Obituary
Josef William Dunster Sheldon Obituary
Josef William Dunster Sheldon was born on March 31, 1943, and died peacefully on December 27, 2025, in Edmonton, Alberta. Bill died a very lucky man, surrounded in spirit by family near and far, and with his beloved Mary holding his hand until the very end.
Bill was the husband of Mary Ellen Sheldon (née Gould), and the father of Tess (Raja), Claire (Craig), Mia, Jay (Inbar), Signy, Toby (Jyotsna), and Tori (Erick). He was the brother of Catherine and was predeceased by his siblings, Juliet, Jim, and David. He was an endlessly silly grandfather - known as "Gramps" - to Liv, Finley, Sabi, and Suki, who knew him as unusually good at walking in silly ways.
An HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) engineer by training and temperament, Bill understood systems, balance, and flow. He learned early that life, like any well-designed system, rarely runs exactly as planned, and that a sense of the absurd helps when things need recalibration. His own path through life wasn't straight, but it was brightly lit when he met Mary at the University of Toronto. Bill and Mary were married in 1968, and spent their early years together travelling and working across Europe, Newfoundland, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. In 1980, they settled in Edmonton, where they raised their family. Bill proudly served as President of the Windsor Park Community League from 1993 to 1994. Bill worked as an engineer for the federal government. In recognition of his professional contributions, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers in 2018.
Bill will also be remembered as a canoeist, a lover of cigars shared with his sons, and an inventive spirit who could make soup out of just about anything. He was always ready to fix things that seemed unfixable, often with duct tape, and just as ready to pass along what he knew (even if patience sometimes ran thin). Bill loved Stompin' Tom Connors as well as "The Log Driver's Waltz". In another life, he may well have been a log driver himself, hopping over white water with his unmistakable grin, wily, light-footed and figuring things out as he went.
Bill lived with dementia, a condition that took parts of his memory, but could not touch his love for his family. He did not always speak easily or often about love, but later in life, he moved through the world differently. As words became harder to find, his love became expressed in quieter, truer ways. When his path became uncertain, he reached for Mary's hand and did not let go until his very end. In those later years, he shone most brightly in Mary's presence, where he was most himself. Bill leaves a legacy that reminds us that life, like any system, depends on many moving parts working together. His memory also reminds us to tell the people we love that we love them easily and often.
A Celebration of Life will be held in Edmonton this spring and in Toronto this summer. Please share your contact information using the form to receive updates.