Sad news as we lost Bill Webb, a Canadian Rugby Foundation Board member and CRF Investment Committee member, on August 28. He will be sorely missed by all in the Canadian rugby community and remembered for all his contributions to rugby in this country at the club, university, national, and professional levels.
William “Bill” Reid Webb passed away peacefully at North York General Hospital on Monday, August 28th, 2023, in the presence of family after a bout of prostate cancer.
Bill was the loving son of the late Roberta Webb (née Heard) and was survived by his father, William A. Webb. He was the beloved husband and “the rock” to Dr. Agnes Wong for more than 26 years. Devoted and proud father of sons James and Stephen. Loving brother to Robert J. Webb, brother-in-law to Noriko, and a caring uncle to Masato and Aiko. Bill’s unwavering dedication to his family truly reflected his character.
Bill was born in Toronto, Ontario. Throughout his 59 years, Bill led a life of accomplishments filled with adventures. He was a proud graduate of Wilfred Laurier University (BBA ‘86). After spending two years working in the UK and travelling extensively around the world, including being a trekking guide in the Himalayas, he went on to obtain a Master of Business Administration degree from McGill University (MBA ‘93), where he met his wife and soulmate, Agnes. Bill had a long and distinguished career, including being the Executive Vice-President and Chief Investment Officer at Gluskin Sheff + Associates (1995-2015), a founding partner and later an advisor at Waypoint Investment Partners (2017-present), and most recently, the Co-Founder and President of the Toronto Arrows Rugby Football Club (2018-present), photos of which can be found here:
Rugby was a fundamental part of Bill’s life, from his early days with Brantford Collegiate Institute, the Brantford Harlequins, and the Laurier Golden Hawks to leading Canada’s first and only professional rugby union team. He also served on the Rugby Canada Board of Directors, co-chaired the campaign for building the Al Charron National Training Centre, and passionately supported the Toronto Inner-City Rugby Foundation (TIRF). His friends and family will deeply miss him, as he left a lasting legacy in the rugby community.
Bill will be remembered as a loyal friend and compassionate man who believed in giving back to the community through his actions and philanthropy. His legacy of kindness and integrity will live on in the hearts of those who had the opportunity to know him.
In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests a donation be made in memory of Bill to TIRF (https://tirfrugby.ca/make-a-difference/donate/), the Canadian Cancer Society (https://cancer.ca/en/) or True Patriot Love (https://truepatriotlove.com/).
The family will receive visitors at Kane-Jerrett Funeral Homes (6191 Yonge St, Toronto, ON) on September 8th from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Another brief visitation will be held from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. on September 9th, followed directly by a funeral mass at Blessed Trinity Parish (3220 Bayview Ave, North York, ON). The funeral service will be followed immediately by a reception at the Miller Tavern (3885 Yonge St, Toronto, ON) from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.kanejerrettnorthyork.ca for the Webb family.
Under the management of a volunteer Board of Directors, Twin Elm has grown over the last half century to hold a special place in Canada’s rugby history. The park has hosted provincial and national championships at the high school, junior and senior levels, as well as numerous international matches, including Canada’s epic 18-16 victory over France in 1994, and the Canadian women’s first ever home soil victory over the U.S.A. in 2001. The park has also showcased the Canadian German Shepherd championship, Gaelic Athletic competitions, lacrosse, and touch football to list a few.
Dozens of internationals have developed their skills on Twin Elms five pitches, and have gone on to wear the maple leaf with pride at Rugby World Cup’s going back 30 years, most recently at the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Twin Elm also holds the unique distinction of being the only rugby park in the world to have produced the captains of both the women’s and men’s national teams in consecutive Rugby World Cups. This unprecedented accomplishment occurred when Sherri Sparling captained Canada at the 2002 Women’s Rugby World Cup in Spain, and Al Charron followed by leading the Canadian men’s squad into Australia in 2003.
For example, one of the primary needs is to replace the old, donated lawnmower with a modern zero-turn mower designed for facilities the size of ours, which would result in significant time savings in volunteer hours. Other improvements include modernizing the lockers to 21st-century standards, renewing the lounge, replacing stands, and adding landscaping such as fences or tree planting. The list would be open-ended as long as rugby-related and of a longer-term capital expenditure versus current operating expense.
