William Stevenson Spencer “Spinner”

Spinner was certainly loved and always had a smile and kind words both at work and outside of. He was such a joy to be around and will be missed.
Thinking of you Nance.

Willy Boy,
There will be a gaping void in all our lives from this point on. We will miss your jovial company and that wonderful sense of humour in particular. I can’t express strongly enough how fortunate I feel having had you for a friend all these years. I am so incredibly glad that Glenn and I were able to have that last lunch with you in August. We will all hoist a pint in your honour at the Rex on the next Rite of Spring tour. You’re home now, my friend, but you will live on in all our hearts.
Ricky

I am so sorry to hear this news. Our group has so many great memories with Bill. My heart goes out to you Nancy

Nance so sad to hear this.
My love and prayers are with you xoxo

We are so sorry to hear of Bill’s passing. He was a joy to be around, full of laughter and so many interesting stories.
He will be greatly missed.

So sorry for your loss buddy. I have many fond memories of time spent with you both. My thoughts are with you.

Spinner was a treasured friend. I trusted his wisdom at many times when I needed his vote of confidence in decision making. His sense of humor and warm demeanor was always enjoyed. I remember several FedEx ‘ops analyst’ team building events that we participated in together. Sometimes he made me laugh until my stomach hurt. Such fun memories. I’ll hold them close to my heart and will always remember him. He’s someone who simply can’t be forgotten! Rest in peace my sweet friend!

Hearing this news this week broke my heart. The world have lost a beautiful, fun, carefree soul. Sending love and condolences to you Nance and Donna.

Bill was my friend. Even family. I owe him more than anyone will know. I know Spinner is sitting back and smiling at all of us down here, so raise a glass to him, smile, and remember the best of times.

Oh lord, I was shocked at hearing this news. Fond memories of golf tournaments and FedEx functions with Spinner. God’s speed my friend

I was surprised to hear this. Bill was always an old soul! He was insightful, a great person to talk to and had the best sense of humour. The world was a better place with you in it! You will be dearly missed by many my friend. Thinking of you Nance and Donna at this difficult time.

It is a very sad day to lose someone who touched so many people in a positive way. I’m just glad to have known him.

Dear Donna, I’m so sorry to hear about your brother’s passing. Never easy to lose a loved one I send my heartfelt condolences to you, his wife and many friends. Wishing you strength and courage during this very difficult time.

I first met Bill when I was applying for a job at FedEx, while he was working In HR.
I worked with Bill as a courier for many years and he was always a pleasure to be around.
It was impossible to NOT like Bill, with his easy going personality.
It was a privilege knowing Bill as a co worker and friend.
I have fond memories of his HAT parties in his beautiful back yard , that he took great pride in.
It was great knowing you Bill until we meet again….

My condolences to his wife Nancy, and to all of Bills family.

Cathy Gordon

So many great memories, so many laughs. I had the pleasure of knowing and working with Spinner for 25 + yrs at FedEx. An abosolute gentleman, with an unbelievable sense of humor. I still draw on his gardening advice to this day. Rest is peace my friend

Our sincere condolences.I had the pleasure of working with Bill for over 30 years he had an awesome sense of humour and was a great guy to be around.We shared a lot of stories and laughs over the many years. He will be greatly missed.

Our condolences to Nancy and Donna, Bill will forever be in our hearts. His smile and laughter will not be forgotten.
Rest in peace Bill

Spinner, was an absolute gentleman, funny, smart but the trait I think of first is his charisma. He had a way with words and charm that I always admired. He made anyone feel special while talking to him. He helped me in my career with his knowledge and his experience but what I remember is his ability to make me feel better when things were down. He had an uncanny way of making me laugh with a quick comment and a smile. Rest in peace Spinner. My condolences to all that love him. My thoughts are with you Nance.

I first met Bill Spencer sometime in the mid-80s when we were both working at DHL; Bill as a driver downtown and me as a bag-slugger in the warehouse. One night, he came in late due to weather and I was helping him sort through his pick-ups so we could make the planes. Anyway, we got to talking and, somehow, we got on to old movies and I told him PBS was screening a handful of Bogart films on the weekend and he should come around to my place in Meadowvale and we’d make a day of it. So, we did.

And, as Bogey says at the end of ‘Casablanca’… “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” It was.

And, while we knew each other quite well, a long time ago, for a brief period of time (5-6 years) before I scooted off to Hong Kong, we packed an awful lot of fun into the short timeframe. Some might have said ‘too much fun,’ and they’d probably be right, as Glen and Eric could attest, as they were willing participants to much of it.

When I was thinking what to write for this page, I began to catalogue all the adventures and experiences Bill and I had… from one Saturday night at Sky Dome, where the Argo’s were getting positively pummelled and we gave up on them – and haranguing Terry David Mulligan who was sitting four rows in front of us – deciding it was much more exciting to go walkabout in the building, where we eventually stumbled, quite accidently, mind you, into the CBC Television broadcast booth, much to the absolute surprise of Lancaster and Whitman in their bright orange jackets. Needless to say, we made a rather hasty exit.

I also remember, after a grand, yet unbearably hot and humid afternoon at the old Tiger Stadium, Bill decided it would be a fine idea to cool down by doing a brief 50-metre swim in the Detroit River. Thankfully, we were on the Canadian-side at that point and well away from the shipping lanes.

And, then there was the one, sub-zero, dark and wintery afternoon he phoned me up and said come on up to Aurora tonight, there’s a new Mercedes dealership opened and they’re having an open showroom. I told him I couldn’t put gas in my own car, let alone fund a new Merc. His response: “free wine and cheese.”

Those were the salad days of our mid- to late-twenties. Too. Much. Fun.

But, in all seriousness, and as much as we painted red everything we encountered, from Montreal to Hong Kong and – the last time I saw him – in 2016 in Los Angeles (although, I believe we were considerably more mellowed by then), there was so much more to Bill, as people have highlighted on this wall.

He was erudite, a connoisseur of film and music, a voracious reader and listener of audio books, a great conversationalist with a personality instinctively geared to naturally getting along with anyone. That, in itself, a rare trait in most people.

In the context of people that I have known in my life and, even though I have had limited contact with Bill over the past 30 years or so, I still consider him my best friend and I could not have known a better one.

I will think of him often, especially when one of those previous adventures and experiences surfaces in my mind. It was an absolute privilege to have known him.

My heartfelt condolences to Nance and his sister, Donna.

Dodger Stadium, LA (2016)

One of Bill’s HAT parties

Bill’s HAT party