It's with heavy hearts that the Walkers mark the passing of William Frederick, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother and uncle. Bill passed peacefully in the early hours of July 29, 2016. Born to Evalyn and Walter M. Walker, February 13, 1922, Bill was a third-generation Victorian. He graduated from Oak Bay High School in 1938 and was accepted to University of Washington where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Engineering. A proud and loyal citizen of this country, Bill enlisted in Her Majesty's Canadian Navy and was shipped to Toronto for on-going training, before taking his station as Chief Engineer aboard the HMCS Bayfield, a Bangor Class Minesweeper. In 1944, while on medical leave in Halifax, he re-connected with an early childhood acquaintance, Catherine Dunbar King, a Nursing Sister in the Canadian Navy. The two were married in 1946 and celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary earlier this year. Bill remained active with the naval reserves throughout his working life, serving as Commanding Officer of HMCS Malahat from 1965 to 1969.

He successfully ran the family business, Walter Walker & Sons Fuel for 25 years, before selling to larger multi-national interests in 1973. An intrepid and adventurous entrepreneur he refocused his career on the emerging market for small business computers. He taught himself how to write business information and accounting programs and opened technology centres in Victoria, Vancouver and Seattle. As the personal & business computing era unfolded under another Bill (Gates), William Walker found his niche running a successful accounting and data services business in Victoria. He retired in 1986.

William F. Walker will be sadly missed by his family and is survived by wife Catherine, children Susan (Toronto), Anne and her husband Wendell Shaw (Toronto), Walter (Boston), Robert (Billings, MT); sister Shirley Tucker (Victoria); grandchildren Thomas Vaughan (Toronto), Samuel Vaughan (Toronto), Jenny Vaughan (Hong Kong), Alias Downey (Toronto), Emma Walker (New York City), Brittney Walker (Miami), Dylan Walker (Billings MT), nephews Douglas Ponsford (Saltspring Island BC)and Brian Tucker (Los Angeles) and niece Caroline Ponsford (Victoria). The family wishes to acknowledge the excellent care Mr. Walker received from staff at the Royal Jubilee Hospital.