Our condolences and memories of Dr. Bill Dawson

We extend our deepest sympathy to Brigitte and family and to Bill’s family on his sudden passing.

The warm reflections and special tributes shared on this memory page bring tears and joy. I first met Bill at the Faculty of Dentistry when we were both students, Bill would have been in first year Dentistry, and I was in 2nd year Dental Hygiene. That friendship grew as Bill married Judy, also a Dental Hygienist, and we all became members of the Gimli Yacht Club. We then shared many years of “fun and wet” sailing, racing on Lake Winnipeg on our Albacore and their Flying Dutchman.

Bill was a very good downhill skier, and it was a challenge to keep up with him on the slopes. The tragedies of the untimely passing of Peter and then Judy left Bill with the challenges of charting a new life.

Having two wonderful friends, Bill, and Brigitte, begin a new and happy journey was a true blessing. We recall the excitement when Brigitte announced their engagement. In 2017, it was so nice to share time with them at Sail Canada’s award evening. Kevin will also cherish the memories of a successful year racing “Banue” with Bill and Brigitte and winning the Manitoba Keelboat Championship in 2022.

Bill’s love of the outdoors, keeping fit, a healthy diet, helping others and spending time with his many friends were skills we admired and will be remembered. Rest in Peace our dear friend!

A message from my brother Michael:

It was very nice to see how harmoniously Bill and my sister Brigitte lived together. They had the same interests in sailing, skiing and traveling and, of course, family life. It goes without saying that he was fully committed to Brigitte's children and held them close to his heart. It was always a great pleasure when he came to Germany with Brigitte and we could spend some quality time together. We often regretted that we lived so far away from each other.

We miss Bill very much!



In loving memory of Bill Dawson! 

Although we knew Bill and Brigitte from Gimli, Stephen and I only really got to know them well when we started cruising together in the Bahamas. I will never forget the first time we met up with them in Marsh Harbour in May of 2019. They just purchased their beautiful new boat (Bavaria 40) Summertime in Mexico and they sailed it over to the Bahamas for the first time. They were brimming with enthusiasm and were busy making all kinds of plans for this exciting new chapter in their life.

We were invited on to their boat to help perform the flag changing ceremony - switching the boat from Swiss to Canadian registration - and we celebrated with champagne and appetizers. Little did we know that it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship where we would share many, many more happy hours, and wonderful meals together.

Bill was always busy tinkering on something on the boat and took great pride in making sure that everything was in ‘ship shape’ on Summertime. The thrill and the excitement in his eyes when he talked about something he just fixed on the boat, was only outmatched when he was looking at, or talking about Brigitte.

We would spend many sundowners with other boaters in the cockpit of Summertime sharing stories, laughter and great meals. When Brigitte would prepare something he loved he would beam with excitement and his eyes would light up with joy. Having found each other later in life, their friendship and love for one another was palpable - and it was a privilege to be around.

Our friendship grew on and off the boat and when we were back in Winnipeg we continued to spend time together. Bill had a natural curiosity about life and was always up for a new adventure. So in the summer of 2020 we were thrilled when Bill and Brigitte visited us at Gull Harbour and joined us for a sail up to Princess Harbour on Lake Winnipeg. Since then, we spent lots of time together going on hikes, bike rides and cross country skiing (even going to the opera 😳) and just generally enjoying spending time together.

In August of 2021, Brigitte and Bill came back to Gull Harbour because Brigitte was sewing us a new StackPack (sail cover). While there, the power went out on the island, and I was surprised to hear that Brigitte was able to finish the sewing project despite the power outage. She said it was no problem because Bill manually cranked the wheel on the sewing machine. When we were installing the StackPack, one of the jack lines got loose but no problem! Brigitte stood on Bill’s shoulders so she could retrieve it. That was Bill! It’s a good example of the kind of partner/person Bill was in life. Always helpful, supportive, consistently reliable and somebody who you could depend on.

We were fortunate to have spent the next two winters cruising the Bahamas together, making new friends and sharing in many fun adventures.

The last time we saw Bill and Brigitte was last November when we went out for brunch. We had a lovely visit, hugged each other goodbye and said ‘see you in the Bahamas’! Never in a million years would we have thought that we’d never see our friend again.

His passing has shaken us to the core and made us realize how precious these last few years have been. We have been blessed to have been part of Bill and Brigitte’s life the last few years and we will sadly miss Bill’s smiling eyes, his good humour, and his solid friendship!

Rest in peace Bill!

To Brigitte and Family, unfortunately, I didn't have the privilege of knowing Bill as you did, and as I read through the memories and the photos that have been shared, Bill was an incredible inscription of what LOVE looks like. Someone who selflessly cared for everyone.

My heart goes out to you, Brigitte, and your family. May your hearts stay full of the memories you have cherished. May you live with the esteemed passion, courage, love, and laughter that Bill instilled in you.

Sail Manitoba is saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Bill Dawson, a cherished member of the sailing community. Bill was a passionate sailor and a dedicated individual who contributed significantly to our shared love for the sport.

Bill's untimely departure has left a void that will be deeply felt by all who had the privilege of knowing him. His commitment to Sail Manitoba and his friendly demeanor made him a beloved figure in our sailing community. Whether on the water or off, Bill was always ready to lend a hand, share his knowledge, and foster a sense of camaraderie among fellow sailors.

On behalf of Sail Manitoba and the sailing community, we extend our deepest condolences to Brigitte, the family, and his many friends. Bill’s legacy will undoubtedly live on in the memories of those who had the pleasure of sailing alongside him.

We met Bill as a fortune for my beloved friend Brigitte some years ago. He was a very nice person, sympathetic, smart, funny, polite and always on the way of looking for sunshine. On our holidays in Austria he even learned German, laughing  and very charming! And my god, what a sportive strength he had, I admired that!

Bill, we miss you and your sunny smile!

Uli & Godo

My deepest condolences to Brigette and all your family - I treasure the memories of you both attending Springfield Flying Club events and sharing Bills love of flying. Bills easy going, friendly manner will be sadly missed, and never forgotten. Fond memories from that chapter of Bills life 

My thoughts are with you and your family, let me know if I can help in any way

We are so saddened by Bill’s sudden passing. We had met Bill many years before at GYC but never really got to know him at that time. Then about 5 years ago, we were introduced to Bill & Brigitte through mutual friends. Bonded by a love of sailing,  we quickly became friends. Bill’s wonderful smile reflected his warm personality. We were so happy to rendezvous with Summertime in the Bahamas this past January and enjoy hanging out together. Good times, good cheer, and good friends! This picture was taken January 30th in Georgetown… a month before Bill’s passing. Our deepest condolences to Brigitte and families of Bill. He will be missed 

Joann & Doug Mackie

My name is Amanda Ward. I am currently living aboard our sailboat, Starship1, with my husband, Jason and our 12 year old son, Dylan. We are doing a 3 year sailing trip of a lifetime we call the Big Trip.  We find we do not have to look very far to be reminded of the biggest reason why we are doing the Big Trip…life is short. It’s not comfortable to think about, but none of us really know what tomorrow brings. None of us know how many more times in our lives the sun will rise. 

Jason’s family has known Bill for many, many years. They sailed with him and his wife, Judy at Gimli Yacht Club. Soon after, Bill became Jason and Matthew’s (Jason’s younger brother) dentist. Before I met Jason, Bill had gone through heartache that would bring anyone to their knees. Jason told me of the sudden loss of their adopted, eight-year-old son, Peter, and then ten years later, the loss of his wife Judy.

Jason and I reconnected with him and his now fiancé, Brigitte as we were preparing for the Big Trip. I will always remember the day they had us over for lunch about a year before we left on our trip. That day at their place, I couldn’t help but be fascinated by Bill. He found true love and contentment again. Through his life, he has overcome unbearable tragedy yet found the strength to let himself find such happiness with Brigitte and her family! Bill was proof of how strong the human spirit is and I will never forget that.

The day we were at their place, Bill was preparing to take an exam. Brigitte’s son was taking a very challenging, advanced level math class and Bill wanted to do everything he could to be supportive to him so he enrolled in the same class! Who does that!? We spent our afternoon with them enjoying Brigitte’s fresh baked pretzels and talking about how excited we all were for our upcoming sailing adventures. They gushed proudly showing us pictures of their gorgeous sailboat called Summertime.   

We eventually set off on our Big Trip and our hope was that at some point we’d cross paths with Bill and Brigitte somewhere in the Exumas on white sandy beaches and crystal blue waters. We just never thought it would be under these heartbreaking circumstances.

On February 8th, Brigitte messaged Jason saying that Bill was suddenly very sick. They need to end their winter sailing trip and get the boat back Florida as quick as they could. They dropped anchor beside us in West Nassau Channel to wait on favourable winds and invited Dale, Jennifer, Jason and I over. That happened to be the same day that Jennifer and Dale arrived for their stay on Starship.

It was clear to see that Brigitte was so very worried, yet she was such a gracious host that night. They had brought their daughter Tanja onboard to help sail the boat back when Bill got sick. Tanja hit it off very well with Dale and Jennifer that night as they all spoke German. I had no idea what they the three of them were talking about but I could easily see they really enjoyed each other’s company. I’d like to think that having friends around them helped with the anxieties of the very difficult situation they were in. It was clear to us when we saw Bill that something was wrong. We hoped so much, as they did too, that it was something that could’ve begun to be remedied as soon as he got home to his doctor. When we left their boat that night, Brigitte loaded us up with bags of all the food they bought for their sailing trip that they now knew they could not use. The next morning, February 15th, we watched them pulled anchor and eight days later Brigitte messaged us with the heartbreaking news of his diagnosis. Her message to us on February 29th took our breath away. Bill had passed away.

We are saddened that we will not be able to attend his Happy Hour at Gimli Yacht Club this summer but are so thankful we had that precious evening with them in Nassau. The same day that he will be honoured in Gimli, we will raise a toast and ring our ship’s bell for him eight times – a tradition done to signify that a sailor’s final watch has ended. We will think of him as we watch the sunset over the turquoise, Bahamian waters that we know he and Brigitte together loved so much.

Hi Bill I am sorry I never got the chance to thank you for you kindness and generosity towards my two  my children.  I am very grateful and appreciate you for that.  R.I.P.   

Gord Blumenschein