During the late afternoon of July 16, 2023, Bill Mercer (H.B.Sc., D.D.S., Dip. Orthodontics), aged 76 years old, passed away as a result of multiple organ failure in the TBRHSC- ICU.
Bill was born March 6, 1947 in Winnipeg, MB. to parents William Sr. and Marion Mercer. As a young boy, he and his family (sister Patricia and brother Reginald) moved to Thunder Bay, ON, where he spent most of his childhood and early adulthood. Bill attended Lakehead University, where he earned his H.B.Sc. in Biology, focusing his 4th year thesis on Entomology. During these last years at LU, he met Beverly (she would later become his wife of 52 years), who was studying nursing at McKellar Hospital.
Following their marriage in 1971, they moved to Toronto, where he continued his educational studies in the profession of Dentistry at the University of Toronto. Post graduation, they moved back to Thunder Bay, where he established a general dentistry practice. Five years later, their son John was born, and Bill made the decision to return to the University of Toronto with his family to begin studies in the specialty of Orthodontics. After graduation from this program, he decided to once again return to his hometown of Thunder Bay to establish a new practice as an Orthodontist. Here he spent his remaining working years until his retirement in 2018.
Bill was a very active member of the community, spending much of his free time in various positions with the Westfort Kiwanis Club, participating in fund raisers, and later also sitting on the boards of the United Way and the Your Teeth for a Lifetime organizations. He enjoyed sharing his knowledge and expertise as a guest lecturer (along with his fellow Orthodontic colleagues) to Thunder Bay Dental Association members, and served as an adjunct lecturer for the Hygienist program at Confederation College.
Bill enjoyed water and snow skiing, motorcycling and long excursions by snowmobile and ATV, and shared many fishing trips with friends. During downtime, he enjoyed ‘shooting the breeze’ with friends and neighbours around the camp fire. He also had a lifelong passion for sports cars (manual shift only). He was an avid reader of historical literature and tended to have brief but intense interests in various hobbies, including sailing, water polo, spear fishing, RC airplane model building, wood carving, hydroponic gardening and tree grafting. He was highly regarded for his generosity and integrity, and was always happy to share his time, resources and expertise. Until his final days, he declared his favourite meal to be a jumbo hot dog drenched in hot sauce and covered with fried onions, along with a bowl of baked beans.
Bill was preceded in death by his father, William Sr., mother Marion, step mother Libby, brother, Reg (Donna) and sister, Patricia (Peter). He is survived by his wife, Beverly, and son John, as well as nieces Leanne, Laura, Tracy and Michelle, and nephew, Stephen, as well as many other family members.
Bill requested that there be no funeral service. Cremation has taken place. The family would like to thank the nursing staff at both St. Joe’s and the TBRHSC, SNEMS Emergency paramedics, and the TBRHSC ICU team for the professional and compassionate care provided to him. As well, the family is most grateful for the many responses made by the Neebing Fire and First Responder team to the family home to assist Bill when he needed their help. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Neebing Fire/Rescue Association would be much appreciated via neebingfirerescueassociation.com/donate
