Obituary of William Buys

On the afternoon of October 10, 2020, being lovingly cared for at home by his thankful children, William (Bill) Buys transitioned from a full and blessed life of just over 87 years to be with his Saviour at Home in Glory. 

Husband to the late Margaret (2012), beloved father to Margo Janssens (Tim), Bill (Joany), Kathy Kralt (Peter), Brian, Carl (Ann), Dave (Linda), Mark (Sandra), Joanna (1971), John (Glenna), Darrell (Christine) and his favorite son Trevor.  Grandpa/Opa to 38 grandchildren, great grandpa/big Opa to 30 great grandchildren.  He was intensely proud of and thankful for the 101 members of his immediate family.

Bill is predeceased by a brother (Carl) and a sister (Janny), and is survived by Goof (Ria), Annie, Harry, Martha (Pete) and Mynie, with whom he continued to share wonderful experiences til only a few months ago.

Bill was born in Aalsmeer, the Netherlands on July 3, 1933. He immigrated with his dad and 7 siblings to Canada 1950, settling in the Owen Sound area.  His banking career began there at the Royal Bank, and soon after he married Margaret Hogendoorn.  While being transferred by the bank to various cities throughout Ontario, Bill and Margaret were blessed with 11 children.  The majority of Bill's career in banking took place in Hamilton, and from there Bill, Margaret and their family settled in Beamsville in 1978, where Bill lived out the rest of his life.

Early banking retirement at 56 didn't stop Bill from living life to the full.  He continued to be very active with water sports, raising a family, and taking a keen interest in an increasing number of grandchildren.  As if the big family and career weren't enough, Bill was actively involved in many causes dear to his heart, like church leadership, Christian education, Right to Life movement, to name only a few.

He began a landscaping and lawn care 'career', which he absolutely loved and took great pride in.  He could be seen on the lawn tractor at Northland Floral faithfully keeping the property in tip-top shape right up until this past June, when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  Even that didn't stop Bill from continuing to live life to the full, including things like riding his motorcycle, days at the family cottage, 5-letter word games with children and grandchildren and keeping in contact with family and friends literally from around the world.  The list goes on.

Bill and Margaret have always been rooted in the reformed faith, which along with Christian education for all their children dictated even which cities the bank transfers took them too.  Presently Bill was an active member of Immanuel United Reformed Church in Jordan, Ontario.

During the past 4 months, Dad has continued to enjoy every aspect of life that he possibly could, and he gave thanks to God every day for the life that he was blessed with.  Dad, and our family, are deeply grateful for all of the love, care and tangible support that he received from family of all ages, friendsfrom faith community, and neighbors.

Dad fully lived out his belief that life is sacred, from conception to natural death.

“For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all shall be made alive” 1 Corinthians 15:22

Deep gratitude to the staff, nurses, and care team associated with the Niagara branch of LHIN, as well as the Juravinski Cancer center for their care for both Dad and us.

Unfortunately due to the impact of Covid, there will be no visitation – however the family would LOVE to receive any notes of sympathy, encouragement or shared experiences.  These can be emailed to bbuys@vaxxine.com, or left at this website.   

Private family interment will take place at Mt. Osborne cemetery in Beamsville.

A service will be held at Immanuel United Reformed Church on Thursday, October 15th at 11 am.  Again due to Covid restrictions, there is a limited attendance capacity. Friends and faith community are encouraged to view the livestream of the service at www.immanuelurc.com/ , click on the Live Stream prompt on the front page.

For those who wish, donations can be made to Niagara Region Right to Life (http://niagararegionrighttolife.ca/) or Anchor Association  (http://anchor-association.com/)