With heavy hearts we announce the passing of William "Bill" Donald Mugford on March 20, 2025. Bill was known as an intellectual and a philosopher with varied interests and a quick, dry wit. He loved a good time and took great joy in sharing quality food & drink and hearty laughs with his friends and family.
Bill was born in Glace Bay, NS on January 14, 1946 and was predeceased by his wife, Eiko Diane Mugford (1945-2019), and leaves behind his daughters Alison Marconicchio (Vito) and Zoé Doyle (Michael, Coco, Bonham, Hawksley), his siblings Don, Roxanne (Mel, Laura, Joel), Ed (Nancy, Michael), Greg (Annie, Éric, Philippe), and in-laws Ron (Valerie, Lindsey, Logan) and Sherry (Koji, Lauren, Justin).
Bill obtained both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from U of T, with a focus on French Literature. He married Diane in 1968 and spent the early years of his career teaching high school, first in Niagara Falls and then in Thunder Bay. In the early 80’s he decided it was time for a different challenge and pursued his law degree at the University of Windsor, after which he & the family moved back to Toronto where he articled at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. Bill remained at Blakes and practiced business, corporate & commercial law with expertise in real estate, financing, construction, and mergers & acquisitions, eventually becoming a Senior Partner. Bill had an absolute passion for practicing law which drew him to a post-retirement assignment at RBC working on domestic & international financing for their wealth management group.
An avid follower of sports, Bill was a lifelong Leafs fan, a true-blue Jays fan, preferred CFL to NFL, and enjoyed golf, basketball, curling, and the Olympics. Bill loved to golf and revelled in his annual golf trips to Arizona with his pals. He also had a keen love of music and often listened to classic rock, jazz & blues, and classical music… up loud! He was a supporter of the arts and frequented the TSO, AGO, ROM, Royal Alex, Stratford and, of course, The Company Theatre which Diane was heavily involved in. He read the daily newspaper religiously and always had a good mystery or spy novel on the go.
A man of deep integrity, Bill was contemplative and measured, principled and ethical, brave and determined, and had a distinct and unrivalled strength of character. He was loved deeply by many and is missed greatly.
The family thanks the staff at TGH, PMH, and Kensington Hospice for their dedicated care and support.
A Visitation will be held at Turner & Porter Yorke Chapel, 2357 Bloor Street West, on Thursday, April 3 from 7-9 pm. A Funeral Service will be held in the Chapel on Friday, April 4 at 3 pm with a reception to follow at The Crooked Cue, 3056 Bloor Street West. For those unable to attend the service in person a link to a livestream will be provided when it becomes available. If desired, donations in memoriam may be directed to the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.
Funeral Details
Show location:
Visitation
Turner & Porter - Yorke Chapel
2357 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, M6S 1P4
Get Directions
Thursday, 3 Apr 2025 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Funeral
Turner & Porter - Yorke Chapel
2357 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, M6S 1P4
Get Directions