Passed away at Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital at 93 years of age. Beloved husband of the late Grace Harvey (née Rae), dear father to William Harvey Jr. (Dianne Holme), David Harvey and Valerie Bohn (Martin), grandfather to Pascale Holme-Harvey and Veronica Holme-Harvey, uncle to numerous Harvey and Rae cousins, and, of course, a friend of many in the Orillia community.
Born and raised on a farm near Sparta, Ontario, close to Lake Erie, Bill quickly found teaching to be his professional calling after graduating from McMaster University. He taught English at high schools in Sault Ste. Marie, Collingwood, Peterborough, the U.K., and lastly at Park Street Collegiate in Orillia, where he served as department head from 1961 (the school’s founding year) until 1991. One of the highlights of his tenure at PSCI was serving as producer of the Park Street Players’ annual musicals at the Orillia Opera House.
Summers, Bill liked camping trips with the family, during which they visited Provincial and National Parks across North America.
In later decades, Bill loved to practise (and sometimes even teach) various forms of dancing, avidly watching “Dancing with the Stars” on TV, and making annual trips to Cuba to work on his salsa skills and Spanish.
Bill also enjoyed tending to his garden, and people would frequently stop to snap pictures of his front yard covered in crocuses and snowdrops in the springtime.
He was a quiet gentleman with a sense of humour who loved his family deeply, and had a beautiful relationship with his wife Grace and children.
Following cremation, the family invites friends to a visitation at Mundell Funeral Home, 79 West St. N., Orillia on Wednesday April 17, 2024 from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm, and friends are likewise invited to send condolences to the funeral home website. Donations in memory of Bill can be made to the charity of your choice.