Father Bill Maurice

1916-2008 Rev. William Maurice, S.J. passed away peacefully on Monday evening at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. He was in the ninety third year of his life, and had been living at St Anne's Parish Rectory on the Fort William First Nation Reserve since 1991. Gifted with a prodigious memory and a relentless capacity for work, he had been living his retirement years classifying genealogies from all the Northwestern Ontario Missions where Jesuits had worked since the 1850s. He had devised indexes of names, their multiple spellings and changes and could locate in a matter of moments the genealogies of Native Persons from many parts of the Northwest. As a result of this research, he became a knowledgeable and trusted gatherer of the early history of our region. He set about collecting, transcribing, deciphering and translating the journals and diaries of the early Jesuit missionaries in the region dating back as far as the seventeen hundreds. If he became known in recent years for his historical research, he considered his main life work to have been that of a "missionary" to the First Nations communities of the Diocese of Thunder Bay and Sault Ste Marie. This involved being a math teacher, prefect of studies, and eventually principal of the Garnier Residential School in Spanish, Ontario. A fierce defender of solid education, he was proud of this school that produced many teachers, athletes, a doctor, and solid citizens that were his friends for life. When the school closed in 1958, he returned to the northern communities following a brief stint in Regina, teaching and coaching. From Armstrong in 1960, he visited 10 missions 'along the CN tracks' in addition to being chaplain at the Radar Base for American and Canadian soldiers. He was later asked to look after 12 missions from St Anne's Parish on the Fort William Reserve. Father Bill was always a great organizer, and in 1967 he was asked to lend his skills to do community development for the Federal Government's department of Indian Affairs. In 1972, it was the Provincial Government that sought his assistance as a Community and Social Services worker in the Armstrong area. Though eager to return to parish life full-time, he nevertheless accepted to be assistant band manager for the Fort William Reserve. He is especially remembered during that time for encouraging the annual Pow-Wows on Mt McKay, and bringing some of his organizing abilities to office procedures, negotiations, and project development. He was also briefly the chaplain for the Thunder Bay Correctional Services and the District Jail. As a highly respected presence in the Native Communities, he was asked to become pastor of the large Wikwemikong Reserve on Manitoulin Island and become the Jesuit Superior for that region. He had promoted hockey in Armstrong, and he laced on his skates once again in Wicky and was the ever competent coach of the Thunder Birds in the Senior Intermediate hockey league on Manitoulin. In 1984, he was able to return to his beloved Thunder Bay district to become the Jesuit Superior of the Region and the pastor at Beardmore. It is there that he began to put his mind to the great history retrieval project that would occupy the rest of his days. He told us that he played his last hockey game when he was 70, and he was out for a skate on his 90th birthday. He was a man of complete fidelity to his prayer, his beliefs, and to the people he served. He lived fully till he died. He now belongs to the ages that will treasure the memory of this spirited and spiritual man who loved life and welcomed death. He is survived by sister's, Mary Fitzpatrick and Florence Dorland; brother's, Frederick, Francis, James, and Thomas. Numerous nieces and nephews also survive. Predeceased by his parents Tansi and Rose Maurice, his brothers John, Peter, George and Joseph, and a sister Laura. There will be a wake service for the St Anne's Community on the Fort William Reserve on Wednesday evening at 7 pm. A second service will take place at Saint Patrick's Cathedral on Thursday evening at 7pm. There will be a funeral Mass, celebrated by Most Reverend Fred Colli, Bishop of Thunder Bay, at 11:00 am on Friday morning at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Burial will be at the old Immaculate Conception burial grounds on the Fort William Reserve. If friends wish, they may make a donation to the "Genealogy Apostolate" c/o Rev. L. Kroker s.j. 126 Mission Road, Thunder Bay P7J 1K6, to further and complete Fr. Maurice's work on classifying genealogies from all Northwestern Ontario Missions where Jesuits had worked. A tree will be planted in memory of Rev. William Maurice s.j. in the Blake Funeral Chapel Memorial Grove. Annual dedication service Sunday, June 28, 2009. On-line Condolences may be sent to www.blakefuneralchapel.com"