William David Hoskins

It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden and unexpected passing of our husband/father William (Bill) Hoskins on November 18, 2025. Bill was born to Bill and Jean Hoskins in Turriff, Scotland on January 29, 1945 and grew up with his sister Eileen and brother Colin in Camberley, England.

After completing an undergraduate and PhD degree in Applied Mathematics at Brunel University, he moved to Winnipeg, first as a postdoctoral fellow and soon after as a professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of Manitoba. He was a dedicated teacher and researcher who always had time to talk to and encourage students.

For the past 50 years he shared his life with his wife Janet, who is extremely grateful for having had him as a life partner. Together they raised their daughter Madeleine and son Jeremy and Janet’s son Brian (McKay). It was a source of pride to Bill that they have grown to be accomplished and caring adults who provided him with countless hours of interesting conversation. Brian’s daughters Minyssa and Naleah were a welcome addition to the family.

Bill was so pleased when Jeremy’s wife, Hannah Recht, joined the family, and the recent birth of their son Charlie was a source of great delight. Even though Jeremy and his family live in Chicago, it was so great that Bill was able to meet Charlie.

Bill and Janet had the opportunity to work together on many interesting research projects after Janet joined the Computer Science Department. These projects took them to many interesting places, both literally and intellectually and included developing software for woven textile design, working with government agencies on forest fire prediction training, and the early days of computer graphics.

Bill had very broad and eclectic interests and pursued these interests very enthusiastically. He loved music and found enjoyment in playing the bowed psaltery for a considerable time. He was an avid reader, especially science fiction. He was very interested in plants of all types and went to great lengths to develop plants to be almost works of art.

Bill was very much loved by his wife, children and grandchildren and will be sorely missed. He was also a friend to so many people in the community and his loss will be felt very far and wide. A source of considerable joy and comfort to the family has been to hear many stories of the impact that Bill made on people’s lives. We would very much welcome hearing any other Bill stories that anyone would wish to share.

Bill lived a rich and fulfilled life. Our only regret is that we couldn’t have had him with us for longer.