Bill Paterson
1936-2021
It is with great sadness that the family of Bill Paterson (William John) announce his peaceful passing on Sunday, February 28, 2021 at the age of 84 years. Bill will be lovingly remembered by many people including his life partner Joan Wellar, his children Noel (Shannon) and Laura Viilep (Dave), his four grandchildren Daniel, Connor, Tara and Ben, his many co-workers and friends from The Toronto Star, and his countless friends across Canada.
Bill was born in St Michael's Hospital in Toronto and grew up in the Riverdale community. His father died when he was 16 and Bill instantly became the head of the family, working multiple jobs to earn money and accepting this responsibility without a complaint. He was like that his whole life.
He proudly worked at The Toronto Star for an incredible 46 years, rising from an Account Clerk to a respected Sales Executive in Advertising, earning accolades and friendship from many along the way. He always had a smile and tried to make those around him smile too. In retirement, he moved north to Simcoe Region and found new friends and activities including The Rinky Dinks, his Karaoke following, and the Parkview Seniors Centre. If you needed help or support or maybe just a good chuckle, you knew Bill would be there for you.
He had a beautiful gift for connecting with people and making them feel special. This included people he never met because, together with Joan, if they heard you were in need, they would be there to help in whatever way they could.
But his most prized time was with his family. He was a truly special father and "Pop" to his grandchildren. He stayed in touch daily by phone and cherished his family get-togethers which would inevitably find him in a room surrounded by his grandchildren, laughing and catching up on their lives.
It is difficult to select the right words to properly honour Bill. He never spoke a negative word about another person. He was kind and compassionate. He was the life of the party. He was The Wally.
The rest of us were just lucky to know him and share the time we had together.