Obituary of William McColgan
On Sunday, January 23rd, William McColgan passed away peacefully in hospital in his eighty-seventh year. Bill (Willie) was born on November 3rd, 1934, in Clydebank, Scotland. He apprenticed as a shipyard welder, and served his time in the National Service as a paratrooper. Eventually he married and started his family in Old Kilpatrick. His work brought him to Canada fifty-one years ago. He settled in St. Catharines, and remained here with his wife, Marie, until 2021. Bill worked in a variety of places all over the Niagara Region, and even farther afield, on occasion. He was employed at Port Weller Dry Dock and Foster Wheeler Steel for many years. Bill maintained long friendships with workmates, extended family, and members of the St. Catharines Celtic Supporters Club. He also belonged to the St. Catharines YMCA for many years, and enjoyed using the facilities for swimming, weight-lifting, and also for socializing. Bill was a longtime parishioner of St. Patrick’s Church in Merritton, and volunteered with the SVDP Society.
Bill was recently predeceased by Marie, his loving wife of fifty-seven years, and he missed her dearly. He is survived by his children, Mary Anne Marshall, James McColgan (Jennifer Braid), and Kenneth McColgan (Krista). He was also a proud grandpa to Jeff Marshall, Adam Marshall, John Marshall, and Cameron McColgan. Bill was predeceased by his sisters, Sarah Kirkwood, Katy Mairs, and Betty Cummings. He is survived by his sister, Patty Brown, of San Diego. Bill was close to his in-laws and will be missed by his brother-in-law Gerald Emonds (Catherine) and sister-in-law Patricia Coyle (George). He was also a fond uncle to several nieces and nephews.
The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the dedicated nursing staff of The Rainbow Ward at GNGH. They cared for Bill every day for several months, under very challenging circumstances, while respecting his personal dignity at all times. We are also grateful for the compassionate care of Dr. Mary Salib, and her team, of the Walker Family Cancer Clinic. Anyone wishing to make a donation in Bill’s name, please consider the St. Catharines Branch of the SVDP or the Canadian Cancer Society.
Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the GEORGE DARTE FUNERAL HOME, 585 Carlton St., St. Catharines. A funeral mass will be celebrated at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, 31 Chestnut Street East, St. Catharines on Friday, January 28th at 11 a.m. Masks are required inside of the church. For those wishing to view a livestream of the funeral, you may do so at the following link: crownpointvideo.com/live