Obituary of William H. Giggey

William H. (Bill) Giggey of Saint John, husband of Constance (Brown) Giggey, passed away on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 at the Saint John Regional Hospital. Born at Saint John in 1920, he was a son of the late Roy and Lillian (Turner) Giggey. Bill is survived by his wife of 64 years, Constance (Brown) Giggey; his son, Richard (Elizabeth) of Texas and their children Trevor, Jessica, and Graham; his daughters Jane Bird (Terry) of Toronto, ON and their children Jennifer, Kristen, and Cameron; Beth Ritchie of Saint John, NB and her children Jordan and Laura; and Joanna Milner (Scott) of Amherst, NS and their children Andrew and Caroline; 5 great grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. The last surviving member of his immediate family, Bill was predeceased by a brother, Robert Giggey; and by sisters Marjorie Leggett, Jean White, Frances Buckle, and Lois Devlin. As a young man, Bill found both a passion and talent for hockey. He was a goaltender for the Saint John Junior Pontiacs and played Senior Hockey for the Saint John Beavers and the Shawinigan Falls Cataracts of the Quebec Senior Hockey League, considered at the time to be the next best league in the NHL. He coached hockey in both Saint John and Bathurst, and also coached and managed Little League Baseball for many years. In 1991, Bill was inducted into the Saint John Sports Hall of Fame. As a working man, Bill was Manager of Purchasing for McAvity Crane, a purchasing agent for NB Power at Coleson Cove and Point Lepreau, and then became owner and operator of Giggey’s Dental Lab. A Veteran of World War II, Bill served in the Canadian Dental Corps for six years, having received his training as a Dental Technician at the University of Toronto. During the war, he served in England in a hospital unit. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch # 64 and a member of the Masonic NB Lodge # 22 F. & A.M. for over 60 years. Bill was also a former member of the Riverside Curling Club and the Thistle-St. Andrews Curling Club, and was a past president of the New Brunswick Puchasing Agents Association. He was a member of St. John Baptist and St. Clement (Mission) Anglican Church, and had served on the Vestry of the church. Resting at Brenan’s Select Community Funeral Home, 111 Paradise Row, Saint John, NB (506-634-7424) with visitation on Friday from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. The funeral service will be held at St. John Baptist (Mission Church) and St. Clement Anglican Church, 815 Millidge Avenue, Saint John, NB on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. A Tribute to a Veteran Service will be held at the funeral home on Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. Also, a Masonic Service will be held at 7:30 p.m. Following cremation, interment will take place in Ocean View Memorial Gardens. Remembrances may be made to a charity of the donor's choice.