Obituary of William Frederick Hoy

William Frederick Hoy of Ottawa, Ontario, passed away peacefully on April 3, 2024, at the age of 100.

William, known by many as Bill, was born to Frank and Helen Hoy, in Welland, Ontario, and lived most of his life in Ottawa. Bill joined the RCAF in 1942 as an Air Navigator and served in WW II with RAF Ferry Command from 1943 until the end of the war. In this role he navigated various planes across the South Atlantic to Africa and Egypt, as well as the North Atlantic to England. He survived an emergency bailout when his B-26 Marauder Bomber went down over North Africa. After the war, he continued with the RCAF as a navigator for a further 40 years, performing a multitude of roles and navigating a variety of aircraft to many countries. After retiring from the Forces in 1971, he flew as a navigator for the Canadian Ministry of Transport (MOT), in the Arctic and various countries around the world. He also worked several years on the MOT team that developed a new navigation satellite system, the precursor to today’s GPS.

Bill Hoy was the loving husband of the late Kay Hoy (Smith) for 60 years. He was the loving father of Doug (Deborah), Sheryl (Richard) and Kathy (Nicholas). He was Grandad to Karen (Oliver), Graham (Erica), Andrew (Heather), William, Thomas, and Maggie. Great Grandad to Pippin, Silas, and Lincoln. He was predeceased by his parents Frank and Helen Hoy (Philp), his siblings Jack (Hilda), Doris (Jim), and Bettie (Ron). He is survived by his brother Keith and by numerous nieces and nephews.

Bill lived life to the fullest: he loved travelling, spending summers at the family cottage, and enjoying winters in Florida, all with his beloved Kay by his side. Together they played golf, which he still enjoyed at age 99. At age 93, he wrote the book “Stars in My Eye” about his career as a navigator.

Bill was kind, generous, thoughtful and a much-loved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He will be missed by all who knew him.

Special thanks to the nurses, doctors, and staff of the Civic and St. Vincent’s hospitals for the care, compassion and kindness provided to Bill in his final days.

And especially, much thanks to Bill’s many friends and relatives who offered their best wishes and support. It gave him much comfort.

The family will host a Celebration of Life Service at the Pinecrest Remembrance Centre, 2500 Baseline Road, Ottawa, on Tuesday, April 16th. Visitation will take place at 1:00 pm, with a service at 2:00 pm. A reception at the Centre will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, donations in Bill’s memory may be made to The Ottawa Heart Institute or the Kidney Foundation of Canada. ​​​​