Mr. William Ellis Topping

William was born in Everett, Washington, USA and moved to Vancouver, BC at the age of four.

William was predeceased by his daughter, Patricia and his wife of over 50 years, Marion and his sister, Helen. He is survived by his sons, John and Robert (Diana) and his granddaughters, Elizabeth and Rebecca and many nieces and nephews all over Canada & USA.

William paralleled a long career as a teacher in Vancouver and area High Schools with an equally dedicated study of and writing on the postal history of Western Canada. For many years, he and his late wife Marion led summer tours to China for students and other interested travelers. As soon as school was out for the summer, William would pack up his family and drive across Canada, stopping to camp along the way.

William was an avid stamp collector and was a member of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada and the Canadian Philatelic Society of Great Britain for many years.

Among other interests, Bill compiled and exhibited an award-winning collection of Canadian semi-official airmails and wrote Yukon Airways and Exploration Company Limited: A Pioneer Air Mail Company. William also enjoyed researching genealogy and was an avid bird watcher.

The family would like to thank Paula, Helen and Wayne and all his stamp buddies at the 21 Club for all their love and support over the last few months.

A Memorial Service will be held at 1:30pm on Saturday, November 18, 2017 in The Chapel of Ocean View Funeral Home, 4000 Imperial St, Burnaby, BC with Reception to follow.

To leave an online condolence for the family, please visit our website at www.oceanviewfuneral.com.