His given name was Warren Gary Williams… but he was known to all as “Husband”, “Dad”, “Papa”, “Busdriver” or “Coach”. He cherished all of his “titles”.
Warren’s three favorite titles were Husband, Dad and Papa. He gained the Husband title in 1966, when he married the love of his life, Janet. Warren always said “It was love at first sight, because when I met Janet, I knew instantly I was going to marry her.” That love never waivered for 58 years.
In the fall of 1967, Warren added the title of “Dad” to his resume, with the birth of their son, Myron and again in the spring of 1971 with the birth of their daughter, Carla. Then, in the fall of 1990, the title that he is best known for, “Papa”, was bestowed upon him, with the birth of his first of seven grandchildren and later, his four great-grandchildren. If you asked him how his family was, you had better find a chair, because he was so proud of everyone in his family, this wasn’t going to be a simple five minute conversation.
Warren loved the outdoors. With the camper and tents packed and Elvis blaring on the radio, the family
enjoyed many camping trips across the entirety of Canada. And on one special adventure, hunting down strawberry milk shakes. He enjoyed hunting moose and deer, to put meat in the freezer. But, fishing held a special place in his heart… a passion that was passed on to his kids and grandkids. Whether it was out on the nearby lakes or the Atikokan Bass Tournament, Warren always had his rod, reel and tackle box at the ready.
His “Coach” title stems from over 50 years of sitting behind and on the ice, coaching and helping to develop youth hockey in Fort Frances. Over his time as a coach, he saw hundreds of youth develop not only their hockey skills, but life skills that would follow these young players, for the rest of their lives. It was not uncommon for his former players, now adults, to seek him out and thank him for the lessons he bestowed on them.
Over the last few years, he added the moniker of “Busdriver”, when he started driving school buses for the Fort Frances School District. His joy was seeing “his kids”, every school day. As one of “his kid’s” parents said, “We loved Warren, because we knew how much he loved and cared for our children.”
Warren Gary Williams passed away peacefully on March 13th, 2024 at LaVerendrye Hospital in Fort Frances, ON.
Warren was born in Fort Frances, January 16th, 1946 to Myron and Margie Williams.
Left to cherish his memory is his wife, Janet, of 58 years and their two children, son Myron (Kathy), daughter Carla Arends (Greg). Papa also leaves behind seven grandchildren: Steven, Brittany, Cassie, Amber, Courtney, Mitchell and Chris, and four great-grandchildren: Koen, Konnor, Harper and Blair.
He is preceded in death by his parents Myron and Margie Williams.
Arrangements entrusted to Northridge Funeral Home Ltd. Emo, Ontario
