Obituary of William Wallace Green

Green, William Wallace – Passed into eternity on the wings of a song, peacefully in his home on the first full day of Spring with a friend at his side, after a fierce struggle with cancer. 

William was a man of many talents, a man rich in words, colourful and larger than life, generous, inspiring, and a man of strong character.  He had a song for everything – music was in the air he breathed.  A great guitarist, he also played the bass, mandolin, d’jembe, keyboards and anything else he could get his hands on.  He was a poet, a song-writer, a DJ, and recorded and produced two CDs with his band “Otherwise”.  He provided opportunities for growth to many young musicians.

He will be greatly missed by his sons Ryan Stephen and Cody James Green, family, and his many friends.

We grieve his passing but rejoice in his new-found freedom from suffering.  Heart-felt thanks goes out to the many health-care professionals who assisted in his care, especially to Dr. D. Esho and Dr. T. Melnyk in Toronto, as well as the many here in Niagara.

According to Bill’s wishes, cremation has taken place.  A Celebration of Life, in the form of a Beach Party, will take place in the summer.

In Bill’s own words, from “a very thoughtful story song by Bill”:

Some days I think I’m always running five minutes behind

Too many thoughts racing, too busy in my mind

Someday I’ll grow out of it but I’ll probably be old

Then I’ll look at my grandchildren, stories to be told

How I saved the world, how I stopped a moving freight train

How I stood up and counted everyone inside my brain

How I held my own ground when the world just turned me down

How I made it this far without a frown

I found something to believe in

Something greater than I am

A sense of purpose is seen to guide me through my day

Found my magic powers in a book I read since I was a child

Nothing really magic about it; just a way of life keeps me mild

And I think to myself each day just gets so much better

Every time I go to the mailbox I look for the letter

It’s never there and I don’t care

‘Cause I know it’s just another bill collector

So I’ve made peace with myself and every body else

Days don’t struggle and I sleep much better at night

Sure there’s times I wonder about the things I could have been

But those are only moments now they’re few and far between

My friends took me in their arms and said it’s gonna be ok

All you really have to do is make it through just one more day…