News
Oliver, William Thomas (Bill)
Passed away July 14, 2020
On the 14th of July, 2020 William "Bill" Thomas Oliver, sportsman, musician, photographer, rogue, story teller, life and soul of any party, beloved dad and grandfather, and all round legend exited the stage with the same artistic flair in which he lived his life; holding nothing back and mostly naked. Born in Montreal on the 13th of December 1946 to William M Oliver and Florence Oliver (née Gilmore), there was little likelihood his parents knew what they had released into the world. Bill excelled early in sports, fell in love with music (the louder the better), and soon combined his passions with his growing talent in photography, spending the next 4 decades travelling the world documenting in photographs historic concerts (he only knows he was at Woodstock because the negatives belonged to him), and sporting events (he was a fixture and a friend to many Grand Prix drivers, and was one of the last photographers using film at the Torino Olympics). Bill leaves behind a life that touched several continents, and made the most lasting impressions on all who knew him. He was a loyal friend, and tended to collect them wherever he went.
It was genuinely hard to not love Bill, his personality while often quite private, shone stronger than a million suns. Ask just about anyone in Hintonburg, where Bill lived just shy of 40 years, and there will be a story to share. Bill loved back. His daughters, Angie Mills and Lisa Sternfeldt and his fantastic batch of grandchildren (Scarlett, Sadie, Angus, Ellie, Roman), are all legacies of his passion, his humour, and his love of loud music. Bill taught his children so many things, but first and foremost, live your life with love and with freedom from judgement. And turn the volume up. Always the first to question authority, it is fitting that Bill took his final bow in the middle of a pandemic, challenging us all to come together and find ways he couldn't imagine to share in his memory. Please contact angie@cooperstreet.ca or Lsternfeldt@gmail.com for information concerning online based memorials, however we are planning to celebrate his life with an epic encore (to be confirmed as soon as current travel and gathering restrictions allow).
For now, rest assured that Bill is smiling into our hearts happily surrounded by his 4 legged babies, Sheba and Major, blissfully air drumming along to Genesis in that big back garden of eternity.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the following charities: The War Amps, Ottawa Hospital Foundation - Civic Campus or email the Hintonburg Community Association for instructions on donations that will go back to the community, info@hintonburg.com
Back
It was genuinely hard to not love Bill, his personality while often quite private, shone stronger than a million suns. Ask just about anyone in Hintonburg, where Bill lived just shy of 40 years, and there will be a story to share. Bill loved back. His daughters, Angie Mills and Lisa Sternfeldt and his fantastic batch of grandchildren (Scarlett, Sadie, Angus, Ellie, Roman), are all legacies of his passion, his humour, and his love of loud music. Bill taught his children so many things, but first and foremost, live your life with love and with freedom from judgement. And turn the volume up. Always the first to question authority, it is fitting that Bill took his final bow in the middle of a pandemic, challenging us all to come together and find ways he couldn't imagine to share in his memory. Please contact angie@cooperstreet.ca or Lsternfeldt@gmail.com for information concerning online based memorials, however we are planning to celebrate his life with an epic encore (to be confirmed as soon as current travel and gathering restrictions allow).
For now, rest assured that Bill is smiling into our hearts happily surrounded by his 4 legged babies, Sheba and Major, blissfully air drumming along to Genesis in that big back garden of eternity.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the following charities: The War Amps, Ottawa Hospital Foundation - Civic Campus or email the Hintonburg Community Association for instructions on donations that will go back to the community, info@hintonburg.com
King’s-Edgehill School is located in Mi'kma'ki, the unceded ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq People.
