William "Bill" Robert Harrington

Bill passed away peacefully at home in Bellevue, AB on August 15, 2024, in the loving embrace of his wife, Wendy, surrounded by his sons, daughters-in-law, and grandsons.

Bill was born on Sunday, August 11, 1946, in Kitchener, ON, the oldest of three boys. Bill was a renaissance man. He was a loving husband and father, a beloved brother and a trusted friend. He loved the outdoors. He had an extraordinary mechanical aptitude, could, and did, build almost anything, had a keen sense of adventure, and a love of history and aviation. He was charming in an assuming way. His hands were perpetually dirty and cut, yet he had an air of sophistication and decorum about him. His great nephews aptly nicknamed him James Bond. He always had a book on the go, and his Bible collected no dust. Most notably, Bill had an immutable moral compass, an unshakable faith, and a bottomless well of kindness that he shared with anyone, all the time. He was frequently described as “a good man” and with his strength of character and moral fortitude, he was a tremendous role model for his two sons and three grandsons.

In 1962 his family moved from Kitchener, ON to Surrey, BC, which was then mostly farmland. Bill and his two brothers were all drawn to cars, and all three became mechanics, although Bill first chased his passion for aviation by getting his pilot’s license and becoming a journeyman aircraft mechanic. After losing numerous friends and coworkers to aircraft crashes in his first three years of working in aviation and being shocked by infant Michael’s not recognizing him due to his long spells working in bush camps, Bill returned to school to transition into automotive mechanics. After retiring from mechanics, Bill would take his calm demeanor and easy smile into high school where he taught trades classes.

Bill met Wendy, his wife of 55 years, when he moved to BC and Wendy’s brother came home with this new friend. Bill noted how pretty the fair skinned, dark haireddark-haired girl with the brilliant blue eyes was, and he kept his eye on her through their teenage years. After high school Bill and Wendy began dating. Bill would rent float planes and take Wendy on flying dates over to Vancouver Island. In 1969 Bill and Wendy were married in Surrey, BC. They promptly moved to Fort St. James, followed by Prince George, and finally the Crowsnest Pass, AB. For 55 years and 13 days Wendy was Bill’s copilot through all things in life, from raising their kids, to running the youth group, to their many outdoor adventures and ultimately, caring for him when dementia took hold. Wendy valiantly fought the losing battle of filling Bill’s bottomless stomach. The two were rarely apart and were always seeking new adventures, whether on quads or in kayaks, or taking the train across Canada. A few years ago, they bought e-bikes and they loved exploring the Pass and going for coffee on their bikes together. They took up curling and Wendy even roped Bill into the odd dance performance. Bill enjoyed Wendy’s wacky sense of humour, while she enjoyed his quick, dry wit. They both loved meeting new people. Whether at church, a campsite, or a coffee shop, the Harringtons never left anything on time, because Bill would be e preoccupied chatting up some person he had just met.

In 1971 Bill and Wendy had their first son, Michael. Paul came along in 1974. Bill carried on the English tradition of calling his sons “boy”, as his father did. Michael and Paul’s childhood memories are filled with watching the Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights, movie nights in the basement in front of the woodstove, camping, camping, and more camping, Tatuk Lake, Carp Lake, and a dozen other lakes, canoes, getting firewood, chopping firewood, stoking the stove before bed, shoveling driveways, youth group, cousins, their longtime neighbors, the Boshiers, their dad’s quick wit, sense of humour, integrity, and a lifetime of people telling them what a great man their father was.

Bill had an insatiable wanderlust for BC’s backroads. Wendy would pack up the green ’72 F250 carrying her dad’s homemade red and white camper in the box and armed with a forestry map, Bill would set out to get lost in the BC backcountry. Bill had countless adventures. He raced a protective black bear sow in a canoe, lost a canvas puptent to a bear with his family inside, and lived to tell about a grizzly bear attack by the courtesy of a lucky shot by his brother-in-law, Ron. Bill took his small sons canoeing and watched enormous bull moose wading in nameless lakes. The further off the beaten path he was, the happier he was. He loved indigenous culture and history and made a point of visiting small, remote indigenous communities. He could spend days in museums. Haida Gwaii held a special place in his heart and he and Wendy visited it many times.

After nearly 50 years in Prince George, Bill spent the last eight years of his life in the Crowsnest Pass, which he considered a paradise. He fished with Michael, hunted with Paul, quadded up to plane crashes and kayaked lakes with Wendy, and he loved decorating the park across the street each winter. A few days before he died, he pondered if Heaven might be the Crowsnest Pass with no wind. Once in the Crowsnest Pass, he enjoyed near constant visits by his sons and their families. True to form, he and Wendy took the Crowsnest Pass by storm and seemed to know everyone within weeks.

Bill received great joy from helping others, whether running the youth group at College Heights Baptist Church or cooking and serving food to Prince George’s most disadvantaged at St. Vincent De Paul. Bill had many lifelong friends, because if you were Bill’s friend, you were his friend for life. Bill was kind. Wendy chose him because he was kind, and “kind” is the word most often used to describe Bill. He was the friend who would show up to help you move with no questions asked, and he would bring his truck and kids. He would show up early and leave late. Bill was honest. His reputation as perhaps the best mechanic in Prince George for more than 40 years (especially if you had a variable venturi carburetor) was well-earned. Bill reserved judgment. Although he was active in the church much of his life, most of his friends did not attend church. Whether kids or adults, he accepted everyone as they were.

Bill wasis predeceased by his father Arthur, mother Eveyln, daughter Hannah – stillborn in 1973, and his best friend, Kiwa (pictured).

He is survived by his wife Wendy, his sons Michael Harrington (Liza) of Courtenay, BC and Paul Harrington (Robyn) of Medicine Hat, AB. He cherished his role as Grandpa to his three grandsons Elliot, Liam, and Wyatt. Some of his last words were describing how wonderful his grandsons are and how much joy he received in watching them grow into young men. Bill and Wendy had no daughters or granddaughters, but they got the daughters they never had when Liza and Robyn married into the family. Bill genuinely thought of them as daughters and they shared a deep, enduring bond.

Left with fond memories of simpler times, Ontario, Surrey, childhood pranks, fixing cars, and camping trips, are Bill’s two brothers, John Harrington (Janice) of Salmon Arm, BC and David Harrington (Judy) of Langley, BC. To his nine nieces and nephews and their children, he was affectionately “Uncle Bill”.  Bill has dozens of relatives in the Kitchener-Waterloo area on both the maternal and paternal side of his family, some of whom he was able to see in April when he, Wendy, and the boys took one last Harrington road trip on the train to Quebec City.

Bill would have wanted his friends and family to know that he had no reservations about leaving this world. Bill’s steadfast faith provided him with the peace required to willingly leave his broken mind and body behind and join his loved ones who preceded him. 

A Memorial Service will be held at 1pm on August 21, 2024 at Fantin’s Funeral Chapel (13461 - 20th Avenue, Blairmore, AB), followed by a Celebration of Life at the Bellevue Legion (2401 - 213 St., Bellevue, AB). In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bill’s memory to the Alzheimer Society of Alberta (#306, 10430 61 Avenue Edmonton, AB T6H 2J3, or www.alzheimer.ab.ca).  Condolences may be registered at www.fantinsfuneralchapel.ca.

Fantin’s Funeral Chapel entrusted with the arrangements. (403) 562-8555

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