Our precious son and brother, Will Anderson, passed away suddenly on March 26, 2018.
Born Jan. 15, 1995, he was a kind, intelligent and funny person. He always wanted to make a difference in the world and he succeeded in bettering the lives of many who he met.
Will’s smile and contagious laugh will be remembered by all he came across. Whether he was doing an impersonation of you (that sounded the same for everyone—if you know it, you know it) or meowing back and forth with his Dad, you couldn’t help but laugh. This ability to make people laugh or smile was probably his greatest joy.
He cared so deeply for his friends and his family. He created powerful bonds with the people that he cared for.
Even though he joked a lot, you couldn’t help but respect his mind and his character. If he didn’t agree with your opinion, he was sure to let you know and wasn’t likely to back down. You could hear the passion in every word that he spoke.
He was talented in so many ways: a skilled chef, natural athlete, eloquent writer, beautiful filmmaker, and complex thinker. When at home in the kitchen, he would vehemently shun a recipe and what he came up with would be nothing short of a gracefully creative meal. This seemed to be a natural ability he had, which he used to make those around him happy. Pride and satisfaction would come across his face when he saw how much people enjoyed what he had created.
Growing up, he loved sports. We’ll remember him playing on the outdoor rink that Dad built in the backyard, then moving on to basketball and volleyball in high school. He excelled in all sports, ultimately earning a trip to OFSAA for basketball on his final opportunity, something that he had dreamed of his entire basketball career.
Will was always writing something; he started while writing screenplays in university, but became enthralled with the written language itself. He filled notebooks until pages smoked and the smell of charred carbon filled the room. He wrote his ideas, experiences and crafted fascinating fiction.
As for filmmaking, he was courageous and ambitious with his message, wanting to facilitate genuine change in people to make a better world. He had so many different amazing ideas that he spoke of and many that he didn’t, so we hope that there is some type of cosmic film set wherever he is with all the cameras and equipment he could dream of.
His ability to think creatively and formulate such grand concepts and ideas challenged him at times. He thought and spoke so largely and passionately about life. Small talk was not his forte, he would rather dive headfirst into the deep end. I’m glad he was not afraid to share his ideas because we’ve learned so much from him. He wanted to do so much for so many and whether he knew it or not, he did.
Take the memories and all that Will shared with us and cherish because this is what he would have wanted. Let his life become inspiration. Make jokes, laugh hard, be ridiculously silly, learn as much as you can, challenge more, speak freely, love intensely and, most importantly, be kind.
Thank you Woo-woo, Willemina, the Willster, Big Will, Willy boy, Young Will the God, my ole’ Will for being in our lives, we’ll always love you and will never forget you.
He was an amazing son, brother, nephew, cousin and friend. He will live on in the hearts of all he touched continuing to tell his stories, his memories and his kindnesses.
He will profoundly missed by his parents, Annie and Doug Anderson; brother, Justin; Auntie Cheryl Armstrong; Uncle Blair; Faith and Peter Moen; Uncle Mark, Auntie Marian, Jordan and Carly; Uncle Paddy, Auntie Theresa, Carla and Hannah; and Auntie Cathy, Andrew and Patrick.
He was predeceased by his grandparents, Ron and Elaine Anderson and Jack and Helen Stokes.
Cremation has taken place and a service will be held on March 31, 2018 at 11 a.m. at Green Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, memoriam donations can be made to the Canadian Mental Health Association–Fort Frances Branch, 612 Portage Ave., Fort Frances, ON, P9A 3M8.
WILL ANDERSON
