Stephen, William Davidson

William Davidson Stephen 1907 - 1974

William Davidson Stephen (Bill) was born in Montreal, Quebec, on October 24, 1907, the son of William Davidson Stephen and Eleanor Longmuir White. Tragically, Bill’s father died of pneumonia prior to the birth of his young son and namesake.
As a child, Bill would accompany his mother and older brother – and sometimes his grandmother - to Tadoussac, where they would stay as guests of Alfred Piddington in his newly built summer residence. They are the first three names in the guest book of Mr. Piddington’s house in 1914, and the guest book survives to this day.
As a child, Bill attended The High School of Montreal, whereafter he joined what would become The Canadian International Paper Company (CIP) as a young man, where he remained for his entire career, retiring from the Treasury Department on his 65th birthday. As a young man in Montreal, Bill participated in many sports, including lacrosse, water polo, sailing, tennis and golf.
In his management role at CIP, he worked with a young lady named Ainslie Evans. When Ainslie was preparing to leave for her summer vacation, Bill inquired where she would be going, to which she replied “a small place that you would have never heard of”. Not only had Bill visited Tadoussac many years earlier, he stayed in the same house that Ainslie’s parents had acquired from Mr. Piddington’s Estate.
Bill married Dorothy Ainslie Evans in Westmount on April 15, 1944, and thereafter spent his summer vacations at Tadoussac with his family, returning to the same house that he had visited as a child. Bill’s three children (Margeret, William and Peter) and two grandchildren (Alexander and Mary), have always been – and remain - Tadoussac enthusiasts.
Bill was a lifetime resident of Montreal, and died there in 1974 on his 67th birthday, two years to the day after his retirement.
He is remembered by his children as a somewhat quiet man with a splendid sense of humour; a dedicated, supportive and loving father.
He lies next to his loving wife in the Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal.