William Arthur Parker

William (Bill) Parker passed away on Sunday, October 11, 2026, after being admitted to hospital with pneumonia four days earlier.

William is survived, and so sadly missed, by his wife of 41 years, Judith Allan. He is survived by his first wife Diane Parker, and their son David, whom he loved so much, his dear grandson Daniel, and by David’s wife Joyce Oates, and her family.

He will be fondly remembered by Judith’s relatives, David’s relatives, David’s first wife Kim (Daniel’s mother), and the many friends in Toronto, the Kawarthas (Ontario), and Vancouver area.

William was born and raised in Toronto. As a young man he worked in landscaping with Leaside Parks. He and Diane married in 1963. He worked in the home-building industry establishing and operating his own siding company in Toronto and the Kawarthas. They also spent a year working in the Yukon.

In 1982 he achieved a certificate in Addiction Counselling, working at the Toronto East General Hospital Detoxification Unit where he served for 18 years. He retired in Dec 2000 due to his first heart attack. In addition to his work, he helped many men find the recovery from addiction that he had found.

William and Judith married in Toronto in 1985. They enjoyed vacations on Lake Sturgeon and at their own cottage on Buckhorn Lake. After their move to New Westminster in 2001, William had many bouts of ill health, but always retained his wit and sense of humour, creativity, and friendly manner with people. He was so happy to live near David and Daniel.

Throughout his life William pursued several interests including boxing in his youth and power walking for several years mid-life. He loved fishing, especially for pickerel and salmon, and numismatics. Of course he was way more than these few details of his life – a remarkable man.

A reception to celebrate William’s life will be held at Kearney’s Funeral Home, 219 - 6th Street in New Westminster, on Friday, December 4th, 2pm-4pm.