Obituary of William Lewis Kerwin

Kerwin, William Lewis – It is with heavy hearts that the family of William Lewis "Bill" Kerwin announces his unexpected passing, which occurred at his residence on Thursday, October 27, 2016. Born in Saint John on July 4, 1945 he was a son of the late Herman and Isabel (Dingwall) Kerwin. He will be dearly missed by his loving wife, Linda (Arsenault) Kerwin of 37 years; and his beloved children, son Gard (Ginette), and daughter: Christi (Trevor). Sadly also left to mourn are his stepchildren, Monica O’Brien (Peter), and Robert MacIntyre. He is also survived by his brother Jack (Lois) and his sister Elizabeth "Libby" Kerwin Smith (Allan). His grandchildren Brianna, Zacherie and Jaden who will certainly miss their Bumpa as will his step-grandchildren Alyssia, Brittany, Kirra and Courtney-Jo who dearly loved their Grampy Bill. Bill also celebrated being a great grandfather to Keifer, Harlow and newborn Jace. To the wide range of people who admired and respected Bill, he was recognized as a man of the sea and all things Scottish. These passions of his life saw him travel the oceans of the world which brought him life-long friendships near and far. His proudest moment in life was being presented to Queen Elizabeth while touring Scotland with the Canadian Pipes and Drums. He graduated from the Saint John Vocational School acquiring his radio license enabling him to journey around the world both on a research and commercial vessels. His early career began when he joined Columbia University to serve on board the research vessel "R.V. Vema, then on to the Canadian Coast Guard taking him to the Arctic Sea. In the early 80’s he decided it was time to come ashore so he could spend quality time with his family. He was never far from the sea though as he took a position with The Department of Fisheries and Oceans controlling all the vessel traffic in the Bay of Fundy. Bill retired after 27 years of service due to health issues. However, a man of the sea is never content with retiring from its beauty, so he became a Dockside Monitor with Seefish Monitors Inc. on a part time basis, dealing with monitoring the catch of fishing vessels. In his spare time, he drove vehicles between the Maritime Provinces for Kia. Bill touched the lives of many through his deep community involvement. Notably, he was a President of the Saint Andrews Society, past Director of the Royal Order of Jesters Court 149, past Director of the Luxor Shriners Temple, Member of the New Brunswick Lodge # 22, he was a member of the Scottish Rite and was also Grand Piper for the Grand Lodge of New Brunswick. He was happiest when he was able to contribute his love of Scotland through music. He shared his musical gifts with friends and community alike, especially when participating in local and International Military tattoos. Resting at Brenan’s Funeral Home, 111 Paradise Row, Saint John (634-7424) with visitation on Sunday, October 30, 2016 from 6-8 pm and Monday, October 31, 2016 from 2-4 and 6-8 pm. A Royal Canadian Legion Tribute to a Veteran Service will take place Sunday at 7:00 pm and The New Brunswick Lodge No. 22 will be conducting a Masonic Service at 7:00 pm on Monday. A celebration of Bill’s life will be held on Tuesday, November 1, 2016 from Brenan’s Funeral Home Chapel at 12:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, remembrances made to Bobby’s Hospice, SPCA-Animal Rescue, Luxor Temple Shriners or Alzheimer Society of NB would be appreciated by the family.