Published January 10, 2022 · Updated September 26, 2026
Some people enter our lives quietly.
We don’t know how long they’ll stay. We don’t know what they’ll teach us. And we certainly don’t know how much we’ll miss them when they’re gone.
When I first came to Canada, I thought most of my stories would be about starting over—the places I would discover, the work I would find, and the life I would slowly build. Work became an unexpected part of my starting-over story, too. From helping Bob to becoming a room attendant in Toronto, some of the jobs I once saw simply as ways to survive eventually taught me lessons I would carry much longer than the jobs themselves.
However, I didn’t realize that some of the most meaningful parts of that journey would be the people I met along the way.
Bob Schulz was one of those people.
I met him because I needed a job.
But by the time I said goodbye, he had become part of my Canadian story.
How I Met Bob Schulz
The moment I read of the Kijiji job post for a personal assistant to a 90-year old ex-film director, Bob Schulz, I closed my eyes, laid my hands on the computer, and fervently prayed for me to get the job. Not only did I badly need a job at that time but also desired to address an old man’s need of someone to assist him with technology. It reminded me so much of my grandfather (Gpa). During the sunset of his life, I became his secretary/caregiver so I know very well that feeling of old people having to keep up with the modern world.
The first time I met Robert “Bob” Schulz was he was on his bed as I was brought by his caregiver into his bedroom. I told him I was there for an interview in which he abruptly asked, “Can we start now?” Then he fought his way to get on his wheelchair to talk to me in the living room. Right then and there, I knew he was a professional. I knew he was brilliant. He told me what he needed so we started working on tidying up his paper works and documents. Organizing his stuffs gave me an inkling of who he was before, not realizing how big the name Bob Schulz was.
More Than a Job
Everyday that I came to his apartment gave a smile on his face. He became cheery as he told his previous assistant, Ben who posted the Kijiji ad, “I am very impressed by her! THANK YOU!!! She is bright and cheerful :)” Truly, if you emit positivity, then positivity also comes to you. I was more than happy to not only serve Bob as a personal assistant but to also serve as a sunshine to him!
Sad to say, due to old age, Bob was deteriorating day after day. My 4-hour-a-day schedule with him was reduced to 3 to 2 to 1 to less than an hour until he was telling me not to come the next day and the next because he felt tired. But if he had important matters to attend to, he would call for me and even though we couldn’t work for 4 hours, he still paid me in full. He was so concerned on how he could help me as a newcomer here in Canada and I was always telling him that getting the job was already a big help for me.
Those early years of starting over in Canada weren’t always easy, and I would later write about another chapter of that journey in My First Winter in Canada: Dancing My Way Back to Myself.
The Quiet Days Before Goodbye
A week before Bob passed away, we only watched old black and white movies in Hungarian until he fell asleep and just let me sit at his bedside. The moment he awoken, he would tell me to go home early because I still had to take the street car (subway train and bus). Every time he was telling me that, I would tell him my time is not yet up but he always told me that he would still pay me in full. He had such a generous heart which I further witnessed when his sister, Julie and personal assistant for 28 years turned friend turned daughter, Kim gave him the party he wanted for his 90th birthday.
On a chilly night of November, we celebrated Bob Schulz’ life at The Revival Event Venue along College St. It was such a great honor to me to be still working for my Bobbykins even after a month and 10 days of his passing away. I was assigned in reaching out all his contacts, using his email, Instagram, and Facebook accounts. I had the privilege to talk to prominent people, showbiz and non-showbiz. From them, I learned how legendary Bob was.
Discovering Who Bob Had Been
Bob Schulz was Canada’s top commercial director/producer of his time! He was celebrated as one of the most influential, powerful, glamorous, opinionated, innovative, and creative people in Toronto by Toronto Life Magazine (IMDb.com). He also received international recognition for his feature films which include Mel Gibson’s The Man Without a Face and produced TV dramas, music videos, and public service films in over 30 countries. All his life’s accomplishments were written on his autobiography entitled Csapó! Tessék which is in Hungarian.
With Bob being legendary, his family, friends and colleagues from the Schulz Productions gave him honor by gracing the big event. With more than a hundred guests, the night of Bob’s remembrance was a blast! Classical music from yesteryears were played live, great food by Me and Julio Inc. were served, and the highlight of the night was Bob’s memorial video, an encapsulation of his good heart from all the people loving him around the world by George Saturnino of Saturnino Productions! For more about Bob’s last red carpet, visit CBC News’ feature here. Thank you, Talia Ricci for giving attention to my email of paying tribute to the great Bob Schulz! 🙂
Bob Schulz’s Last Red Carpet
My First Heartbreak in Canada
Bob was my first heartbreak here in Canada. It was like losing my Gpa the second time around. It was actually my Gpa leading me to Bob. Both 90 years old smart gentlemen when I served them with exactly the same tasks! Farewell, my Bobbykins! Thank you for your kindness to me. With you I became a darling and a sweetheart. It was indeed a great honor to have been in service to you!
Years Later, I Understand This Story Differently
When I first wrote this story, the loss was still fresh.
Today, I read these words with a different heart.
I came to Canada thinking that starting over would be measured by the things I accomplished—the jobs I found, the places I explored, and the life I managed to build from the beginning.
But Bob reminds me that a new life is also built through people.
Some arrive unexpectedly.
Some stay only for a short time.
And some make a foreign place feel a little more like home.
I thought I had entered Bob’s life because he needed my help. Perhaps, in ways I didn’t understand then, I needed that encounter too.
Far away from my Gpa and everything familiar to me, life somehow placed another 90-year-old gentleman in my path—someone I could serve, care for, laugh with, and eventually grieve.
Maybe not everything in life needs an explanation.
Some encounters are simply gifts.
And when I look back at my journey in Canada now, Bob is one of those gifts I will always be grateful for.
Beautiful places have become part of my story here.
But so have beautiful people with their helping hand.
And sometimes, they are the ones who leave the deepest footprints on our journey.
Some moments become more meaningful with time. This experience is one of the stories that helped me understand something I wrote about years later: sometimes, we don’t need more. We simply need to notice more. I share more about this in When I Didn’t Care to Notice.
Continue Your Journey
Some stories stay with us because they remind us of the people, places, and ordinary moments that quietly shaped who we became.
Reflect on Meaningful Stories
Continue with more personal stories about starting over, relationships, memories, loss, growth, and the experiences that shape our lives.
→ Reflect on Meaningful Stories
Discover Everyday Beauty
Beauty isn’t always something we see. Sometimes it’s found in kindness, an ordinary afternoon together, or simply being present for someone while we still have the chance.
Explore Beautiful Places
The places I’ve discovered have also become part of my story of building a life in Canada.
→ Explore 20 Beautiful Places in Ontario That Could Capture Your Heart
Your Story Matters, Too
Sometimes someone else’s story brings us back to our own.
A person we still miss. A kindness we never forgot. An ordinary moment that became more meaningful with time.
If this story brought someone to mind, I’d love to invite you to slow down and reflect on the beauty and meaning already woven into your own life.
The Beauty Around You is my free 7-day journey filled with gentle reflections and writing prompts to help you notice more, remember more, and find meaning in the everyday moments that might otherwise pass unnoticed.
→ Begin Your Free 7-Day Journey