December 3, 1928 – July 23, 2006
Robert was born in Burnaby, BC. He was known by most people as Bob.
Bob’s father was Shigeo Antoine (Tony) Kato. Bob’s father and uncle Kazuo Kato were nisei who had both served in the Second World War.
On July 26, 1941, Tony Kato became the first nisei from British Columbia to be accepted into the Canadian Army. He served until 1946 in Europe and in southeast Asia. Bob’s mother was white, so she and their two children were not interned after the bombing of Pearl Harbor a few months later. However, Bob, his sister, and mother experienced discrimination in their home town of Duncan and felt forced to move out of the area. They moved to Burnaby; however, Bob experienced many incidents of bullying because of his Japanese roots. His mother changed the family’s last name to Cato because it sounded more European than Japanese.
Bob attended Vancouver Technical School. However, the Principal advised Bob’s mother that he could not guarantee Bob’s safety. His mother sent him to a family and school in Steveston for a few months. Bob did not fare well and got into trouble with the law. The judge offered him two choices – jail or the Navy. In August 1946, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy. In 1950, he joined the crew of the destroyer HMCS Sioux, departing on 5 July 1950 from Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt and arriving in Sasebo, Japan, on 30 July 1950 for service in the Korean War. Two other Canadian destroyers were deployed at the same time, the HMCS Cayuga and the HMCS Athabaskan. Bob worked as an engineer in the ship’s engine room. The HMCS Sioux supported troops that landed at Incheon in September 1950. It conducted patrols near the North Korean coastline, work that was jeopardized by mines and hidden artillery. The HMCS Sioux was involved in a skirmish when intercepting North Korean vessels sent to resupply frontline North Korean forces. Bob returned on the HMCS Sioux to Esquimalt on February 4, 1951 to cheering local crowds.
When the Korean War was over, Bob and his fellow veterans felt that their war service had not been sufficiently acknowledged, particularly by Canadians who lived outside of British Columbia. He later worked hard to ensure that Canadians who died while serving in the Korean War were honored at all War Memorials in Canada.
Bob married in 1953 and had three children. The family later expanded to include 4 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. Unfortunately, his marriage ended in 1969. Bob later remarried a woman with two children.
Bob remained in the Royal Canadian Navy after the Korean War, eventually serving on 13 different ships and ending his career in Ottawa. He was originally stationed out of Esquimalt, BC. In 1956, he and the family moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia for three years. They returned to Victoria and built their home there. Bob also served in the Mediterranean Sea during the Middle East crisis and with the NATO Standing Fleet in the Atlantic during the Cold War.
When he was honorably discharged in March 1975, he had attained the rank of Chief Petty Officer First Class.
After his retirement from the Royal Canadian Navy, Bob served as the Fire Chief of Tofino, BC. He volunteered with the Boy Scouts and with an Indigenous treatment centre in Tofino as a maintenance man. Bob was artistic and loved to draw, create toys for his grandchildren out of wood, and hike. He loved the outdoors and camping trips were his favourite holidays. He travelled extensively, including to New Zealand and Europe. After retiring as the Fire Chief in Tofino, he and his second wife settled in Ladysmith, BC.
Bob passed away peacefully on July 23, 2006 after a courageous battle with cancer.
