William (Bill) Charles Henry Eckersley died peacefully on September 6, 2024, at his home in North York, Ontario where he lived for 62 years with his wife, Dianne.

Bill was born on April 21, 1933, on Bear Island at Lake Temagami in Northern Ontario. In 1935, his family moved to Petersburg, Ontario; he remembered it fondly as a wonderful place to grow up. He attended a one room schoolhouse for grades 1-8, went to high school at Kitchener Collegiate Institute, and received a Bachelor of Arts from University of Toronto and a Master of Education from Queens University. Always a talented athlete, Bill excelled in track and was inducted into U of T’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.

A chance encounter at Thanksgiving, when Bill met Dianne at Willowdale Presbyterian Church while she helped friends decorate for the holiday, led to a long courtship. They married in 1959 and were the proud parents of Robert and Tracey.

With a distinguished career as an educator and track coach, Bill taught for 14 years at Western Technical Collegiate, rising to Vice-Principal. He then served as Principal at King City, Newmarket, and Thornlea high schools. Along the way, Bill coached high school track and field and helped many athletes receive university scholarships. He also coached at the East York and (later) Toronto Track Club and was an active coach in the indoor track circuit for many years. Bill also served as Commissioner for high school track and field in Canada.

Bill had a lifelong interest in sailing, starting as a child when he and his grandfather dammed the farm’s creek, built Leaking Louis I and II, and sailed them up and down the narrow pond. He joined Queen City Yacht Club in 1972 and was a prominent member, serving in numerous board positions, including Commodore during the club’s centenary in 1989. Bill was an enthusiastic racer, competing in single handed and crewed races on his beloved sailboats Gone with the Wind and Gone with the Wind II. He continued racing (and winning!) up to the age of 90. He is also well remembered at Queen City as the flagman on the marine railway during launch and haul out, a role that he held well into his 80s.

Upon retirement, Bill sailed across the Atlantic from Antigua to the Azores and fell in love with Portugal, where he and Dianne vacationed for the next 33 years. They also enjoyed many cruises on the waterways of Europe. Bill volunteered his time with several charities, including organizing the initial Terry Fox Run across Canada and raising money with Set Sail for Hope (supporting Camp Trillium). He loved cats and maintained a colony at his home for the Toronto Feral Cat Coalition.

Bill is survived by his beloved wife, Dianne, his son Robert (Teresa) and daughter Tracey (David), grandchildren Peter and Sarah, niece Laurie, nephews Mike and Geoff, and brother-in-law Murray.

A visitation and memorial service followed by a reception will be held at York Cemetery and Funeral Centre (188 Beecroft Rd, North York) on Tuesday, September 17 at 1:30 pm. As an expression of sympathy, memorial donations can be made to the Toronto Humane Society in lieu of flowers (https://torontohumanesociety.donorsupport.co/-/NEWJZJKQ?member=SVDVHHCQ).

Special thanks to the Palliative Care and Community Support teams associated with North York General Hospital, who enabled us to care for Bill in comfort at home during his final weeks, and to his PSW Christine who put a smile on his face each morning.