William Michael Houser

William (Bill, Slim) Michael Houser, CD, Colonel (Retired), RCAF, Pilot, Commanding Officer 405 Squadron – RCAF Station Greenwood, Base Commander CFB Edmonton, Deputy Chief of Staff Operations Maritime Command, Husband, Father, Grandfather.

There was a time when the RCAF was mighty and a great bird of prey stood guard over all directions of land and sea leading to Canada. The CP-107 Argus (giant with a hundred eyes) was power personified. Often flying low over Greenwood and Summerside, where we lived in the 1960s, it helped to feel the vibration hitting you in your chest, while walking to school, to understand that. Through 20 years of long range sovereignty patrols, Ocean Safaris, Carib Ops, search and rescue, Cuban Missile Crisis and others, the Argus guarded the enemy at the gates and our dad Bill Houser was one of it’s pilots.

If anyone regretted the end of World War II, it might have been Bill. He wanted to fly Spitfires. Born on 22 Jan 1928, he fell in love with flying at a very young age and carried this passion all of his life. Son of Elfleda and Clifford (both deceased) and brother of Marie (Small), he was raised in Woodstock, Ontario, spaced by a failed family attempt at grain farming in Saskatchewan during the Great Depression. Back on the family farm in Ontario, the war economy brought money to the family through construction. Dad passed as an average student while gaining his pilots licence, more or less at the same time he learned to drive in his early teens, all financed by a bicycle delivery job with a local store. As the war raged on Bill dreamt of the RCAF, while his father planned for him to take on the family construction business. The war ended while Bill was still in high school and as the Air Force de-mobilized it was in no mood for recruiting new pilots. Finally, in 1948 the first class of pilots after the war was recruited by the RCAF and after defying the odds of a rigorous and draconian selection process he was in, at the ripe age of nineteen. His early career involved a multitude of aircraft types – Canso, P-51, B-25, Meteor, T-33, Harvard as an instructor, Hawker Hunter, Jet Provost – Bill used say he could “fly the crates they came in”. While an instructor in RCAF Trenton, he met the face of RCAF recruiting posters for women in the early 1950’s, Leading Air Woman Lorraine King of Yarmouth, N.S., born 24 Dec 1930, daughter of Milford and Dorothy sister of Marian and Ron (all deceased), and they married in 1954. Soon after, Mum and Dad were posted on exchange to the U.K. at RAF Little Rissington. Their two years in England were highlighted by Lorraine’s invitation to a Garden Party with the Queen, but could not go being too pregnant with first son Dwight, who arrived in 1955, which was the second highlight. Bill distinguished himself by writing an evaluation that may have contributed to preventing the Jet Provost from being bought by the RCAF, resulting in the development of the Tutor jet trainer. He also wrote off a Hawker Hunter after a brake failure caused it to run out of runway. It was a good thing there was no ejection seats in those days as Bill was 6’7” at his peak and certainly if he had ever needed to eject, some of his body parts may have been left in the cockpit. Back in Canada in 1956, instructing on Harvard and T-33 Silver Star in RCAF Trenton, Ontario, second son Derek (Mike) arrived early in 1958. The advent of the ejection seat put an end to Bill’s single seat jet career. He was among the first to convert to the four engine long range patrol aircraft Argus with 404 Squadron at RCAF Greenwood in 1960. The Argus was also destined for Summerside, P.E.I and Comox B.C as it was brought into service. In the early 60’s the Housers bounced from Greenwood to Summerside. Third son Jeffrey came in 1962. Dwight and Derek were often too busy enjoying the unmitigated freedom and benefit of base bratdum to pay too much attention to their little brother. The RCAF in those days provided schools, hand picked teachers, sports and of course military police to bring us home. We and thousands of kids like us enjoyed a cocooned life which today in the age of home ownership and working spouses, is slowly slipping away. For kids, base life took the edge off what we knew our fathers were doing and provided a great mutual support network for the mothers. As the Operation’s Officer, Bill deployed with 415 Squadron (although it was just standing up and barely operational) for six weeks during the Cuban Missile crisis, leaving Lorraine with three boys at a time when the worst fears of many were pooling in the fall of 1962. Little did we know of the dangers and potential for catastrophe for the Argus bases, if the nuclear button had been pushed. Later the entire 415 Squadron (8 Argus) would overfly Greenwood from Summerside on Bill’s suggestion as a demonstration of operational readiness. Getting used to base life brought tough transitions for kids, when their dads were posted, even tougher when posted to living on the outside economy. Our first transition to the outside came in 1963 when dad was sent to Staff School in Toronto. It was a year of “the assassination” and a Leaf Stanley Cup, but Dad was getting fast tracked for command, and he needed this training to do it. Then it was on to Air Requirements in Ottawa. Our family grew again in that posting when our cousin Charleen came to live with us. There was the time while we were in Ottawa when all the air raid sirens went off and stayed on for about an hour. Dad coolly said that they must be stuck, but this was 1965, and for boys who remembered what their father was doing during the Cuban Missile Crisis; it scared the hell out of us. Then back to Greenwood in 1966 where Dad took command of 405 Squadron. A year earlier, an Argus had been lost in the Caribbean with an entire crew of someone’s fathers, husbands or friends and the base was still reeling from that. Bill’s command of the 405 Squadron and earlier days with the Argus, seem today like his glory days. The years that followed involved staff appointments as Deputy Chief of Staff Operations Maritime Command (DCOS Ops) in Halifax (twice) and Base Commander CFB Edmonton plus what Bill came to see as a wasted year on a second language course in Ottawa. While Base Commander, dad believed his aspirations for promotion to Brigadier General came to an end as a result of controversy revolving around the Martin Hartwell Search and Rescue operation in 1972. Bill arrived back in Halifax in 1975 to do the DCOS Ops job for the second time, not a good thing in his mind, but he knew his career was winding down even though was not yet fifty. By 1978, faced with a posting to Belgium he could not accept, he retired with 30 years of service. He had a year of reserve service after this, but by this time, Lorraine was working at Halifax Antiques and was developing contacts and the work focus shifted to building their own business. After a couple of years of looking, opportunity knocked when a property in Black Point, N.S. came available, a rare piece of land that met all their needs. From this, Puddle Bay Antiques was born, a business Bill and Lorraine would operate together for the next 25 years. During those years, dad built houses for friends, buildings for him, looked after grand kids and dabbled in homebuilt aircraft producing a radical amphibian design (the Wooduck) that he never had a chance to build. An accomplished artist, he gave up after two outstanding works because it was “too stressful” and “not challenging”. The house in Puddle Bay, played host to big family gatherings, grandchildren, friends and customers. The business thrived for several years but as they grew older, the circle of friends shrank and the antique operation started to fade. The leading edges of dementia started to show in Lorraine about 4 years ago, and Bill poured all of his energy into her care, a true love story. By 2012 it was too much and Lorraine went to long term nursing care while Bill stayed at Puddle Bay. Not long after, dementia caught up rapidly with Bill and he was forced to leave his beloved home and he joined Lorraine in Apr of 2013. Bill Houser passed away peacefully in his sleep on 04 Sep 2013 in his 86th year and after 59 years of marriage to the day. He steadfastly would have refused any attempt at obituary writing; therefore this article is not intended to sound like a normal one. He loved his family, country and the Royal Canadian Air Force and would likely have been happy to have been mentioned in the same company as the tens of thousands of others who were with him, came before and felt the same. He is survived by his wife Lorraine, sister Marie Small, sons Dwight, Derek (Mike) and Jeffrey; daughters-in-law Celine, Lori, Gail; grandchildren Evan, Nolan, Victoria, Olivia, Julia, William and Fischer, step grandchildren Aaron and Kyle, niece Charleen (who lived with us), her husband Edward, plus their children or grandchildren by choice Morgan and Ashley, several other nieces and nephews and his and Lorraine’s long time and very dear friends Margo and Youssef Arab . Lorraine and Bill have directed that there be no viewings or formal services prior to cremation. At an appropriate time, an informal gathering of family and friends will observe internment of remains at the Beechwood Canadian National Military Cemetery in Ottawa. Donations are encouraged to the National Alzheimer’s Society.