Bill Gadsby passed away on September 29, 2021 at the age of 75, with his loving wife Carolyn by his side.

 

Bill is survived by his wife Carolyn, stepdaughters Jane and Rebecca, his sister Marie Holms (Dennis), his brother Gord (Norma), sister Betty Granger (Norm), brother-in-law Richard Carson (Elma), nine nieces and nephews and nineteen grand nieces and nephews. Bill was predeceased by his mother Lillian in 1968 and father Jack in 1979. 

 

Bill was born February 2, 1946 in Souris, Manitoba, the third child of Jack and Lillian Lauder Gadsby. He grew up in the supportive environment of a small town, participating in school activities and sports, such as hockey, baseball, football, curling, golf and swimming. After high school Bill worked various jobs in Souris, Brandon, and Thompson in order to realize his lifelong dream of teaching. He was able to enroll at Minot State College in North Dakota in 1968 where he was active in campus affairs and was awarded the Sigma Pi Outstanding Senior Award for Academic Excellence. 

 

After graduation in 1971 with a B.Sc. in Education, Bill was offered a position at Hartney Collegiate teaching History and Physical Education. While being fully occupied with a heavy teaching assignment, Bill found time to attend night school at Brandon University, earning his B.Ed. (1975) with an emphasis in Guidance and Counselling. 

 

In 1974, Bill was offered the position of guidance counsellor at Chief Peguis Junior High in Winnipeg. He coached and mentored student groups within an extensive tutoring program involving hundreds of students. Once again, Bill found the time to complete a Masters of Education degree in 1978 at the University of Manitoba. As well, Bill served as President of the School Counsellors of Manitoba and volunteered with the Organization for Cooperation in Overseas Development (OCOD) in St. Lucia.

 

In 1979, Bill began a 25-year career at the University of Winnipeg as Director of Student Teaching. Bill was a fixture in the Faculty of Education at the University of Winnipeg as the B.Ed. program grew and diversified. Highlights during this period were developing a three year program, working with a Malaysian student cohort and during a sabbatical year in 1988-1989 when he completed the coursework toward his Ph.D. in Adult Education at the University of British Columbia.

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In 1990, Bill had the good fortune to meet his future wife Carolyn, whom he married in 1993. Carolyn and Bill shared a love of travel and cottage life, spending many happy years at their waterfront cottage at Falcon Lake. Carolyn and Bill retired from their careers in education in 2000 and 2004 respectively so regular winter sojourns to California began, with visits to Palm Springs, Santa Barbara and Santa Maria, as well as overseas trips to Spain, Portugal, Paris, Vienna, Budapest and Ireland, and travel in Canada to Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver. Their last trip together was a memorable Alaskan cruise. 

 

Bill loved gardening and puttering in the yard. He also enjoyed researching Gadsby family history. He found great pleasure in connecting with numerous relatives over the years. 

 

Bill’s esophageal cancer came hard and fast, but he died peacefully at the Riverview Hospital. He had excellent care from Dr. Jack Rusen and Dr. Oscar Eze, oncologist Dr. James Paul, and Dr. Ted at Riverview Hospital. Special thanks to niece Valerie Holms and husband John McTavish for all their help.

 

A celebration of Bill‘s life will be held on Friday October 29, 2021.  All those attending must be 12 and over and provide appropriate proof of vaccination and identification before entering the facility. As seating will be limited, please indicate your intention to attend before October 24, 2021 by emailing billgadsbycelebrationoflife@outlook.com; time and location information will be provided. For those unable to attend, a video recording of the program will be made available on this page.

 

Memorial contributions may be made to the University of Winnipeg Bill Gadsby Pre-Service Teaching Award or to the Souris and Glenwood Foundation.