October 26 Memorial in Akron for Bill

Former BJ reporter Bill Canterbury passed away Tuesday, May 1 in Fort Myers, Florida.

Wife Paula Elick Canterbury wrote:

“John, I am sorry to tell you that Bill passed away May 1 after a battle with cancer. 

Bill Canterbury

“It was a sudden illness but a very aggressive form of cancer.

"We are having a memorial Mass Friday, October 26, 9 a.m., at St. Sebastian Church in Akron with a reception following at the O’Neill House. I hope all can make it. I appreciate you letting the retiree group know.

“Thanks, Paula Canterbury”

Paula explains the October choice:

“We are waiting for October as all our family will be gathering in Akron for a family wedding. We are currently living in Fort Myers where Bill was playing tennis and swimming in the Gulf (of Mexico) in February!"

Bill was the nicest, most unassuming person I have ever met.

Paula put it better:

“Thank you for the kind remembrances of Bill. He was a true country gentleman, like yourself, and we miss him terribly. Hope to see you in October."

I wouldn't miss paying respects to Bill for the world.

Former BJ Editor Dale Allen nailed it:

“If anyone defined the understated eloquence of the Beacon Journal newsroom, it was Bill Canterbury.

"I am sorry to hear of his death."

After so many Facebook posts from Bill's friends and former co-workers, Paula added:

"John, you don’t know how your kind words and the words of his friends and colleagues have helped our kids, Eddie and Lyn, and me through this first week without him. 

"I so appreciate that you reached out to us. You, too, are a country gentleman. There is just something about you West Virginia boys! 

"Thank you and God Bless. Hope to see you and your Paula in October. God Bless, Paula."

Bill could write a quiet story that was loud in your heart. In 1985 his story lede was:

"The dead still rest in peace in a hilltop cemetery in rural Holmes County. But to their survivors, the scenic, century-old burial ground has become a matter of unrest."

There’s a mountain of unrest in my heart as I type this because a fellow West Virginian who shared 44 E. Exchange Street with me is gone forever.

Bill grew up in Wayne County, West Virginia, which is adjacent to Mingo County, where I had my first job after my graduation from West Virginia University School of Journalism, as sports editor of the Williamson Daily News.

Bill and I shared a glittering array of BJ talent born in West Virginia: Scott Bosley, Tom Melody, Bonnie Bolden and some guy from Bluefield with the initials JSK.

George Davis, known as Bing among his family members, wrote:

“I've known of Bill since 1964 when I succeeded him at the Lynchburg (Virginia) Daily Advance and got his apartment, too."

I didn’t know that Bill once worked at the Lynchburg newspaper.

Bill left after 30 years at Ol’ Blue Walls in 2001 on the day that 510 years of BJ experience walked out the door. He’s in That Newsroom in the Sky now with Sandy Levenson, Joan Rice and Bill Bierman, who also ended their BJ careers on that sad, sad 2001 day.

In 2009 my Paula (Tucker) and I ran into Bill and Paula at the annual St. Sebastian Church Thanksgiving dinner on Mull Avenue in Akron. Bill was with Meals on Wheels. 

Both Paulas crossed paths in high school although Paula Stone Tucker is a St. Mary's grad and Paula Elick Canterbury is an Ellet grad.

Kathie Capriolo, a graduate of Akron Central and the University of Akron and a retired Akron Public Schools teacher, wrote:

“Ralph and I are so sorry to hear this. We got to know Bill and Paula through our West Akron Baseball League years.

“Paula and I both worked for Akron public schools. One year at Perkins baseball field, she helped me grade papers.

“Great couple. Bill will be missed.”

Indeed, Kathie.

After the BJ, Bill was public information officer for the Summit County Sheriff.

Bill had been attending the monthly BJ retirees gatherings at Papa Joe’s in the Merriman Valley for years by then, so I also saw and enjoyed his low-key presence there, too.

Paula Canterbury is a University of Akron and Ellet High graduate who was principal of Central Intermediate School in Wadsworth.

RIP, Bill. 

You proved that you can have a magnificent flair while being a quiet man.