Stanley "Bill" William Cawthorne

Stanley "Bill" William Cawthorne, aka "The Gado", passed away on Sunday, March 8, surrounded by his family. He was an artist, a veteran of World War II, a devoted husband and loving father, history's only "Gado", and a very kind person with a flair for the finer and odder things in life. He is predeceased by his loving wife Mary Elizabeth Cawthorne (Killingsworth). He is survived by daughters Susan Elizabeth (Jeff Street) and Wendy (Young-Ho Hwang), and his granddaughter Juliene Yu-Mei Cawthorne-Hwang.

Bill was born in Toronto on May 18, 1922. In 1942, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Artillery, and attained the rank of sergeant in the 5th Medium Regiment while serving overseas during World War II.

Upon his return to Canada in 1945, he began work at Gestetner. It was there that he met the love of his life, Mary, who he taught to paddle a canoe and then married in 1949. They soon welcomed daughters Susan and Wendy, who he loved and supported unconditionally.

Bill worked in the art department at Prudential for decades, making iconic artwork, producing conferences, and forming several lifelong friendships. He and Mary also made several friends in their neighbourhood and at St. George’s Anglican Church in North York, where they were a part of the parish for many years. As a friend remarked at Bill’s well-attended 80th birthday celebration, this was a man who was very good at keeping friends, and very bad at making enemies.

He retired just in time to spend many days with his granddaughter Yu-Mei: drawing in his art room, building elaborate sandcastles, and rolling her around in a wheelbarrow in the backyard.

Even as he closed in on a century on Earth, Bill remained open to new ideas, read the Toronto Star front to back every day, and drank more coffee than anyone you've ever met.

He loved his friends, and his family, and getting everyone together for a good celebration. He was the best, and we all miss him very much already. If you have time this week: learn something new, be nice to a cat, wear a funny hat, order a cosmo, leave a good tip and maybe a little sketch on the tablecloth.

Visitation: Thursday, March 12, 2-4pm and 6-8pm at R.S. Kane Funeral Home. Service: Friday, March 13; 11am at R.S. Kane Funeral Home. Donations may be made in his name to the Toronto Humane Society and Covenant House of Toronto.