William Robert 'Bill' Greene

April 9, 1940 - February 13, 2022
Bill (William Robert) Greene left us on February 13, 2022 after a short but traumatic stay in hospital.
He loved his family, his little red plane, the camaraderie of the fishing grounds and the fellow travellers he met there. He was an early adopter of technology. He lived in Durham, North Carolina for a year when his physician father went to Duke University. It was there that he discovered Bo Diddley. He hated school but had a memorable year at St. Andrew's College in Toronto where his paternal grandparents lived. He travelled to Europe with his friends Joe and Dan, returning to Prince Rupert to buy his first boat the Yaloa, a crew boat retired from the Department of Transport. He met Ennis in 1965, married in 1966, the same year as his sister Eleanor and his brother Mike. Seemed like the right thing to do. He so welcomed the arrival of son Michael and daughter Erin, sometimes wondering how he deserved such fine offspring. Then along came Emilé and grandchildren Seamus and Lucy. Life was perfect.
Bill was born on April 9, 1940 in Smithers, BC to Dr. Mitchell and Grace Greene. While living in Smithers his family purchased a cottage on Lake Kathlyn and this became an important place to spend family time and ski trips with friends. Bill was not a loner. He wanted to share his adventures and his home became a hangout for fishing buddies who were away from home. He shared ownership of a number of vessels over the years and built his fishing boat, the Traveller, early on. He was an expert handler of vessels and there were many crowded, heaven forbid, trips to Oona River with a rugged assortment of children and adults. We are heartened by the outpouring of sympathy from the many persons, young and old, who shared plane and boat trips with Bill, or just crossed paths with him over the years. The members of the Liars' Club and his crib partners Ed and Wes made the pandemic bearable.
Bill was predeceased by his parents and his younger brother Paddy. A huge hole is left in the hearts of those he leaves behind, a death so quick and unexpected.
We look forward to the sharing of Bill stories some time in the near future. In the meantime Ennis is going to miss their hand in hand walks along the waterfront and the signature foot rubs when they came home. Life sucks, but on it goes! Goodbye my love!
Celebration of Life on May 28, 2022, 2:00 pm, Highliner Plaza.
We are extremely grateful for the food, owers and expressions of sympathy that we have received and look forward to the further sharing of anecdotes and stories about Bill. ~Ennis, Michael and Erin


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