Major-General Bill Hewson passed away peacefully on February 3rd 2021, a day after his eighty fourth birthday. His wife Norah was at his side.
Bill and Norah met at a party in Toronto in 1959, where he was a recent graduate from the Royal Military College gaining a civil engineering degree from the U of T. Norah was a student nurse at Sick Kids Hospital. They said goodnight, but Bill was smitten, and he called Norah the next day to ask her to dinner. Despite postings and deployments across Canada and to Germany, England, Cyprus, Australia and Belgium, he never really left her side again. He married Norah in 1961, and they made homes together around the world. After raising their sons Douglas and Richard, they retired to their property on Calabogie Lake, in the Ottawa Valley.
Bill lived his life with honour, courage and loyalty. His military service began with command of a rifle platoon in Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. He was promoted to positions of increasing responsibility with the Patricias and in the Intelligence Branch. He served as Commanding Officer of 1st Battalion PPCLI; Commander of the Canadian Contingent to the UN Force in Cyprus; Chief of Intelligence at National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa, and as Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence at SHAPE, the NATO Headquarters in Mons, Belgium. Appointments as the Colonel of the Regiment, PPCLI; Colonel Commandant of the Intelligence Branch, and as a Commander of the Order of Military Merit reflected his dedication to his Regiment, his Branch, and his Army.
Bill was promoted to the rank of Major-General in 1985, and retired from the Canadian Forces in 1991. He served as Director General of the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) until 2000.
He was a leader to all, and a mentor to many.
As a husband, father and grandfather, he showed us how to live a life with love, humour and integrity, and without fear or regret. At a ski hill or a hockey rink, at a board room table or a carpenter’s work bench, and in all our many different homes around the world, he was the steady presence that inspired us with confidence that no matter what happened, he’d always be there.
Bill is survived by Norah, the other half of the Dynamic Duo. He is survived as well by Douglas (Marisia), of Kanata, Ontario and by Richard (Stephanie) of Vernon, BC and their sons Mitchell and Spencer.
The family is grateful for the care Bill received from his physiotherapist Mr. Ben Wassell, Dr. Kristian Davis, Dr. Tilak Mendis, and the staff at the Queensway Carleton Hospital, including Dr. Sanjay Acharya.
A private service will be held at Beechwood Cemetery in the near future. All of Bill’s family, friends and colleagues will be welcomed at a Memorial Service, to be scheduled and announced as soon as better times return. In the meantime, please consider a donation to Parkinson Canada.
Digital Guestbook
Mike Beauvais
Anthony 'Roy' Wood
Bye old friend. From Royal Roads in '55 to now you had a great life. RMC Class 1959 will miss you.
Marianne and Roy
Jennifer Hewson Parks
Aunt Nora, Richard and Douglas. So sorry to hear of Uncle Bill's passing. Thoughts and prayers to you and all the family.
Love Jennifer, Richard, MacKenzie and SheaLynn
Allen Burchill
I wish to express my sincere sympathy to Norah and her family on her great loss. It was indeed my privilege to get to know and work with Bill at Commissionaires Ottawa. I was truly fortunate to benefit from his competence, honesty and hard work while he was always a gentleman.
Shane Schreiber
My deepest sympathies to the entire Hewson clan. A great leader and gentleman, he was greatly loved and will be greatly missed by both his family and his regiment. Thank you for your leadership and support through the years.
Michael Bowen
I was General Bill’s Special Advisor when he was the Chief of Intelligence at NDHQ.
Bill was the finest boss anyone could hope for and my time with him both fun and rewarding. My Deepest condolences to Nora and the family.
William MacDonald
I am deeply saddened to hear this news. My most sincere condolences to Norah and Family. I will always cherish the time we spent together. VP
Don Chipman
Carol and I send our condolences to Norah and her family. Bill was one of my heroes.
Leonora Duffield
Dear Norah,so sorry to hear
Our thoughts and prayers are with you
Steven Desjardins
We lost a wonderful friend and mentor this past week.
No matter where you came from, where you worked, what you did, what language you spoke, what rank you held, he was always genuinely interested and fully invested in getting to know each of us individually and unpretentiously sharing his insight and wisdom on leadership, the institution, intelligence, and life in general. I, like a great many of you, have had the pleasure of spending great, enriching moments in his company and always in awe of his energy, his wisdom, his goodness and his devotion to our folks. We extend our most sincere condolences to his wife Norah, his sons Douglas (and wife Marisa), and Richard (and wife Stephanie).
He will be missed and certainly never forgotten.
A great man and a role model for all. I first met MGen Hewson in Cyprus 1983, when he was then BGen at UNFICYP HQ and I was a young Troop Leader in the Buffer Zone. He accepted an invite to our troop BBQ and was awe inspiring then as he was throughout his life and career. Will be sincerely missed. Deepest condolences to Norah and the family. - Mike and Janice