death of Bill Murphy will leave a large void in the hearts of all who knew him” she said. His son Shawn, who spoke for the family, paid tribute to the human qualities of his father. “Despite his other accomplishments, we believe our father will be remembered by the number of true friends he leaves in this community,” he said. “Throughout his entire life, he was totally dedicated to his family. He will be truly missed.”

A former employee, Thien Tang, wrote a moving tribute to Bill’s memory which was published in the Guardian. Tang recalled that he first met Bill when he was a 19 years old, a recent immigrant and a summer student at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. He noted that Bill had been a constant source of encouragement in his career, and was instrumental in helping to bring his parents to Canada. “What made Bill a great and admirable man was his uncanny, down—to—earth, compassionate attitude toward any person, regardless of his or her position in the society,” wrote Tang. “What brought me to tears and hurt was the loss of a good friend, a person who had reached out so often to help the ordinary individuals from all walks of life, such as me.”

In tribute to Bill’s long—term contribution to the fishery, a group of people in the industry established a memorial scholarship to be presented annually to a deserving Prince Edward Island student who was enroled in the seafood processing technology program at Holland College.

The Holy Redeemer Church was packed at the funeral service. Bill’s pallbearers were siX of his sons. “We were his best friends,” said Kevin in making the suggestion. Michael accompanied his mother and Mary Jane to the funeral mass. The day was overcast, and as they left the car to enter the Holy Redeemer Church, Michael turned to his mother and said that, despite the clouds, it was unlikely to rain.

“You also said that Billy wasn’t going to die,” was her only response in the

midst of her grief and disbelief.

Bill’s death was a devastating loss to Kathleen. At age 67, this was the first time in her life that she had been left alone, and the new experience was uncomfortable to her. For the first month or so, unbeknownst to her

156 KATHLEEN MURPHY, MAITRIARC