William Craig

William Craig was born in 1931 at Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland, to William Craig and Catherine McCubbin Craig. He had three older sisters, Cathie, Annie and May and a younger brother Joe. He was always known as Bill to his friends and sadly is the last of the Craig family.

After completing his national service in the Royal Air Force, he started a job working in London with BOAC. In 1953 he emigrated to Canada and started with Trans Canada Airlines, Vancouver, before moving to BC TEL. He also worked for a few years as a communications engineer at the DEW (Distant Early Warning) line in Alaska, where he was warmly congratulated by the local Eskimos for his attempt at building an igloo.

Bill became a Canadian citizen on the 15th June 1962. For Holidays, Bill loved to go cruising and soon gave talks on his trips, which brought him the attention of Golden Bear Travel who recruited Bill as a social host, a pastime he pursued for 20 years, until he was 75 years old. In that time he travelled to numerous cruise locations all over the world, many times. He continued to cruise once or twice a year since retiring from being a social host.

Bill never forgot his Scottish roots, indeed his Scottish lilt made him a popular lecturer in his talks on his travels. He returned to Scotland visiting his family and friends on a regular basis. In Vancouver he kept in touch with his long time friends Bob Mclean and Jim Nesbitt, and in his later years, his dear friend and companion Robert Watt, from San Diego, who accompanied Bill in his travels, particularly as his health begun to deteriorate. His Scottish family are indebted to Bill‘s friends who looked after him in his final years.

Latterly Bill moved into Shannon Oaks Home, where he enjoyed his independence, before his recurring illness resulted in a move to St Michaels Hospice, Burnaby. His nephew Ian visited Bill at the Hospice, and Bill was be able to communicate with his other nephew David, and niece Sheila. The whole family will be forever indebted to the staff and medical team of Dr Karen Chapman and Palliative carer Lea Anne Baird at St Michael’s Hospice, where he sadly but peacefully passed away on Sunday 24th August, fittingly, with Bob by his side.

Bill's ashes will be scattered over English Bay