Robin is grieving one of its very own, very loved and very unique Robinite. The deepest sorrow struck the Darois workshops when we heard the terrible news. Our very dear Joël Thomas took off and left us on march 10th, struck down by a sudden leukemia.

It left all of us speechless, sans voix as we French say. So in a jumble, the way Joël told his stories that is, here’s the written words from his colleagues and friends at Robin.

« Joël was an unshakable rock, a cornerstone to Robin, generous, benevolent, full of ideas, a jack of all trades and a perfectionist, a deep-thinking-solution-creating-problem-solving-trouble-shooting-interest-in-everything-taking first class technician that never criticized or complained about anything. The kind of guy you can’t forget, a comprehensive insurance in himself, someone who knew how to infuse the spirit of Robin in the minds of newcomers and visitors, a man whose smile, voice and never ending laughter will be terribly missed. In a nutshell, a great man, an esteemed colleague and a very good lad… A role model for all of us. Joel, you’re eternal. »

The only good news is that just a few weeks before departing, Joël kindly welcomed us into his home, freshly retired from Robin, to talk, share and reminisce.

The result was a portrait of him in the February letter. We are very proud of that, because now everyone, even outside Darois, will have something to remember this fantastic guy by. A man who will have shined his own light into the Robin workshops for half a century!

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