Ozawaategiizhik – Wazhashkan Odoodeman

His sense of humour was very unique and he loved to share big laughs and silly jokes with all of his friends. His smile and laugh could lift up the entire atmosphere of anywhere he was. He loved gaming, playing Fortnite, GTA, Mario Kart, and Halo Infinite. His Halo skills were unlike any other, and was almost at the highest rank – he was an onyx level 3, which is one level away from being a hero. He loved going on bike rides, hikes, paddles, transit bus rides, and long walks. He loved exploring and being outdoors whenever the opportunity presented itself. He would never waste a beautiful day and loved catching the sunsets. He also really enjoyed watching thunderstorms. He loved his nephew Brayden immensely and would call him his little brother. He said that Brayden held magic, which was so rare in this world. He was very proud of his gifted nephew. He lived life very courageously, and pushed through every day despite his health challenge. He was very emotionally, spiritually, mentally and physically strong. Although he was very strong, he was yet one of the most gentle, loving, patient, understanding, and unconditionally kind people that anyone has ever come across.

He touched many lives beyond his family and community. He made many various lifelong friends – some of his teachers, his classmates at DFC, his Outside Looking In family, his coworkers at Mink Lake and his coworkers at the school in Gakijiwanong where he worked as a custodian. Friendship was among one of his highest values, besides family and love. He was a very genuine, loyal, and loving friend.

William met the love of his life, Latisha Pascal, while they both attended Mink Lake Camp. They would later attend school and move to Thunder Bay together. They were crowned Prom King and Prom Queen at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School. He thanked the universe for bringing them together. He noted that Latisha is the kindest person he has ever met, and they were each other’s best friend. Their love is that rare, once in a lifetime kind of love that people seldom get to experience in this world. They brought each other so much joy, happiness, love, and light to one other’s lives. They were each other’s soul mates. A true love like that lives on forever.

Many say that he was the most beautiful boy they have ever seen. His beauty and light that radiated from within captivated the attention of many that he came across. The first thing you would notice about him is that light in his eyes, his genuine and contagious smile, and his strong facial features.

William was the youngest of his siblings but he was very protective over them all and always made sure that they were safe and okay. He really loved being around family, loved family events and outings and especially loved the wilderness as he had an adventurous spirit. He felt a connection to the land, the trees, the water. William enjoyed taking care of himself and appreciated cleanliness. His big sisters would often do his eyebrows for him, and loved doing face masks with his sisters and nephew. He had a huge love for music, a deep appreciation for all types of music, ranging from old country, to new hip-hop and R&B. William had a heart of gold, was a true gentleman and had the most beautiful infectious smile and contagious laugh.

William is now lovingly and happily reunited with his paternal grandparents Bill Atatise and Leona Atatise; his two older brothers and his sister Katrina Amber Rose; his maternal grandmother Elizabeth “Betty” Bluebird; his great-aunt Roseanne Head; his nephew Keidyn Yellowhead; his uncle Lawrence Ottertail; and many of his beloved family and friends who have journeyed home before him.

William is survived by his parents Ted Atatise and Loretta Oshawe; his siblings Miranda, Raymond, Sheena (Bruce), Jessica (Jake) and Cassandra. He is also survived by his nieces and nephews Brayden, Jayla, Colton, Kelaina, Kariya, Cavyn, Nico, Talon, Kiara, Sequoia, Johnny, Azariah, Luca, Shyne, and Freedom; as well as numerous great-aunts and uncles, aunts, uncles, cousins and close friends, all of who he loved dearly.

William is also survived by his wife whom he liked to call his Waawaashkeshi, Latisha Pascal. Special mention to Latisha’s family who loved him like their own son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin.

Describing his light in paragraphs wouldn’t be enough. William always loved being outdoors, was always out on a walk and going on adventures as mentioned before. His deep value for being out on the land and his love language of spending quality time makes a long living impact in the lives of his family and friends as he was one to tell you to “come on, be in the present!” He created lasting memories of so much laughter, of real empathy, of fun and fond times, of genuine familial love and friendship. William’s favourite spot in Thunder Bay is a place called Hillcrest Park on High Street, he’d go and appreciate the view as he’d sip on a Tim Hortons decaf coffee or steeped tea. You would often catch him reciting lines from movies or video games, doing voice impressions whether that is of you or a fictional character, joking around and teasing, dancing without a care just to make you laugh, skipping rocks, taking photos or videos, sketching and drawing, climbing any tree or structure, creating hilarious video and photo edits, gaming out with his friends or family. Will had a heart of gold and was always there to lend a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen. He had a comforting presence. His favourite series were Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Harry Potter, Dune, and Game of Thrones. His great love of music could not be boxed into one favourite band or one favourite song, but he really appreciated The Lumineers. He also had a very beautiful voice when he would sing. His favourite game was Halo Infinite. His favourite season was autumn. His favourite colours were orange and purple but also loved all the colours of the sunset. He also really loved bon bon ribs from Mekong.

William was beautiful inside and out, one of a kind, a free spirit, he will be forever missed but forever in our hearts.

His honorary pallbearers are family and friends. The traditional wake for William will be held at the Gakijiwanong Aninishinaabe Nation Gym date and time pending. For verification look on Northridge Funeral Home website. Ken Kakeway will perform the traditional send off and burial procedures.

Arrangements entrusted to Northridge Funeral Home Ltd., Emo, Ontario.