Mr. William James Hudson

WILLIAM JAMES HUDSON Our beloved father and grandfather William James "Bill" Hudson of Winnipeg passed away on June 3, 2013, with his daughter Kathy and son Bob at his side. Bill was predeceased by his wife Yvonne, his brother Michael, and his sister-in-law Jo Ann Hudson. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law Kathy and Brian Tod, their children Robin, Michael and Patrick Tod; his son and daughter-in-law Bob and Laurel Hudson, and their children Kristen, Megan and Jon Hudson. Bill was born in Winnipeg on May 12, 1922. He was the elder son of Walter Rothwell and Lorna (nee Nicholls) Hudson. Bill was a life-long Winnipegger. After graduating from Kelvin High School, with the outbreak of the Second World War, Bill enlisted in the Canadian Army. In 1943, Bill joined the CANLOAN program, which had been established so that Canadian Infantry Officers could volunteer to serve in Regiments of the British Army, thus solving its shortage of Junior Officers. In the spring of 1944, Bill was posted to England, where he joined the 5th Battalion-43rd Wessex Infantry Division of the Dorsetshire Regiment. He fought in northwestern Europe until VE Day on May 8, 1945. After his honourable discharge from the Army in 1946, Bill returned to Winnipeg, and enrolled in the Faculty of Commerce at the University of Manitoba, where he met Yvonne. In 1950, after graduation, Bill started his career at Great-West Life, where he continued to work until his retirement in 1983. Bill and Yvonne were married on June 3, 1950. In 1953, Bill and Yvonne faced a huge challenge when she contracted polio, and was left with major physical disabilities. Bill and Yvonne met this challenge with courage, tenacity, intelligence, and love. They succeeded in minimizing the impact of Yvonne's disability on the day-to-day lives of their family. Bill and Yvonne travelled extensively - many summer vacations at Cotton Lake, Minnesota; family vacations by car and air to much of Canada and the USA; winter holidays on Kauai, Hawaii, and in later years, Scottsdale. On one memorable trip, they flew on the Concorde to Great Britain, and returned across the Atlantic aboard the QE2. For their 60th Anniversary, Bill and Yvonne retraced the path of their honeymoon to the Rocky Mountains, and celebrated the occasion at Lake Louise with their entire family. Although Bill's passing is a tremendous loss for us, we will always be thankful for the way he taught us to live, leading by example with his loyalty, generosity, determination, and love of family. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Bill's memory to the Manitoba Heart and Stroke Foundation, or to a charity of your choice. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 14, 2013 at All Saints Anglican Church, Broadway and Osborne, Winnipeg. A private family interment ceremony will follow.