William 'Bill' David Jordan

On February 20th, at the age of 79, William “Bill” Jordan lost a courageous battle with cancer. He often said that he would never play the lottery, as he had already won it by being born in Canada. We think we won it by having Bill in our lives.

Bill leaves behind his wife, Marion, with whom he spent 55 wonderful years. He also leaves behind a son, Andrew (Courtney), a daughter Kristan (Eric), and three grandchildren, Jasmine, Heather, and Sage. He had a special bond with his sister Kathy Johnston, and late cousin Ruth Anderson. Bill had a close extended family, and he was very proud of his Swedish heritage.

Growing up in Lakeside, Bill made many life-long friendships. Too numerous to name, Bill cherished each and every one of his close friends. Thank you to everyone for keeping a smile on Bill’s face all these many years – although it was Bill that was usually telling the jokes. The life of any party, Bill was able to bring a laugh or a smile to everyone he met. As one of his friends said, “I hope God is prepared for the laughter Bill is going to bring up there”.

Bill was a dedicated teacher and principal for 40+ years. Bill started his career in Bowsman, MB, and also taught in Kenora, before settling in Neepawa, MB. He taught and was principal at J.M. Young School in Eden, MB for the majority of his career, before retiring back to Kenora. He made many life-long friends in Neepawa, and is preceded by his good friend, Mike Whelan, who we are confident will be taking him on long walks in heaven with their dogs. Bill never liked waiting for anything, so we are hoping that Mike had the wherewithal to hold a place for him.

In addition to being a teacher and principal, Bill was a passionate coach. An avid sports fan, he inspired students beyond academics, emphasizing fairness and integrity and left a lasting impact on countless young athletes. He also suffered many injuries trying to keep up with the much younger athletes. He loved watching his beloved Blue Bombers, Jets, and Blue Jays, Coca-Cola in hand. Today, Kenny Ploen gained a new coach.

The lake was a big part of his life. As a youth, he guided for his Uncle Len at the Chalet and his Uncle Burr at Moore Bay lodge. He wasn’t the best fisherman, but it was easier back then.

Born 200 years too late, Bill was an explorer at heart. Never one to sit still, Bill was always exploring different paths on Lake of the Woods to determine the exact routes La Verendrye and others might have taken, discovering many rocks in the process. A proud ‘papa’, Bill also spent a lot of time driving his beloved grandchildren all over the lake. He was happiest in his old Invader boat, and even prouder of how he spent no money maintaining it. Using an old map and compass and no electronics, he navigated the entire lake like a voyageur of old. He was happiest when he was on the lake, or just sitting in his boat at the dock and watching the waves.

Bill loved to drive. He would rarely miss a grandchild’s game or concert, even if it was a seven hour drive from home. His love of exploring drove him to explore nearly every State and Province, paper map in hand, and he and Marion wore out multiple vehicles driving hundreds of thousands of miles, determined to find landmarks that only a handful of historians would care about, and then continuing to find out what was around the next corner. He would often drive 12-15 hours to touch the base of a fort, planning his routes to hit as many obscure landmarks as possible. When he was unable to drive, he would virtually drive every road in Google Earth, exploring the world in his own way.

Travel was a big part of his life, and he spent every March break skiing with his family when Andrew and Kristan were young. In later years, he and Marion started to travel to warm locations like Mexico and Jamaica, but Hawaii was their favourite. The sound of ocean waves calmed his soul. His one regret was not making it to Europe, so he leaves that for his family to explore.

Bill was a steady and loving presence in his family’s lives. His support for family was constant, and he ended every conversation with the words “lots of love”.

Dad, husband, brother, papa, friend. Everyone who knew him knew he was one-of-a-kind. He said that he hopes people will miss him, just a little. Sorry, Bill - we’ll miss you a lot! To allow grandchildren the chance to finish the semester uninterrupted, a celebration of his life will occur at Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Centre on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 1:30pm. Bill was always an advocate for staying in school!