Obituary of Bill Jaques

William 'Bill' Ellis Drake Jaques June 4, 1947 – March 12, 2020 Bill Jaques, to know him was to love him. If you knew him as Papa Bill, then you were one of the lucky ones who saw the real magic. He taught us that life is an adventure. His sheer joy for living was apparent in his every interaction. Papa Bill’s sole purpose, most days, was to make you laugh. He never cared what anyone else thought and didn’t mind embarrassing himself. In fact, his humility is what made everyone fall in love with him. He truly was everyone’s Papa Bill. He was completely and wholeheartedly selfless. Bill was a patient and kind man. You never had to earn respect from him, he willingly gave it, especially with animals. Bill was so inherently connected to animals that they loved him beyond reason. He would walk every day along the Mira Gut beach. On any given day there were three or four animals walking beside him and, most likely, they weren’t all his. You only heard Bill raise his voice when he was watching his Red Wings. Whether they were winning or losing he acted as though he was the head coach. Bill loved the life he built in Cape Breton with his wife Lorraine by his side.He was Chief Mechanical Engineer at DEVCO until its close and later as Senior Mechanical Engineer at CBCL. He then retired to his beautiful Mira Gut. Bill was proud of his roots in Dalhousie, New Brunswick and completed his schooling at UNB. He loved to tell you the history of the places he’d been. Papa Bill loved people. His family was so important to him. He wrote letters back and forth to his mother and siblings in New Brunswick for his entire life, always sharing updates of his grandchildren and his great-grandchild. He shared as many stories of happiness as he could. Every summer was spent visiting his family. He would pack the car with the grandchildren and drive for hours. He wanted all of us to have a piece of his childhood and we are so grateful that he did. For all that knew Bill, you knew his love language was about action. He was the kind of man that expressed his love by helping you and that was most apparent in his marriage. He was such a caring husband, whether it was picking out the perfect present or taking care of daily routines. Bill loved his wife Lorraine so deeply, so sweetly, so heart-swellingly. Lorraine Jaques was the most important person in his life and Bill was eternally grateful for the life she gave him. Bill is survived by his wife Lorraine (Pace), daughters Cathy (Ken) and Marlaine, grand children Candice, Britaney, Jana and Jessica and his great-grand child Anthony William, as well siblings Iris (Dave), Peggy (Arnold) and Tim. Bill was predeceased by his father William (Wick) Jaques and his mother Barbara (Poole), in-laws M.C. and John Pace, siblings-in-law Shirley MacNeil, Emilio (Lorna) Pace, Gary (Marlene) Pace, as well as his beloved dogs Pony Dog, Sasha and Brady. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the SPCA Cape Breton. Cremation has taken place. A celebration of life will be held 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, 2020, with Rev. Dorothy Miller officiating at T.J.Tracey Cremation and Burial Specialists, 370 Reserve St., Glace Bay, NS (902-849-4199). Expressions of sympathy may be sent to the family by visiting www.tjtracey.com “…memory is time folding back on itself. To remember is to disengage from the present.” – Garth Stein