Obituary of William MacIsaac

William Patrick MacIsaac died suddenly on May 27, 2010, at the age of 76 after a lifetime of achievement as a lawyer, businessman, husband and father. Born in Westville, Pictou County, Nova Scotia in 1933, Bill was the son of William Bernard MacIsaac and Loretta Carrigan MacIsaac. His father worked in the region's coal mines and was a member of the military reserves, serving as a Private in the Great War and a Captain in World War II. Bill inherited his father's ambition and drive; after graduating from Westville High School and completing his Bachelor of Commerce at St. Dunstan's University (now University of Prince Edward Island) in 1954, Bill enrolled in Dalhousie Law School (now the Schulich School of Law). After graduating from law school in 1957 and joining the Nova Scotia Bar Association in 1958, Bill relocated to Saskatchewan, where he joined the Saskatchewan Bar Association and established a private practice. While in Saskatchewan, he met his wife, Iris Patricia (Pat) Yanish; they married in 1962 and remained married for 48 years, until Bill's death. In 1980, Bill left private practice to begin working as a criminal defence lawyer for the Saskatchewan Legal Aid Commission. In 1997, Bill was made Queen's Counsel by the Law Society of Saskatchewan, in recognition of his accomplishments as a lawyer and his contribution to the justice system in Saskatchewan. In 2004, he received a special certificate and a lifetime membership in the Law Society in recognition of his 35-plus years as a practising lawyer. To many people, Bill was a reserved person, but those who knew him well were aware of his sharp intellect, capacity for analysis, and sly sense of humour. Bill also had a strong and unrelenting commitment to fairness and equity in the justice system, a commitment that drove his career. In both his private practice and in his role as a legal aid lawyer, he extended himself on behalf of every client. Many dinners and events were interrupted by a telephone call from a client or the demands of a long and complex trial. After his ostensible retirement as a legal aid lawyer in 1998, Bill returned to private practice with Andrews Benko Rondeau Hawkins Pyle Evanchuk and MacIsaac putting his expertise and years of experience to good use. Bill was also a highly astute businessman, who was justifiably proud of his ability to research, analyze, and predict the market. With Pat, he established not only a home and a family but also a secure and comfortable retirement. In his youth, Bill was a well known local athlete and he remained active well into his 70s. As a young man, he was a competitive athlete in baseball, curling, and hockey; he later became passionate about golf. This fall, he will be inducted into the Pictou County Sports Heritage Hall of Fame as "Kiker" MacIsaac, a member of a youth hockey team that won four straight provincial championships. He later played hockey at St. Dunstan's University, and sacrificed two front teeth as a forward in an old-timers' league in Regina. Although his arthritis limited his golfing in recent years, he happily got up at 6 a.m. on weekends to spend a few hours on the greens, and many of his and Pat's trips to national and international destinations were planned around golf courses and tournaments. The day before he died, Bill put his clubs in the trunk of his car, hoping for a change in the weather. Bill encouraged his children and then his grandchildren to cultivate both ambition and a love of hard work, to examine words, actions, and ideas critically, to commit to their principles, and to act on their beliefs. Bill's immediate and extended family and friends will miss his generosity, wit, and insightful, provocative contributions to discussions and debates. He leaves behind his wife, Pat, his daughters Susan and Pamela, his son Jeff, his sons-in-law Barry Klein and Gregory Taylor, and his grandchildren, Lauren Klein, Julia Klein, and Sophie Taylor. He is survived by his brother Allister MacIsaac and his sister Romaine MacIsaac, both of Halifax, Nova Scotia. In lieu of flowers or gifts for the family, please send donations in his name to the Association in Defense of the Wrongly Convicted (http://www.aidwyc.org/) in recognition of Bill's commitment to justice and a fair hearing for everyone before the law. An online book of condolences may be signed at www.speersfuneralchapel.com