Obituary of Norman James Williamson

Norman James (Willy) Williamson October 21, 1938 " October 11, 2016 On October 11, 2016, the world lost a true original: Norman James Williamson, better known to his family and close friends as "Willy", passed peacefully from this earth at Windsor Regional Hospital - Metropolitan Campus. Willy was born in 1938 in Sudbury, Ontario; the cherished son of William and Bernice Williamson (nee Sullivan). He grew up in a small house on Vercheres Street with his sisters Shirley Koivula (predeceased) and Joan McCann (husband Dave). He attended St. Aloysius Elementary School and St. Charles College, where he set several track and field records. Willy"s talent as a largely self-taught guitarist earned him a spot in several popular local bands of the 1950"s and 60"s, including The Hound Dogs and The Collins Mixers, who wrote and recorded the inaugural song for Sudbury"s Big Nickel Monument. Money earned from weekend gigs and a job with INCO as a Metallurgist funded his post-secondary education at the University of Toronto, where he majored in Sciences and Education, graduating in 1968. In 1965, after a brief courtship, Willy married Joyce Pilotte at Christ the King Church in Sudbury. They raised 4 children over the course of their 31-year marriage: Donna Tugby (husband Ken) of Winnipeg, June Steed (husband Brett) of Lasalle, Keith Williamson (predeceased) and Dave Williamson (wife Shelaine) of Dorchester. After a successful career as a Shops and Special Education Teacher with the Sudbury Board of Education, Willy retired in 1990. He will forever be remembered by his students for his green three-piece corduroy suit, worn each and every St. Patrick"s Day. In May of 1966, Willy heeded his father"s advice to "Buy land, son; they aren"t making any more of it!" and purchased a one-of-a-kind 368-acre parcel of land bordering Anderson Lake, just outside of Espanola, ON. For the next 20 years, every weekend, summer, and miscellaneous school holiday was spent by his family at what eventually became known as "Willy"s Camp", immortalized in the song of the same name by Bert Collins in 1983, with the day-to-day events meticulously documented in his 3-volume Camp Journal spanning more than 2 decades. His children grew up learning to hunt, fish, trap, cook over an open fire and a wood stove, fix small engines, chop holes in the ice for their Winter drinking water, and cut the fuelwood that heated the camp and eventually supplied the product for the N Williamson & Sons Timber Merchants " one of several family businesses. Camp accommodations grew from a small one-room shack with the infamous "Cedarhaven" outhouse to the beautiful oak log home that was constructed in 1992 and eventually served as his retirement home. An avid gardener, Willy won the 1984 Harrowsmith small garden award and subsequently authored an article published in Harrowsmith Magazine entitled "Camp Fallowers". He served as an authority on fuelwood and other matters related to camp life on CBC Radio throughout the 1970s and 80"s. He took great pride in his Grandchildren: Evelyn and Marc Tugby of Winnipeg, and Jacqueline and Molly Steed of Lasalle. He marveled at their accomplishments and talents and bragged about them to his friends whenever he had the opportunity to do so. In his retirement years, Willy was certified as a Firearms Safety Instructor and founded the Kei Will Academy, through which he provided Firearms and Hunter Safety training for all ages at many sites throughout Ontario. Willy will be fondly remembered and missed by all who knew him. His was truly a life lived on his own terms. Cremation has taken place. Arrangements entrusted to SIMPLE CHOICE CREMATION CENTRE (519-254-2585). Online condolences and cherished memories may be shared with the family at www.simplechoicecremation.ca