Major-General C. William Hewson, CMM CD BASc (Civ Eng)

Major-General Bill Hewson passed away peacefully on February 3^rd 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 1^st 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.