Obituary of Bill Edmonds

A man of few words and many deeds, William (Bill) Edmonds passed away quietly at the age of 88 on the 30^th of November. Born on St. Patrick’s Day, 1931, in Halifax, Bill was the first of 8 children born to Marjorie and William Edmonds. His early desire to be a farmer was reinforced every day after school, as he and his brother Tiny worked peddling vegetables by horse and wagon (and, later, by truck) with his grandfather and father. However, as was not uncommon in those days, Bill’s early schooling was foreshortened by a need to earn and financially assist the family so, after completion of Grade 8, he was hired at the shipyard as an Iron Plate Fitter’s helper. Bill enjoyed the work and demonstrated a keen work ethic but, while he never desired to be a scholar, stopping school at Grade 8 would necessitate a return to the classroom when an application to the RCMP required additional educational qualifications. It was at this time that Bill discovered that not liking school didn’t mean he was not quick of mind and good with numbers, as his later success in life would surely prove.

A Mountie, in the Marine Division, Bill served primarily along the coasts of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador but there were a few stops back home to Halifax and it was there he met the love of his life, Joan Zinck. They were married in 1956, moved to Kingston ON and the following year a daughter, Eva, was born. The choice was then to stay in the Force, initially in remote “outport” towns, or to opt for stability by putting down roots with a young family in one place. He and Joan opted for the latter and Bill retired from the RCMP and returned to Halifax. Their son, Mike, arrived and the family was complete with the building of a new home in Bedford surrounded by the family he loved. Regular seasonal trips to “the camp” for fishing and hunting with his brothers and friends were highlights of his early years when a busy work schedule was put on hold for a few short days.  

It became the norm for Bill to work two or three jobs—a main one in the shipyard and, when laid off, as an Irving Oil delivery truck helper, with additional night and weekend jobs plowing snow or selling Christmas trees or, along with his brothers, building houses. Even when hired by Coca Cola in the bottling department with shift work and increasing responsibilities, he still kept on with the extra jobs. Later in his career as Production Manager for the Atlantic Region, Bill remained busy but now the extra work in woodworking and on a fairly serious scale—from home renovations and kitchen cupboards to wood carving, building a spiral staircase, and laying oh-so-many hardwood floors.

Bill loved wood and, when the time came to “retire”, he opened his own business: Nova Hardwood Flooring Specialties Ltd. It started with part-lots of wood filling up the end of a trailer coming from Quebec through Moncton and sold out of his garage, and grew into a thriving business with many members of the family, and some very good friends, working beside him each day.

It wasn’t until he was almost 80 that he decided to fully retire and to split the year between home in Bedford, a place in Florida and a cottage up by Tatamagouche on Brule Point. “The warmest waters north of the Carolinas” he would always say, even though it took an uncommonly hot day for him to wade into the strait for one quick sidestroke circle swim. The love of wood working was constant however, but in retirement and into his 80s it was with smaller pieces of exotic wood that he would turn into bowls, pepper grinders and pens. There was a lathe at each home: Bedford, Florida and Brule and they were all kept busy in their season working on his own or teaching friends the art of carving. It was only in the last year, when his hands became too shaky to properly apply the chisel, that he reluctantly gave up turning wood.

Bill and Joan were married for almost 63 years and their love for one another was strong. In August 2019, they moved from their Bedford condo to Parkland At The Lakes in Dartmouth to enjoy a life of more comfort and ease. They got to enjoy that for only a few months before Bill passed away quietly in his sleep late last month. He will be sorely missed by one and all.

Bill is survived by his wife, Joan (Zinck) and his children Eva (Dean) and Mike. He will be fondly remembered by his six siblings, Arthur “Tiny” (Stella), Albert, Jim, Aileen (Lyle), Ray (Shelagh), Ron (Linda); many nieces and nephews; six grandchildren, Patrick, Dan, Mike, Kelsey, Jeffrey and Jordan; and, 5 great grandchildren, thus far -- Crystal Dawn, Hailey, Noah, Ayla and Karin.

Bill was predeceased by his brother Ken (Blanche).

A funeral service will be held at St. Ignatius Church in Bedford on Saturday, December 7^th at 1 pm, followed by a reception in the Church Hall. Interment with immediate family will take place at the Brookside Community Cemetery on Wardour St., Bedford after the reception. In lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations as you wish to the Canadian Mental Health Association, Nova Scotia Division.  https://novascotia.cmha.ca

Sincere thanks are extended by the family to all of the staff at Parkland At The Lakes, who took such great care of Bill and Joan at Kinross Hall. In addition, a special heartfelt thank you is extended to the doctors, especially Dr. Vantol, and all of the nursing staff of 3 West at Dartmouth General Hospital, who provided expert care and comfort to all of us at such a sad and difficult time.