William Bill John Glover

William John Glover was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

      Bill was born on December 4, 1947 at Oshawa General Hospital in Oshawa, Ontario. His parents were Helen and Jack Glover. Bill was raised in Newtonville, Ontario, then at the age of 4 moved to Oshawa where he spent the rest of his life. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

      Growing up in the Glover household was like most families in those days. Helen was a stay at home mom and Jack worked in the construction business often travelling. Bill had an older sister Joanne. They were like all kids with their activities and typical rivalries. Bill was always loyal to his family and enjoyed all it brought.

      As a young child, Bill was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Bill developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Bill took part in baseball, hockey and swimming. He was a Cub and a Boy Scout. In his spare time he collected cards and model cars. William's memorable achievements included winning many swimming and diving awards. However, what Bill enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his friends.

      While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Bill as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from O.C.V.I. O'Neill in 1969. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favourite classes and teachers. His favourite class's in high school were gym and geography. The teachers he enjoyed learning from the most were Doc. Halliday and Mr. Allan. Bill was and athlete. He was on the track team, curled "School Boys" at the provincial level and he was defensive captain of the Jr. and Sr. football teams. Bill was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Bill always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

      College life brought with it a new set of challenges. He was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his work. Bill earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Windsor. He enjoyed the trips they took in the cartography course. He loved the sports programs and the friendships he made there. These friends continue to meet on a yearly basis for a couples weekends.

      Always considered to be a solid friend, Bill was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Bill was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. While growing up, some of his best friends were Mike Slocombe, Bill Holland and Doug Short. Bill remained close with Mike Slocombe and Doug Short. He also enjoyed time with Cort Hambleton and Keith Pateman. The university group included Wayne Casey, Brad Somers, Jim Anderson, John Craven, Ed Walzak, and Wayne Brooks.

      On August 27, 1971 Bill exchanged wedding vows with Roberta Anne May "Bobbie". They met in high school and were married at the Northminster United Church of Oshawa, Ontario in a candle light service. Compassionate and devoted to Bobbie - Bill called her "Bert", Bill held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength "Bert" and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

      Bill brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Bill was blessed with two children, son, Kevin and daughter, Jennifer.

      Bill greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Bill enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Bill was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. He started out as a pipe fitter with the Oshawa Public Utilities then became a Supervisor with the Durham Region Water Department. He was employed for over 30 years. Bill worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

      Bill liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Bill always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. Bill loved to work around his home (he was quite handy), he loved to read, attend car races and shows, travel and go camping in his Boler retro trailer.

      Bill found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. In high school, Bill played Football - defensive captain, School Boy Curling, Track and Shot Put. In his university years, Bill loved to attend the university games. Recreational sports included Golf, Baseball and he curled both for fun and competitively. He would watch his favourite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were Football (Argos and Steelers), Baseball (Jays and teams at Myrtle Beach, S.C.).

      Many organizations were grateful to have Bill as a member, since he always brought with him a “stick to it” attitude and a high degree of common sense. Using straightforward methods to successfully complete the job, Bill was a great planner who was incredibly well organized. It seemed that he was able to schedule any event or activity with ease. He always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. In high school, Bill was a member of the Athletic Committee. Throughout his later years, he was an active member of the Cardiac Rehab Group.

      Bill enjoyed travelling and taking vacations. He and his wife Bobbie made several trips together to Cuba, Vegas and the Dominican. They took many trips as a family with their children to Florida, Disney World and Myrtle Beach. Bill always loved camping. He spent many weekends camping in their retro Boler and loved boating with friends on Lake Simcoe and wintering in South Carolina.

      Bill was a lover of animals. He had three Brittany Spaniels, Mugs, King and Amber over the many years. His daughter rescued three cats Twiggy, Kharma and Julius. They all provided lots of love.

      When Bill’s retirement finally arrived in 2004, he was well prepared. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. In retirement, he found new pleasure in friends, family, camping, travelling and golfing as long as he could. Even in retirement, Bill continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He was active in his new community and felt fulfilled.

      William John Glover passed away on June 14, 2014 at Lakeridge Health in Oshawa, Ontario after a brave battle with Vascular Disease and Heart Failure in the last 6 months. He is survived by his wife and friend Bobbie, daughter Jennifer and her husband Brian, his son Kevin and his sister Joanne Cowan and her husband Tom. Services were held at Oshawa Funeral Home.

      Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of William John Glover. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.

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GLOVER, William John “Bill”

Peacefully with family at his side at Lakeridge Health Oshawa on Saturday, June 14th, 2014 at the age of 66. Beloved husband of Roberta “Bobbie” for 43 years. Dear father of Jennifer (Brian Cleary) and Kevin Glover. Son of the late Helen and Jack Glover. Brother of Joanne and Tom Cowan. Loving son-in-law of Gerry May. Brother-in-law of Ron and Anne May. Bill will be lovingly remembered by his nieces Beth (Josh) and Wendy and extended family and friends. Memorial visitation will be held at OSHAWA FUNERAL HOME, 847 King Street West (905-721-1234) on Thursday, June 19th from 7 – 9 p.m. Memorial Service will be held in the Chapel on Friday, June 20th at 2:30 p.m. Memorial donations to Heart & Stroke Foundation or Sunnybrook Hospital Foundation – Vascular Unit would be appreciated.