Jack Burbridge (RCMP)

Entered November 13, 2017 from Orleans

Scott,

So sorry to hear of your loss. Thinking of your father brings back many memories of our years working together over 35 years ago and during the latter years of my time in "The Force". Please accept my deepest condolences.

Ron Jackson Supt (rtd) (friend and colleague)

Entered November 13, 2017 from Ottawa

My sincere condolences go out to Bills family . Although I did not know him well I had the pleasure of his company during our careers in Ottawa both socially and professionally . He was an intelligent dedicated officer and who could always be depended upon to give his very best. He will be missed

Robert "Bob" MacNeil 

Entered November 13, 2017 from Ottawa

I remember him fondly from N Division Training.....one of the good guys! My sincerest condolences to the family.

Lia Eichele (RCMP Veteran)

Entered November 16, 2017 from Ottawa

I am privileged to have had the opportunity to become close to Bill and his family through my visits as part of the RCMP Veterans' Association's Visitation Program. It was always such a pleasure to visit Bill in his Maplewood Residence, and I am going to miss his many, many stories, his acute sense of humour, his cheeky smile, and above all his genuine friendship.
Rest in peace, Bill.

Al Rivard (Fellow RCMP Veterans)

Entered November 16, 2017 from Ottawa

On behalf of the RCMP Veterans’ Association, I send our most sincere condolences to Bill’s family. I’ve known Bill for nearly 20 years. He was a man of principle with a great sense of humour. He will be missed.

Al Rivard (C/Supt ret’d)
President
RCMPVA

My Big Brother (Bill)y,
Losing my Brother was the Hardest loss of my Life.
I am so grateful that I had him for 80 years.
Just prior to his being diagnosed with ALS, I was able to spend some quality one on one time with him. We talked about many things, our Childhood, our children, and our Deep Love for each other.
No one but he and I know the stories of our Childhood. I thanked him for always being there for me. We shed some tears of Sadness but mostly Joy for having the close Relationship we had. I reminded him of the amazing legacy he would leave behind, a Wonderful Son and Daughter in law, and two beautiful Grandchildren. I told him that through them he would live on.

I will try to share just a few of the stories he and I shared.
He told me a story that when I was born, he carried me around whenever he could. I heard that story my whole life from our Mom and Dad. I apparently had Eczema as a baby and would wake up each morning with my cheek stuck to the pillow case. Billy told me that he would bath my cheek with warm water to ease my pain and to ease my cheek from the pillowcase. Then he would rock me until I stopped crying.
He said that he & our sister Dolly were always stuck taking me to the Saturday morning Cowboy Movies. Here I thought they loved having me along?
When I was three or Four I was determined to stay up and see Santa Clause. I was told that Santa would not come or leave presents if I was not sleeping, but I was not giving in. Billy went down stairs and rang bells very loudly, I was in bed and sleeping so fast. I was told yrs. later who rang those bells.
When he was only working part time he saved his money to buy me two dolls, a “Campbell Soup Cupie doll” and a “Shirley Temple doll” Oh, how I loved those dolls, unfortunately my Mother gave them away when I left home..
When I started school, Billy always had a few pennies to give me for penny candy on my way to school so I could be like my friends.
We had very little money, so he would get me books from the Library and he and Dolly would take turns reading to me at Bedtime. They made me feel loved and protected me through some difficult times..
When he was in High school, he and his girlfriend bought me second hand roller skates and screwed them to my “running shoes”. I spent many hrs. skating up and down Albert Street even though my feet were killing me.
I was going to a dance In High school and wrote and told Billy that I had nothing to wear, can you believe he sent me money to buy a White Cashmere cardigan that I desperately wanted, it probably took two month’s salary. My friend’s were so jealous.
He mentored me academically & helped me through my perceived difficulties with girlfriends & boyfriends. He always told me, “work hard in school so you can get a good job”.
Billy graduated from High school when he was 16 yrs. old. He wanted so badly to go to University but there was no money to send him. He went to “Normal” or Teacher’s College, graduating first in his class at 17, then he left to teach in a one room schoolhouse, I missed him so much, but he wrote me long letters which I eagerly waited for.
I remember so well the day that my Dad and I took him to Carievale, where he was to become the Principal of their high school, I was 9 yrs. old and small for my age. He was going to be living at the Town Hotel. He and my Dad laughed while I dragged his heavy suitcase up a steep flight of stairs. That is where he met Mabel whose parents owned that hotel. I was a little jealous of Mabel, but she always treated me very well and I learned to love her to.
Billy was always there to offer advise about school, wipe my tears after a heartbreak or help me sort out a problem with a friend.
We spent many hours over the years with Billy, Mabel and Scott (his Pride and Joy.) My husband Grant and our kid’s loved them as much as I did.
BILLY- “You were my brother and my best friend.
I will always love you no matter how long its been”.

Ileen.

The Lighting of the RCMP Eternal Flame

This is just a smaller part of Dad’s larger legacy story about the National RCMP Cemetery (NRC) at Beechwood. Dad was the one who first proposed its creation and wrote the first letter to that effect on 12 July 2001. A committee was formed within The RCMP Veterans Association under the leadership of D/Commr Roy Berlinquette and C/Supt Bill Becker to bring this initiative to fruition, which it was with the dedication in 2004. Father also designed the main memorial there but more on that elsewhere.
On Saturday 23 September 2017, a final piece of the NRC grounds was to take shape with the lighting and dedication of their Eternal Flame. The event would begin with the lighting of a torch by the Speaker of the House at the Centennial Flame at Parliament Hill and then passed to dignitaries and ultimately runners who would carry the flame to Beechwood and the Eternal Flame would be lit there as part of the dedication ceremony. Father, as one of the Founders was to have a place of high honour in the Parliament Hill ceremony and be the second dignitary to receive the lit torch from the RCMP Commissioner’s representative before passing it on to the RCMPVA.
Unfortunately, by late September father’s condition had deteriorated to the point where his participation was not possible. The RCMPVA, knowing this and still wanting to acknowledge father’s contribution to the NRC, generously asked me to stand in for him. I gratefully accepted wanting Dad to be there with me in spirit and to publicly represent him and his achievements.
It was an auspicious, proud and humbling experience. After the flame was lit by the Speaker of the House, it was first given to A/Commr Shirley Cuillierrer who represented the Commissioner and the RCMP. She then passed it to what would have been Dad as the first dignitary where I proudly stood in his place. When the torch was placed in my hands I said that I accepted it on C/Supt Becker’s behalf. I then turned and passed the torch to D/Commr (ret’d) Berlinquette representing the RCMPVA. From there it went down a line of other dignitaries and then runners who carried the torch Olympic style to the Beechwood location and the awaiting ceremony there. Father was again mentioned in the ceremony there as one of the founders of the entire National RCMP Cemetery initiative.

RCMP Monument Design
Among his many achievements Dad also designed the main monument in the National RCMP Cemetery. Here he is with the finished result almost exactly as he first envisioned it. The side elements he took from the stained glass windows in the RCMP Chapel in Regina where he and Mom were married.

RCMP Monument Design
Here is the first hand drawn sketch Dad made for the design of the main RCMP Cemetery monument.

This morning we lost Bill. He was the last of my grandparents. He went peacefully after a long life and eventually a struggle with ALS. I know I am lucky to have been close with several of my grandparents and even to have known great-grandparents. Many people do not get to experience the feeling of vastness in family. It was one of the things that made moving around so often in my childhood easier. Now that feeling seems lost.
Bill was many things to me as he was to himself throughout his long life. He is also survived by my wonderful great aunt Ileen. I know from his life that he worked early on as a delivery boy for a butcher and in the days where you preserved meat by leaving it on your roof in the winter he knew about frigid air appliances in others homes. What an interesting era to live through. He became a teacher, and soon a principal of a one-room school house in the prairies. his traveling to start a life as a very young man is how he met my grandmother. A young man looking to start his life would meet Islamic immigrants running a b&b and general store in small town Canada. A part of our diverse settler culture in this country.
The stories he lived through that I am sure I have never heard must be innumerable. He later became a cop and this would become his career until retirement. I'm not sure that I often agreed with my grandfather or even had similar politics even in my young age, but he taught me a lot about wisdom. He stood by my grandmother and at times in his neighborhood they fought against racial intolerance when it was an unpopular stance to take. At times a very unpopular and isolating one.
He taught me about knowing. I think now, as I reflect, the thing he demonstrated the most is service. Something that many of us struggle with. We often think of it as charity but service is a noble virtue, truly. He served his partner through her life. He served her steadfast through her final years and illness. He served his community and his family. May he rest in peace.

Jonathan Becker