Mr. William Small, a longtime resident of East Floral Beach, in Shuniah, ON, passed away peacefully in St. Joseph's Hospital on Sunday April 17th, 2022.
Bill was blessed in having a long life, and he would often refer to himself as an old historian. He often spoke of growing up in hard times, having lost his father at a young age, but was raised by his loving mother alongside his brothers. In those hard times as a young man, Bill would tell stories of collecting scrap metal from the landfill site and selling it to help his mother make ends meet. He spoke fondly of his years attending Shuniah School as a young lad, and how he was quickly swept into the work world due to financial circumstances. Bill began work for CN Rail where he worked his way up the ladder, first starting on the railroad as a fireman, shoveling coal into the hot furnaces of the steam engines and, with hard work, he quickly became an engineer. Bill would tell stories of how he was frequently underestimated due to his youth, but some of his favourite stories were the ones he told about all the adventures and mishaps he experienced during his life on the rail. Bill retired from CN after 29 years following a car accident that left him injured.
During his younger years, Bill met the love of his life, Viola, and in 1949 they were married. Bill and Viola were blessed with a daughter and two grandchildren. Their love story lasted for over 63 years until Viola was called home by the Lord, after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2012. Bill remained devoted to Viola throughout her illness and took care of her every day until she passed.
For almost too many years to count, Bill and Viola enjoyed spending their winters in Florida, making the long drive down religiously in the late fall, and driving back to Thunder Bay in the spring. Bill always managed to make that long drive just a little bit longer by stopping to try his luck at many of the casinos along the way. Bill and Viola made the drive to Florida so many times over the years that Bill could tell you the exact route they took including the name and number of every highway along the way without ever needing a map. They made many friends during their times in Florida, and Bill always spoke of them fondly.
In their younger years Bill and Viola built many homes and cottages in the Thunder Bay area before then finally settled in "the old shack" on East Floral Beach where they spent countless beautiful days together on the water, enjoying each other's company and living the simple life.
After Viola’s passing, Bill continued to live the simple life in "the old shack" on East Floral Beach during the summers and loved to sit in front of his wood stove with his faithful dog Nikki listening to the CBC on his old radio. In the fall, Bill and Nikki continued to make the long drive to Florida together every year for the winter.
Bill was predeceased by his wife, Viola, his daughter, Deborah Laakso, and his brothers. He is survived by his two grandchildren Matthew and Carley and his nephew Fred Small. Bill is also survived by many friends who loved and took care of him as the journey of his life was nearing its end. They will all miss him dearly and remember him fondly.
Bill was blessed with the gift of time that few are given, and he is now at peace. We love you, Bill.
Graveside Funeral Services for Bill will be held on Saturday, April 23, 2022, at Riverside Cemetery with friends gathering at the main gates on Oliver Road at 10:45 am.
