Browse the obituary of residing in the province of Ontario for funeral details
~~~~~~~~~~~
William (Bill) Donald Hamblen passed away peacefully on Friday September 8th in his 91st year.
A beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend, Bill was a long-time resident of Brockville, Ontario. Bill grew up in Bishops Mills, the son of the late Donald and Flora Hamblen. After graduating from Kemptville High School he attended Queens University, receiving a B.A. and following teacher’s college embarked on a long and esteemed educational career. He subsequently pursued and obtained his M. Ed from Rollins College in Orlando, Florida.
During his distinguished teaching career Bill spent time teaching in Ottawa, Wallaceburg and then became Assistant Principal at Woodstock Collegiate Institute and followed that with Principal of Prince Charles Primary School in Trenton, Ontario before finishing his teaching career at D. R. Atkins school in Belleville, Ontario.
Upon retiring from teaching, Bill focused his entrepreneurial spirit into expanding operations of The Hamblen Christmas Tree Farm in Athens, Ontario, utilizing a tract of land granted to the Hamblen descendants who migrated to the area as United Empire Loyalists in the 1780s and growing it from a hobby farm while teaching into a full-time retirement passion. Bill also was very involved in United Empire Loyalists and family genealogy and enjoyed meeting extended family through this in his retirement years.
Bill loved travelling and meeting new friends along the way. A devout Christian, Bill was an active member of the United Church of Canada and often served as a lay minister filling in when needed writing and delivering engaging and inspiring sermons filled with ever positive and uplifting messages and experiences.
Bill enjoyed his Saturday morning breakfast group, chats with neighbors and spending time travelling the road often not taken, to find new experiences and meet new people. Bill was supportive of numerous organizations and supported the arts through time, treasure and scholarships with Brockville Collegiate Institute in his later years.
Bill is predeceased in death by his loving wife Margot (Young McCrae), parents Donald and Flora (Watts) and his three sisters Beryl (Beckett), Betty (Lundy) and Verna (Maneilly – Roe). He is survived by his sons David and his wife Gail (Kingston, Ontario), Eric and his wife Patty Ann and granddaughter Elise (St. Petersburg, Florida).
The family will receive friends at Irvine Funeral Home, 4 James St. E, Brockville Ontario on Friday, September 15, 2023 with visitation between 10:00 – 11:00 am and service at 11:00 am in the chapel followed by a reception.
The family extend tremendous thanks to the incredible staff and team at St. Lawrence Lodge for making his final years comfortable and well cared for, and the outstanding support provided by his close friends and neighbors Neil and Rose Turner of Brockville.
If desired, in lieu of flowers, friends may make donations in Bill Hamblen’s name to St. Lawrence Lodge, 1803 County Rd 2 East, Brockville Ontario in recognition and continuation of their incredible levels of care.
Send condolences or share a special thought of Bill on the memory wall above.
Friday September 8th 2023
Death notice for the town of: Brockville, Province: Ontario
death notice William Bill Hamblen Friday September 8th 2023
obituaries notice William Bill Hamblen Friday September 8th 2023
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of William Bill Hamblen Friday September 8th 2023 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
