William Kelly

It is with deep sorrow and much love that we mourn the passing of William George Kelly on Wednesday September 23, 2020 at the age of 87. He was a beloved father, grandfather, great grandfather, uncle, brother and friend. Bill was predeceased by his loving wife of more than 40 years (Minnie Kelly), parents (Robert and Mary), sister Audrey, and step-daughter Dolores and will be lovingly remembered by daughters Donna (Peter) and Patti (Bill); sister Barbara (Dave), grandchildren: Natalie (Joey), Heather( Kris), Patrick; great grandchildren: Jacob and Sophie, nephew, Geoffrey, step-sons Donny and Michael, and Wilma Kimec.

Bill, Billy, Pops or Grandpa will be remembered for his kindness, generous spirit and love for his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Always young at heart and sharp in mind, Bill will forever be in our hearts and we will miss him tremendously.

For those of us who are fortunate to have or had someone in our lives who lived well into their eighth decade, we appreciate how much our loved ones experienced in their lifetime; significant world events like WWII, the cold war, the civil rights and feminist movements and the ever-changing advances in technology. Coming of age during the war, certainly contributed to Bill’s becoming a history buff and he often spoke of battle ships and aviation. He brought an interesting perspective to any discussion about current events.

Bill was a child during WWII and proudly spoke of his Mother’s “victory garden” and that it was the best in the neighbourhood! While the men went off to war, the women left behind took on all of the work that men had traditionally been doing, such as driving buses or streetcars and working full-time in factories. Let’s just say, experiences early in his life made him a feminist.

He started working when he was quite young selling newspapers and when he was just 14, he started working part-time for a company owned by Joe Fine. Joe was an erudite and elegant man who mentored Bill. From Joe, Bill learned the ways of being a man, how to conduct oneself in the world and any lessons learned were always imbued with the importance of kindness and family.

It is said that “the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”(MLK) Bill was only 21 years old when he became a step-father to three teenagers and committed himself to helping raise not only these three but, only a few years later, two of their children as well. Imagine having grandchildren in your mid-twenties and raising them as your own!

He was a wonderful brother to his baby sister and a wonderful step-father, father, grandfather and great-grandfather all rolled into one. He loved taking his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren shopping or for an outing because their joy in having a special day with dad or grandpa was a such a delight for him. (whether it was overnight trip to Crystal Beach or Expo 67, a weekend visit to Toronto Island, a shopping trip to Toys R Us or shopping for fabulous 1960’s “go-go boots)

He never did sweat the small stuff; car accidents (and there were a few), plumbing catastrophe’s in the house, accidents in and around the pool never brought him to have a harsh word. ” Anyone hurt? Then that was a good accident”. He loved to entertain when he was younger which meant kids, kid’s friends, neighbours, family and friends were often treated to a good BBQ.

Bill routinely described himself as a ‘jack of all trades and master of none’. But that wasn’t really true. He taught himself how to do plumbing, electrical work and carpentry. He renovated basements, built decks and put a sunroom on the back of his bungalow. He loved Lionel trains and he had them running from room to room in his house and then in his apartment. He very creatively built an aquarium recessed into a wall and filled it with tropical fish. He held a lifelong interest for anything to do with technology. One of his first piece of technology was Clairtone stereo and for many years, his family enjoyed his cast-offs when he purchased the newest technology in speaker and sound equipment. He enjoyed a wide variety of music.

Bill and Minnie spent many years enjoying retirement in Naples Florida and loved entertaining family and friends. When Wilma came into his life, he cared for her and her family. He was always interested in keeping up to date with adventures and the misadventure of his family and their extended family.

Bill was interested and interesting. He will be remembered by those who loved him for his generosity and kindness and how very deeply he cared for his family.

Donations in Bill’s name can be made to the Breast Cancer Support Fund.