A collection of stories, thoughts, and reflections on the life of William van Orden.
I am shattered by the death of my dear neighbour, Will. We have lost a kind and generous man who was a brilliant scientist and artist. When Tara and I first met him over thirty years ago, we were immediately intrigued by the techniques he had developed […]
Read more →Intelligent and socially and politically aware, William was a marine advocate, a lover of odd and unique things and music. A serial downloader as he put it. And maybe even a bit awkward like most of those who are unapologetically themselves. It took me a while when […]
Read more →The creative, soft, gentle and kind neighbour who lived just up the hill. I have nothing but lovely memories of William. He was exceptional, and truly special. William was a gift to Heriot Bay and to Quadra. Memories of listening to him and his profound knowledge of […]
Read more →I met William during a Quadra Island Artist Tour and fell in love with his beautiful fish. He was a joy to listen to and I could have spent hours listening to his fish and art stories. A couple of years later, my brother, sis-in-law, and niece […]
Read more →William came into our lives in the past couple years. When he caught wind of my son’s interests in all things ocean, he was quite excited to share his knowledge and excitement with Quinn. When we had our first visit to William’s shop he was so very […]
Read more →My earliest memory of William is of him riding a bicycle. But of course it wasn’t just a regular old bicycle. It was a bicycle that had seats for what must have been eight passengers. I was only about three or four years old, but I certainly […]
Read more →I’m not a car guy, and I’m only halfway interested in marine biology, but I do like a good tune and so did my dad. He taught me about Woodstock and Kraftwerk and J-Pop. He taught me that songs that take a few listens are often the […]
Read more →William was a wonderful friend with a warm heart. He created beautiful art work and could explain all the details of each subject he was working on. He was an artist with a scientific mind. We will miss him dearly.
Read more →Some people shine so brightly that from the moment you meet you are changed. William was someone who had that impact on me. His wonder and delight at discovering something or sharing some aspect of the natural world was an invitation to join him in celebrating the […]
Read more →Dear Barb; Leslie and I are so sorry for your loss. Please accept our sincere condolences. I have a couple of particular memories of William, to share. The first was many years ago when the library was still in Heriot Bay. Poor Derek was passed out in […]
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