Obituary of Kris Tobias

On Saturday, November 30th, 2024, Kris Tobias was unexpectedly and tragically taken from us at the age of 56 while riding his bike in Durham Forest, doing what he loved with people he loved. He was the beloved husband of 29 years to Sulyn, father to Isabel, Johan, and Logan, loving son to the late Kal and Karen, brother to Kirk (Paula); friend, mentor, and inspiration to many.

Kris was a leader, a strategist, a connector, a cyclist, car enthusiast, music enthusiast, intellectual, and a lover of life who saw beauty in all things. A first-generation Canadian, child of Jewish immigrants from Brooklyn, NY, he was an outlier whose upbringing taught him the value of developing close personal connections with other people and fuelled his sharp wit. He will be remembered by all including his brother-in-laws, sister-in-laws, nieces, nephew, many close friends and colleagues.

Kris received his BBA and MBA in Finance from Schulich School of Business. He had an unscripted career, taking the road less travelled by into the telecom field as a Sales Professional. His success in his work is a testament to the strength of his character, his intelligence, his respect for other people, and that fact that he never forgot the importance of the human touch. He spent 12 years working at Verizon/MCI/Worldcom, after which he spent 12 years working for Shaw Communications as both an individual contributor and a leader of teams. In 2002 he founded Ride for Karen with his brother, a charity cycling event which went on to raise $2.7 million for children with cancer in honor of their mother.

Kris was happiest on his bike with the wind on his face. He rode hard, lived hard, loved hard. He is profoundly missed.

Friends and family will be received at the Dixon-Garland Funeral Home,166 Main Street Markham North on Thursday, December 12th from 1-3pm and 6-9 pm. A Celebration of Life service will take place on Friday, in the Chapel at 1:00 pm with a reception to follow.

In honor of Kris, donations can be made to the Durham Mountain Biking Association, where a segregated Memorial Fund is being created in Kris’ name. The fund will be focussed on improving the Safety, Accessibility and Emergency Preparedness within the trail networks in Durham and York Regions.

Donation Link: https://durhammountainbiking.ca/donation-form/#!form/Donation

Cheques can be mailed to:
Durham Mountain Biking Association
℅ Kris Tobias Memorial Fund
1720 Concession 7
Uxbridge, ON
L9P 1R4

Click here to register for the livestream of the service

Livestream