read about Rob. Always enjoyed him at MacDonalds whenever he came in. Also goes back lot of yrs when you & Rob came into Golden City Restaurant. We all had little chats then too.
He certainly was an intelligent man . Missed by all who knew him.
My Sympathy
Margaret Brintnell

Linda and Charlie,
Condolences to you both with the passing of Rob.
Prayers

Linda and family,
You are in our prayers at this sad time. May you find comfort in the sharing of memories you both made together through out the years, Rob’s many stories and history that he shared with family and friends. He will be missed in our community.

Linda and Charlie
I am so sorry to read this news. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. May many fond memories give you strength now and in the days ahead.

Im so sorry to hear this sad news ! Condolences to Linda, Charlie and family!

Linda and Family, Judy and I send our sincere condolence to you with the passing of Rob. Wayne and Judy Darroch , Lucan/

Cindy Ashly & Sean Harrigan

So sorry to hear about Rob

Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time.

Please accept our sincere sympathy. Glenn and Lynne Stott

Linda, Charlie, and extended family,

So sorry to hear of Rob’s passing. We didn’t know him personally, but knew of his love for history. Ryan and Charlie went to school together. Please accept our condolences.

Linda, Charlie and the Heckman family,
Sincere sympathy for your loss. May God grant you peace and comfort during this difficult time.
Thinking of you and all the Heckman family.
Dorothy Stephen

So so sad to hear this he was a major influence in my life my grade seven and eight teacher at Biddulph public school and we kept in touch for years after..he was an amazing human being and I’ll never forgot the impact he had on me..very wise man with a lot of knowledge and I’ll never forget what he taught me

Dear Linda and family,

I am so very sorry to read of Rob’s sudden passing. Over the years we enjoyed listening to his most knowledgeable presentations. I enjoyed our brief chat at the garden centre last week, and wanted to extend our sincere condolences at this very sad time.

Linda and Charlie

We send our Sincere Condolences at this difficult time

Ron and Glenda Lindenfield

I am very sorry that Rob is no longer with you Linda. My sympathy to all the family. I loved Rob’s witty observations and picture him manning the table for us at our breakfast fly ins and talking airplane mechanics with Glen.

On behalf of my family, I would like to send my heartfelt condolences to Linda, Charlie, Pat & family, after the loss of Rob. I was lucky enough to spend some time with Rob on the day of his passing. He will be greatly missed. I wish his family the courage to carry on in the days and months to come. Rest in Peace Rob.

I had Mr. Salts for Grade 6 and 7 at Biddulph, and he was truly one of a kind. I’ll never forget how he always believed in me—it meant more than he probably ever knew. His unforgettable stories and the fun, creative way he made learning come alive will always stay with me. He made a lasting impact on so many of us. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family during this difficult time.

My deepest condolence to you Linda and family , prayers of comfort and strength at this time ! So glad I got to meet Robert and visit you both ! Thinking of you at this time 🙏🫂🌹❤️‍🩹🎶

Linda,
My sincere sympathizes. What a shock after our talk on Wednesday.
Like all young people that Robert taught, Ryan remembers his wonderful stories and the impact he had on preparing him for future years.
May you and Charlie hold each other close at this time of loss.

Linda and Charlie I am so very sorry to her of Rob’s passing. What a talented man he was. I am sure he will be missed by many. Hugs and love to you as you navigate this difficult time of your life.

Linda and Charlie.
Thinking of you during this sad time. We have great memories of shared laughs, stories with Rob during fly in breakfasts. That smiling face will be missed by all who were lucky to know him.
Scott/ Bev Anderson

Our sincere sympathy to all Rob’s loved ones. May you find comfort knowing that he inspired so many people, young and old, during his lifetime. Our thoughts are with you.

Linda and family:
Sorry to hear of your loss. I always enjoyed working at your place on any projects we accomplished.
My deepest condolences.
Clarke Rollings

Mr Salts taught me in grade 7 and grade 8. Always a gifted story teller and patient teacher. I remember when he used to come into Egans for his coffee and little chat. He made a mark on so many!

Rob was a true gentlemen. Many of trips to the Donnelley Homestead, where Rob would tell the tale of ghost stories from inside the barn and on the property. I always joked with Rob, he would hit the wall in the barn to make us shake! Rob enjoyed driving bus for our family and would tell all who would listen about his teaching career and many adventures in life. Thoughts to the entire family.

Linda & Charlie,

We’re sorry to hear of Rob’s passing. Sending good thoughts to you & your family.

Rob was a very gracious man who knew a lot about a lot of everything and loved sharing. I have met him at the HOMESTEAD numerous times times to discuss my ancestors…The Donnelly Family. His dedication to their true story was much appreciated by the survivors.
Sincere condolences to Linda and Charlie. Rob will always be close by chatting with Old Jim Donnelly. ❤️

Dear Linda, Charlie & the extended Salts & Heckman Families:

Although it has been close to 36 years since I married & moved from Southwestern Ontario, I try to keep up on the area news.

I was saddened to see that my FAVOURITE TEACHER EVER, “Mr. Salts” passed away. He was my grade eight teacher at Colborne Street Public School, in Strathroy.

My favourite memory of that year, 1978, was when my family was going to be travelling to Arizona for spring break vacation. I asked Mr. Salts what I could bring him back as a souvenir. He said he would like me to bring him a scorpion. (as if that was going to happen !) Well. . .wasn’t he surprised when I returned from vacation & presented him with a paperweight that had a scorpion encased in a dome of acrylic !

May your memories of happy times together keep him alive in your hearts.

Our thoughts & prayers are with you all, as you mourn his passing.

I had Mr. Salts as a music teacher in grade 7 and 8 at Colborne PS in Strathroy. He was an amazing teacher, and because of him I know some pretty obscure Beatles songs that I still love to this day. I am so sorry for you loss and the void you are feeling. He influenced many lives as a teacher and he will be missed.

Linda and Charlie,

Very sorry to hear of Rob’s passing. I will always remember the stories he told.
Thinking of you both.

I remember him fondly from my days at Colborne. He was a good teacher. Always had lots of interesting stories, was happy & singing around the school & portables. My condolences to his family. May all your memories give you comfort at this most difficult time

Linda and Charlie. I am so sorry to hear of Rob’s passing, he always had a story to tell me and a good joke to tell. You have my deepest condolences.

Mr Salts was our bus driver in High School and he put up with our teenage attitude with grace and patience.

Our condolences to the family.

I’m so sorry for your loss. I had Mr Salts as my homeroom teacher in grade 8 in Stathroy (1979/80) He was my favourite. He was a lot fun and was always cracking jokes. I don’t remember seeing him getting mad ever. My family and I moved away near the end of the school year and I remember feeling sad because I was going to miss him. He had a big impact on my younger self. REST IN PEACE, SIR!

To Mr. Salts’s Family
I am saddened to hear the passing of this kind gentleman. His humour, love for music and his wonderful personality made him one of my favourite teachers at Colborne. His laughter, his jokes and the ever so popular “guitar”, the many of interesting stories we would tell us “Now you know the rest of the story” as the end of the school day bell rang out! He touched so many lives and those memories will last a lifetime. My sincere sympathies at this time

I had many memories of Mr. Salts…he taught me music in gr.7 and 8. We did quite a few Beatles songs lol…he was funny and pretty talented musician. I will never forget him…RIP.

Rob (Mr. Salts) was my grade 8 home room teacher at Colborne Street Public School in Strathroy some 46 years ago. He taught my brother a few years before me and my sister a few years after. I have thought about him often through the years particularly because I always knew he was a teacher who cared about his students. For me he instilled the importance of fulfilling potential, to which I have been moderately successful, and on occasion, surpassed my expectations. He also encouraged my interest in music through his passion and maybe without me knowing my love of history, Aviation, motorcycles and life long learning. I live in Montreal now and wish that I had lived up to my intention to drop in to the museum one day to say hi and let him know that there are people like me he had inspired in the best way. People deserve to know this in their lifetime and I am sorry that I couldn’t have done that. Heartfelt empathy to Mrs Salts and his son Charlie.

Deep sympathy to you with the death of your husband.
Allie Radtke, former East Williams teacher.

Sending love and healing to you Linda.
So sorry to hear the passing of your beloved husband.

Charlie and Linda,
So sorry to hear of Rob’s passing. Our thoughts are with you during this difficult time.

Mr. Salts was my grade 8 teacher at Plover Mills Public School. His passion for Canadian History really opened my eyes to the subject. He certainly developed my love of singing in a group. His love of teaching made us feel lucky to be in his class. I also remember his excitement about his wedding.
My condolences to his family. He was one of a kind.

My sympathies to Rob’s family.

Rob (Mr. Salts) was my grade 8 teacher at Plover Mills for the 1974/75 school year. He was a force of nature and one of my most favorite teachers ever,

I honestly felt he cared about his students and he wanted to leave us better than he found us. His stories about ‘The Black Donnelly’s” held my complete attention. When his banjo came out, it was always a good time. ‘House of the Rising Sun’ comes to mind. He chaperoned many a dance and was always a good sport about it. If you did not respect him, books would fly!

I remember, his grandfather used to travel and sell feed back in the day and my dad had a measuring cup he had gotten from Rob’s grandpa. It must have had his name on it for my dad to know that. Anyway, I told Mr. Salts about it and he asked if he could have it, which was no problem. But what a sweet thing to ask. He was a student of history and family.

I have nothing but admiration.

Mr. Salts – or Rob as he told me to call him in recent years, was my teacher in Grade 6 and 7 at Biddulph. He was a great teacher. One of my favourites. Caring, funny, encouraging. I remember the stories he told, him bringing out his guitar and playing it as we sung songs like ‘The Rose’ and ‘The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald’. I remember a BBQ at the homestead one of those years and he took us on a tour of the farm and tell us ghost stories and the story of the Donnelly Family. I remember seeing the Northern Lights for my first time while at the homestead as well.

Mr. Salts drove two generations of our family to school. He was Jeremy’s high school bus driver in the 90’s, and drove our twins to elementary school when they started school in 2010 until he retired.

Rob would always stop and take a moment to catch up whenever we ran into each other, the last time being at the dentist office. He would always ask how Jeremy, the kids and I were doing. And then how my mom and sister and the rest of the family were.
He would gladly tell me about what he, Linda and Charlie were up to as well. Work around the homestead, his truck, and we’d talk about our westie dogs.
He always had a smile on his face.

Linda and Charlie – keeping you in our thoughts and prayers. Sending you our deepest condolences.

Tammy (Wilkinson), Jeremy, Alyssa and Owen Langendyk

In the late 80s/ early 90s Rob and I were on the same teaching staff at Biddulph Public School. I remember his friendly, upbeat nature and his sense of humour. I also remember how helpful and generous he was, like the time after a winter storm I got impossibly stuck while driving to school on a drifted back road that I should never have attempted. He just drove his Jeep to where my car was lodged in a snow drift and pulled me out.
For many years I had a side line hobby of bee keeping. Much of my equipment, such as my honey extractor, smoker and bee supers had come from my grandfather and that in itself was special as I loved my grandfather dearly. When I decided to retire from beekeeping Rob expressed an interest in becoming a beekeeper and so one night we smoked the bees, plugged the entrances to the hives and moved them ever so carefully to Rob’s country property on the Roman Line. My bees transitioned well and soon Rob was selling honey with the Donnelly label.
Rob had many interests and it seemed to me that whatever he put his attention to it was done well. Rob was a unique individual. I am pretty sure that he will be remembered by many for all that he gave back to the community.

Mr Salts was one of the best teachers I had. He was my home room teacher in the portable at Colborne in grade 8.
His endless mystery stories, guitar playing and kindness to all had an impact on everyone who knew him.
I have a short letter he wrote to me in grade 8, upon graduation. I still have it in my photo album!
My condolences to his family.

Oh Linda I’m so sorry to just read that Rob passed away. Prayers and hugs to you and Charlie. He was one of the best teacher I had in my public school days.hug Tammy

Mr Salts was my grade 8 teacher at Colborne Public School
He was truly one of my favorite teachers.
I fondly remember him as being a teacher who truly enjoyed what he did. Sending my deepest condolences to his wife and son and extended family

Linda, Charlie and the Heckman family,
So very sorry to hear of Rob’s passing. He is memorable person in our family tree and certainly one who will be missed. He has touched many peoples lives and lives on in you.
May God grant you His strength and peace during this time.
Hugs, Bob, and Doris Osgood

Saddened to hear of Rob’s passing. He was such an interesting and talented man. Always a smile on his face and a story to tell. Thinking of you and Charlie, Linda as you navigate another challenging stage of life….hugs and peace always
Jim and WendyThomas and families

I am so sorry to hear of Rob’s passing. I taught with Rob at the former Biddulph School. Rob was a great teacher and Linda and Charlie will have fond memories to sustain them in the days, weeks and years ahead.

Ron Van Belois

I am so sorry to hear of Mr. Salts passing, he was my favorite teacher at Colborne. I still talk about him to this day how he would get out his guitar and sing in class and you would be having so much fun you didn’t even realize you were learning. I wish all the teachers were like him. May your memories of him bring a smile to your face as they do mine. Hugs and love, Diana (Fox) Gibbs

Linda and Charlie, my condolences on Rob’s passing. I know he will be missed. Memories are always there to carry you through. Gary has passed away but we always remembered you both and visiting the farm.

Charlie sorry to hear of your dad’s passing may your memories of him be a comfort to you during this difficult time.

My condolences Linda & Charlie & Family. Rob was a jokester, every time he came to Subway to eat his well heated sandwich he would crack us all up with his humour & jokes. Made our day for sure. Sorry to hear of Rob’s passing, he will sadly be missed by many. 💜💐

Dear Linda and Charlie, I only just found out today that Rob passed. I’m praying you’ll both be comforting each other and remember that he was such a good man. While living in Lucan I will always remember the times we had endless conversations about our beloved Donnelly family. Till we meet again Rob blowing a kiss to the heavens.

Donna Spencer
Aka Donna Jones

I was saddened (Sept 06) to hear that Mr. Salts had passed away. I met him only once outside the Roman Line property as he was getting his mail. He was gracious enough to speak with us for several minutes before we moved on. I never did take the property tour, and was disappointed that I hadn’t when Rob had stopped doing them. But as one of many interested in Biddulph history, I am great-full on behalf of all of us that he took the time. Linda (if I may use your name) and Charlie, my deepest condolences to you and your families.

Our deep condolences to Family Robert did reading for us while I was carring a baby amazing man living on that mysterious farm
Sending prayers and hugs to wife and Son Ursula Joe Joey and Chris Bladek

Mr. Salts was one of my grade 8 teachers. He was a good guy.

That year we did a grade 8 Christmas play at school, that was then performed again in a hall in Thorndale.