Obituary of William Thomas Clinansmith

William Thomas Clinansmith

With great sorrow and happiness, we announce the passing of Bill Clinansmith on Dec 19, 2023.  He leaves behind his wife, Adrienne, sons Nathan and fiancé Arran, Matthew and wife Vicky and daughter Naomi, husband Mark and grandson Kingston. Predeceased by his father, David, mother, Mary, brother, Pat(Bonnie). Survived by siblings Sue(late John), Barb(Richard), Jarylynn, Cis(Ed), Mike, Jill(late Dave), Steve(Frannie), Maryanne(Frank) and Kathy and a multitude of nieces and nephews. Bill and I had a good marriage (with the requisite ups and downs) of 48 years. I loved my husband with a passion and he was an excellent father.  We had a life of travelling and adventure, first moving to Manitoba in 1975 where Bill completed his education at Brandon University. He coached the women’s varsity team and played on the men’s varsity team.  His first teaching position was at Birtle District High School. He LOVED his job and his students!  During our years in Manitoba, Bill travelled across Canada playing semi-pro baseball.We returned to Windsor in 1986 where Bill continued his teaching career throughout Windsor and retired from Herman Collegiate in 2013.  He consistently refused any administrative positions in order to stay with the students. Upon retirement we planned to move to Mexico permanently in 2015. He agreed to support my calling to serve as a Pastor and establish The Church of Comfort and Care.  At my request he stated “I’ve achieved my goals; we can work on yours”.  The Church was established in Francisco May, Quintana Roo, Mexico, a very small Mayan community.  Bill continued with baseball in Mexico by sponsoring the local Jaguares team, coaching and playing. Bill did not speak much Spanish but sign language does work! He ran his last bases at 71 years. He was happy and proud of the support he provided.  He continued teaching English to the interested students in our small community.  Our return home for Christmas of 2022 became a permanent reality due to Alzheimer’s and the return of cancer after 20 years remission.  2023 was a difficult year, he survived 4 major surgeries and had great bounce back until the last and his energy just ran out. He fought the good fight and although he did not belong to any organized church he had “someone on his left shoulder”. He was loved by many and will be missed by many more.  He has received his Peace and Comfort beyond our understanding! A private family gathering has taken place, followed by cremation.  A “Celebration of Life” service will be held on March 30, 2024, 4-7pm at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 594, 5030 Howard Ave, Oldcastle, ON N9H 0M3.  Please, no black attire and be prepared to tell a joke or story. This is a happy ending!  Donations to the charity of your choice or *Church of Comfort and Care (*we cannot issue receipts at this time), or Alzheimer Society of Windsor & Essex County or Transition to Betterness (T2B) would be appreciated by the family  ,