Arthur "Bill" Plumstead

Peacefully passed away on Saturday, July 1, 2023, at the North Bay Regional Health Centre at the age of 90 years. Beloved husband of the late Margaret Nicoll Plumstead “Niki”. Loving father to Bryan Plumstead (Suzan Tenwesteneind), Peggy Plumstead (Gary McLeod), and David Plumstead (Audrey Tenwesteneind). Cherished grandfather to Annette, Theo, Paul-David, Hannah, Ross, Lindsay, Desmond and great grandfather to Xavier, Alexandre, William, Rose, Leo and Nicoll. Bill is predeceased by his parents Arthur and Lila Plumstead. Bill is also brother-in-law to Dosse Field (Gord -deceased) and the uncle of Colin Field (Melissa) and Greg Field –deceased (Dianne). In keeping with Bill’s wishes cremation will occur at Whispering Pines Funeral Home with a private graveside ceremony for immediate family at Whispering Pines Cemetery in Temagami. If desired, donations are suggested to the Myasthenia Gravis Society of Canada Donate - MG Canada or That Beautiful Somewhere Creative Writing Award Why Give to Nipissing University Supporting Local and would be greatly acknowledged by the family. Online donations and condolences may also be made at www.mcguintyfuneralhome.com.

Scholar, businessman, entrepreneur, author, and filmmaker are just some of the words to describe Bill and the remarkable life he lived. Bill was born in 1933, and grew up in the Moore Park neighborhood of Toronto where he attended Upper Canada College (UCC). Following UCC, Bill went to the University of Western Ontario where he not only completed a B.A. but also found the love of his life, Niki, whom he married in 1955. The two spent their honeymoon on the Island they had just purchased on Lake Temagami, and started a love story that would continue for the next 65 years. Bill went on to continue studies at the University of Rochester where he completed his M.A. and PhD in English (1960).

Following his studies, Bill’s teaching career took him to the respective Universities of Saskatchewan, Minnesota, and Massachusetts where he taught Early American literature. However, the love he and Niki developed for Temagami proved to be too strong, and in the mid-seventies, Bill gave up his tenured professorship at UMass Amherst to make the permanent move to Lake Temagami with his family. From there, the couple bought Camp Malabar (a fishing/ tourist lodge), gave it a makeover, and renamed it “Loon Lodge”. Bill’s pursuits over the next 40 years would continue to exercise his entrepreneurial and creative spirits, which in addition to being a lodge owner/operator included forays into the marina business, writing books, and making feature films and documentaries. During this period, Bill always managed to keep a foot in academia with part-time teaching assignments at Laurentian and Nipissing Universities. Bill and Niki later moved to North Bay in the mid-nineties but continued to spend as much time as they could at their cottage on Lake Temagami.

The final, peaceful years of Bill’s life would not have been possible without the services and supports of people to whom the family is grateful. This includes the administration and staff of Barclay House Retirement Residence in North Bay, who provided Bill with tremendous care and helped to create a home that he loved. The doctors, nurses and staff at the North Bay Regional Health Centre Emergency Department also delivered quality care and support in a time of need. And in the final moments, Bill’s family doctor, Dr. Kathryn Shaw, together with the hospital’s palliative care nurses and staff provided exceptional care, compassion, and guidance for a peaceful passing.

Bill will be dearly missed by family, friends and others whose lives he touched and shaped in some way, and held in their thoughts and memories forever.