Death Notices

DONALD, William “Bill” Maben (1925 - 2021) - passed away at Norview Lodge, Simcoe, on Friday, February 19th, 2021 in his 96th year.  Loving and devoted husband of the late Ellen Donald (nee Page) (2020) for nearly sixty years.  Bill was born in Darlington, County Durham, England on August 9th, 1925 to James Ballantyne Donald and Lillian (Maben) Donald.  After completing a 5-year apprenticeship (1941-1946) with the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board – Staff College as a Junior Electrical Engineer, he worked at Imperial Chemical Industries in Billingham, England from 1947-1949.  From 1949-1952 he was employed by the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board in Britain.  On October 30th, 1952 Bill set sail for Canada on the M. V. “Georgic” steamship, arriving in Halifax on November 10th, then on to Toronto by train.  He obtained his first job in Canada with Canadian General Electric Co. Ltd. in Peterborough where he was employed from November 1952 - June 1956.  He then moved on to employment with Crompton Parkinson Electrical Ltd. (Bepco Canada) in Brantford from September 1956 until May 1960.  Bill met Ellen Page at a church group in Brantford and on September 3, 1960, they were married.   They remained devoted to each other until Ellen’s passing on April 5th, 2020.  Between June 1960 – October 1967, he had held several positions at Canadian Westinghouse Co. Ltd in Toronto.  It was in late 1961 his position there led him to co-invent the “Robonic’ switch – an automatic switch to transfer electrical power to a backup source when a power failure occurs.   In 1967, Bill and Ellen moved to Ottawa where he worked for a year for the Northern Canada Power Commission to establish and maintain electrical power to the Yukon and Northwest Territories.  From 1969 to 1970 he worked as a tester for the Underwriters Laboratories of Canada.  In April of 1970, Bill and Ellen changed direction and became the owners / operators of Palmerston Greenhouses until their retirement in 1985.  One year later they moved to Simcoe where they remained until their respective deaths.  During his early years in Canada, Bill was involved in church youth groups and young peoples' theatre.  Bill was predeceased by his parents James and Lillian, brother Jim and his wife Lorna, and sister Betty and her husband Bill Briggs.  Bill will be lovingly remembered by: his nephew Ian Donald (wife Stephanie) and their son James (fiancé Helen); niece Sheila Bell (late husband Russell), their children Tracy Crow (husband David) and Geoffrey Bell (wife Sarah), and their families; and niece Brenda Wright (late husband Tony) all of England, and by several cousins in Canada.  Bill and Ellen will always hold a special place in the hearts and memories of their friends Dennis and Diane Sovereign.  Special thanks to the staff, doctors, nurses and caregivers at Norview Lodge for their loving care to both Bill and Ellen over the past several years.  At Bill's request, cremation has taken place.  Bill will be interred privately beside Ellen at Union Cemetery in Smithville, ON.  Those wishing to donate in memory of Bill are asked to consider the Norfolk General Hospital Foundation.  Donations may be mailed to the JASON SMITH FUNERAL CHAPEL, 689 Norfolk St. North  Simcoe, ON  N3Y 3R3.  Personal online condolences at www.smithfuneralchapel.com (519) 426-0199