William (Bill) Towns (left) with club member Jean Polak, at 70th anniversary celebration,
February 3, 2018. Photo courtesy of Mary Beth Hartill/Metroland
Rotary’s longest serving living member Bill Town’s passed away this morning at age 95, in the hospital he loved, built and sustained for decades.
Bill served Rotary for 72 years as of February 13th and after much research, it is believed that Bill was the second longest serving Rotarian EVER having been only out-served by a gentlemen in Georgia who served 78 years (and who has long since passed away).
On Bill’s 70th anniversary the Rotary Club of Bracebridge held a celebration in Bill’s honour. Read the MuskokaRegion.com article - HERE.
Bill was Chairman of the Board of the Bracebridge Memorial Hospital when the decision was made to build a new hospital. He presided over the official opening of that “new” hospital on October 18, 1963. He was the first Chairman of the South Muskoka Memorial Hospital Board on which he served continuously for 35 years, retiring in 1987. Bill was also the first Chairman of the South Muskoka Hospital Foundation after it was created in 1980 and served on the Foundation’s Board for another 15 years.
Bill said at the time of his retirement from the Hospital Board that “ If a person is going to accept the benefits of a community, then it is up to that person to offer himself in some capacity, without being paid, to make the place a little better before he leaves, than when he arrived.” He did.