Francis William "Bill" MacLellan

of Oakville, Ontario, passed peacefully from this life at the age of 95 on Friday, June 17 ^th at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital.

His loving family, wife Caroline Biggers MacLellan (née Hislop), son James William MacLellan and his wife Gwen of Rancho Palos Verdes, California, daughter Laura Florence MacLellan (sadly deceased) and daughter Adele Margaret Yeargan and her husband Wayne of Austin, Texas share his story.

Bill was born in Montreal April 27, 1927. He attended West Hill High School and McGill University. He was active as a young man in hockey, Boy Scouts and St. Columba's Church. He served in the Duke of York Royal Canadian Hussars reserve during World War II.

His work-life began in the accounting field and then transitioned to a successful career in global sales and marketing of some of the largest Canadian and US machine tool equipment and systems. His work not only led Bill to travel extensively but also to relocate and live in the U.S., including Hingham, MA, and Southern California, where many lasting friendships were made.

Bill's family-life was centered around his beloved Caroline and their three children – James, Laura and Adele. The love of the outdoors led to many family skiing trips and excursions camping in the Maritimes, later years included wonderful trips to Europe & Asia. For a number of years Bill and Caroline lived in Dunham in the Eastern Townships of Quebec which was both a place of natural beauty and a source of lasting friendships.

There were so many things that Bill found joy in…

• his love of people came naturally and he was famous for his ability to tell a story on almost any subject, drawing on his amazing memory for dates, places and names
• his passion for music came from the heart: whether it was Opera or Dixieland Jazz, it was a source of so much pleasure throughout his life and into his final days
• it wasn't unusual to find him working on the latest Crossword puzzle – in pen of course
• entertaining friends and family with Caroline; preparing wonderful gourmet meals and spending quality time enjoying good food, wine and great conversation.

The other constant in his life was his enduring faith and his devotion to the Anglican church and fellow parishioners - starting as a young acolyte and in his later years as a dedicated lay reader.

He will be missed as a husband, father and friend but forever remembered by all those he touched.

He is at peace in the arms of his Lord.

We are so grateful to the medical and nursing teams who provided such expert and loving care, including the staff of the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital.

We would like to offer sincere gratitude to many relatives, family friends and neighbours for all of their support and kindnesses. We would like to express our appreciation to Christina Thivierge, sister of Caroline, and all members of her family.

The funeral and burial will be held at All Saints Church, Dunham, Quebec. A celebration of life will be held at a future time.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The War Amps or charity of your choice.