In Celebration of
Bimalendra “Bim” or “Schonkor” Bhowmik
March 4, 1939 -
October 2, 2020
Passed away peacefully in his sleep at North York General Hospital due to complications post-surgery related to concurrent colorectal and lung cancer.
Husband to Anna Bhowmik (née Stelzer) (1950-1995). Lovingly remembered by daughter Jennifer, son-in-law Darren, and grandchildren Chantal (22) and Nathan (9), as well as many family members abroad and very dear friends both in Toronto and around the world.
Bim lived a full and happy life. He grew up in Kolkata, India where he was educated as an engineer. He was a sibling to three brothers (one now deceased) and five sisters (one now deceased) who live in India and have their families in India, USA and Australia. He left India in 1961, at 22 years of age, and set sail to Germany, where he worked for 10 years as a civil engineer in Weissenburg and later to Munich where he met his future wife, Anna. In 1971, Bim and Anna continued their adventure in Canada, settling in Toronto, where they married at the old city hall and had their daughter, Jen. They travelled to Germany and the Caribbean and later he continued on his own around US, China, Europe and South America, returning every few years to visit family in India.
We remember Bim as a person who was very friendly, always smiling and cheerful, loved travel and experiencing the cultures of the world while learning phrases in every language imaginable (that he would use as an ice breaker when meeting new people). He greatly enjoyed playing bridge, cheering for Rafael Nadal in tennis, listening to both classical Indian and German Schlager music while savouring the odd schnapps, and introducing his grandchildren to old films.
Through decades of hard work with a leading construction firm Bim left his mark on many important buildings (including Toronto Pearson Terminal 3, Canada’s Wonderland Mountain), bridges, and roads of our great city and province. However, Bim’s greatest legacy and source of pride is his family, whom he loved and cared for dearly. We cherish his memory and will miss him very much.