I wish I’d met him and Shirley, very much. Allie is very special to me.

Dear Shirley and Family,

I write to you on behalf of the Partners and staff of Smart & Biggar and Fetherstonhaugh & Co. to express our sincere condolences.

It was with deep sadness that we received the recent news that Bill had passed away.  Such is our memory of him that even many years after his retirement, his legal acumen and wisdom continue to influence our practice in the field of intellectual property law.  Since arriving at Smart & Biggar / Fetherstonhaugh & Co. almost 35 years ago, I have not seen another IP practitioner held in higher esteem by myself and my colleagues.  Prior to that, I had the privilege of being taught by Bill at the University of Toronto.  His obvious mastery of the legal issues, combined with his low-key manner, endeared him to everyone - students and practitioners alike.

Those of us in the IP profession during his time in practice had the good fortune to learn from his comprehensive yet incisive analyses of legal issues in his many published articles and talks, and to bask in the halo of his respected leadership at the IP Bar, where he carried forth Canadian views into the international IP community through his active participation in the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI).

If I may be permitted a personal observation, I was reminded by his obituary of the fact that Bill was a "double" gold medalist.  I recalled when I was first told of this many years ago, at the time in all likelihood by one of my more senior mentors at our firms.  It did not surprise me, because I had already become aware that in the intellectual property field, Bill was indisputably an intellectual giant.

Bill was at all times, quite simply, a wonderful person.  To this day, I still have occasion to relay to friends and colleagues, whether in Canada or around the world, comments and observations I first heard from Bill.  It is with such fond memories that I convey our deep sympathy to Bill's family and friends.  

John Bochnovic
Smart & Biggar / Fetherstonhaugh & Co.

It was with deep sadness that I read of the passing of my old friend Bill. We knew one another in the patent law business. He was a great example of excellence in the profession.

Please accept my sincere condolences.

Yours truly,
Joseph A. Day
Senator

Dear Shirley, Gord & Family:

I was deeply saddened to learn today of Bill's passing. I had the pleasure of working with Bill at Ridout & Maybee from 1980 - 1986, first as an articling student, then as a junior lawyer. Bill was the best mentor one could have hoped for as a young lawyer. He was patient, good-humoured and willing to share his considerable experience and encyclopaedic knowledge of the law for hours on end, typically with a humourous twist added for good measure.  Bill lead by example, in his own quiet but assured way, and inspired many in the legal profession.  Perhaps most important of all, Bill was a true "gentleman and scholar" and the world was clearly a better place for having known him.  

My deepest condolences for your loss.

I am very saddened to hear the news of Bill's passing. There is no doubt already a loud chorus of respect for Bill emanating from Canada's intellectual property community and I wish to add my voice. My sympathies to the family.

To the Bill Hayhurst family,

I learned this past Thursday of Bill's death and wish to pass along my condolences to the family.

I had the highest respect for Bill as a patent law scholar and person.

I am a patent lawyer in Edmonton.  Bill and I met in the late 1960's.  For many years thereafter I would phone or write to him - sometimes as often as once a month - and ask him for advice or guidance on a point.  He would always respond in a friendly way and, in short order, would give me the information I needed.  I would urge him to invoice me on a basis of the value of the information - otherwise I would be reluctant to phone again.  He would send me bills, but they never exceeded $15, for information that was worth many multiples of that.  He was a very generous patent lawyer.

Yours truly,

Peter Johnson

My thoughts are with you and your family.
I had a great respect for Bill.  
I had the pleasure of being one of his students at U of T, thirty-some years, ago.  Since then I have always enjoyed learning from whatever he wrote.  I was sorry he never wrote a textbook on patent law.
In practice he was always a gentlemen to act against with a great sense of humour.
Since 1993, I've been teaching the Patent law course at U ot T that he taught me, sometimes in the same classroom, always trying to live up to his high standard of quality in teaching and analysis.  
He was a great inspiration and friend to many in our profession.

Dear Shirley and Family,

My sincere condolences on Bill's passing.  He was a scholar, a true gentleman and, most of all for me, a true mentor.  Bill shaped my view of the practice of law.  I was honoured to be his partner.  Hardly a day goes by without my asking "what would Bill do in these circumstances?" I have missed day to day contact with him for years, and now we will all miss him.  Best wishes and strength to you.

Dear Hayhurst Family, please accept my deepest condolences on the passing of Mr. Hayhurst, who will always be remembered for his vision and leadership in the world of intellectual property. Thanks to the trail that he tirelessly blazed, many scientists, engineers and lawyers have found enjoyable and rewarding careers. The public and the profession have benefited from his leadership, authorship and scholarship. May the many memories of Mr. Hayhurst's full life sustain you in your time of loss.

Bill Hayhurst was an outstanding scholar of Canadian intellectual property law.  While widely recognized as such in his prime, his warm, kind and sometimes humble demeanour may sometimes have led to the _full_ extent of his extraordinary learning and scholarly contributions not being appreciated.  He was not merely _an_ outstanding scholar of Canadian intellectual property law, he was in his time _the_ outstanding scholar of Canadian intellectual property law.
Denis N. Magnusson, Professor Emeritus, Facutly of Law, Queen's University

Mrs. Hayhurst, Gord, Jackie, Laurie, Alan, Alice, Dan and family, our sincere condolences on the loss of Mr. Hayhurst.  I fondly remember his wit around the dinner table when I visited your home.

My sincerest condolences to Mr. Hayhurtst's family and friends.  I know Mr. Hayhurst through what he has written on Intellectual Property Law and senior professionals in this field, who have always spoken very highly of him.

Dear Shirley, Laurie, Gord, Alice and Dan,

Steve and I were so sorry to read of Bill's death. It was illuminating to read the details of his educational distinction as well as his legal achievements, national and international.

My first memory of Bill is of the 'new' dad kitty-corner at Weybourne and Lympstone, dad of the passal of new kids in the neighbourhood, a family that went some to spruce up a rather staid corner. I am sure Patsy and I never knew the extent to which all the so-called new neighbours contributed to the ability of of our parents to stay in their crumbling home as long as they did. I know for sure that they considered Shirley and Bill a source of steadfastness and kindness. 

When Steve and I moved to Kingston, 'the mothers' discovered that I was once more living across the street from a Hayhurst, this time Laurie and Alan. In successive years we had the pleasure of watching Bill and Shirley grandparent the Cruess mob, Bill chasing runaway Billy down Beverly Street more than once. It was in those years that we came to appreciate the deep well of Bill's thoughtful assessment of the world and his gentle ways. 

While they travelled the world with enthusiasm and relish, it was evident to me that the centre of the world was their family. Our sympathy to all at his loss.

Joanne and Steve Page, Kingston

Dear Shirley and Family.
You will not recall my name but I am a fellow I.P.  practitioner as well as a contempary in age (83) to Bill, having known him through very many professional and social meetings since I came to Canada in 1957.  On a number of occasions Bill acted as counsel for us.  It is difficult to express my profound and sincere admiration for Bill, both as an exceptional practitioner in our specialized field, but also as someone who was at all times a pleasure to meet socially.   He was one of those special people for whom my wife Frances and I have nothing but happy memories of a Gentleman in the true sense of that word.
Our heartfelt condolences on your loss.

Hi Laurie and Alan Cruess
Saw this announcement in the paper. Sympathies to the family. Hello to both of you.
Sarah Prichard

I only know Mr. Hayhurst through his legal academic writing. It is clear from his writings that he possessed great analytical abilities and a warm and witty sense of humour. Mr. Hayhurst's writing continues to help young lawyers (like myself) to navigate complex intellectual property law issues today and will continue to do so for many years to come. My condolences to his family and the many friends and colleagues who will miss him dearly. 

Peter Wigen

Dear Shirley and family: Lynne and I send our heartfelt sympathy to you. Bill was an outstanding gentleman highly respected in his legal community and beloved as a kind and sage human being. He was instrumental in my choice of Intellectual Property law for my career and was an ongoing source of inspiration throughout the lives of many grateful lawyers. Bill was a role model for us all.

Dear Shirley:  We had many great times together in Singapore as well as Prague doing our travels with the OBA.  I remember especially only Bill and I attending the meeting of the Czech Lawyers and receiving our ties and then basking in the sun along the river bank.  He was a great guy!  We will all miss him.

Dear Laurie, Alan & Family-So sorry to hear of the passing of your Dad and grandfather.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time...
Bob & Merle Ammerman

Dear Laurie and family - On behalf of your many friends here at First Baptist Church Halifax I send our sincere love and sympathy in the loss of your Dad. Our prayers are with you!

Your First Baptist Family

OBITUARY

William L Hayhurst

May 8, 1925 – February 27, 2011

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