After almost 95 years of life lived to the fullest, William "Bill" Hughes passed away peacefully on July 13, 2023 at Cawthra Gardens Long Term Care Residence in Mississauga.

Bill was born in Toronto's Parkdale district in 1928, a baby brother to his sisters Vera and Lois.
His Depression era childhood would help shape the caring, confident man he was to become, after losing his father as a small boy and then becoming very ill with polio. While the disease would leave its mark on him for the rest of his life, he never allowed it to stop him from accomplishing his goals.

One of those early goals was joining the Argonaut Rowing Club as a teenager, earning him the lifelong nickname of Argo Billy. Several trophies attest to his excellence in the sport. He even helped rescue the CFL's Grey Cup when the Argonaut clubhouse burned to the ground in 1947.

A year later he would join the Bell Telephone Company of Canada where he would spend much of his working life. One October night in 1954, working as a lineman by the Humber River in Etobicoke, he would help a number of people get to safety as Hurricane Hazel unleashed its fury on the city.

With a good steady paying job, it was around that time he developed a taste for convertibles and road trips to places like Grand Bend and Wasaga Beach.

On one of those getaways, he met his bride to be. A Toronto girl from the east end (along the Danforth as she always put it) Bill and Ethel would hit it off. They would marry in 1955 and be together for the next 57 years until Ethel’s passing.

The two would see the world together. Bill would have the opportunity to work in Saudi Arabia with Bell, and later the two of them would move to Grenada for a time while Bill managed the installation of a new telephone network on the island.

Bill’s big, big personality and his love of connecting with people meant he was always a busy man. He would join a number of service clubs over the years, from Rotary to Probus and the Oakville Life Members Telephone Community Volunteers. He would spend a number of years volunteering with the Salvation Army’s emergency food and clothing program in Mississauga.

His love of golf was trumped only by his love for his grandkids, Isabel and Carter. Bill is survived by his only son David (Diane).

A Celebration of Bill’s life will be held on Thursday, September 28, 2023 from 1-4 pm at Turner and Porter “Peel” Chapel, 2180 Hurontario Street (Highway 10, North of Q.E.W.) Mississauga.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks you to consider a donation to the Salvation Army or a charity of your choice in Bill’s memory.