Edward Joseph Williams

Edward Joseph Williams passed to another dimension shortly after midnight on the 23rd of December 2023, at the Royal Jubilee Hospital, surrounded by his wife, children, and close family. He died peacefully, suddenly, and well before his time at 67 years young!

Eddie was born in Edgeworthstown, County Longford, Ireland in 1956, to Marcella Drew and Joseph Williams and grew up on the family farm in Milltown, County Westmeath, Ireland. While he enjoyed the hard work with his three brothers, farming was never his calling and he kept running from it… literally. Eddie was an Irish track and field star who competed in the Decathlon (Ten different events that required incredible fitness.) Eddie was most fond of his high jump exploits and could leap over a precariously placed bar in a single bound. Even quoted as being “the best all-around athlete ever for Westmeath.” If you didn’t know Eddie was a track legend, then you must not have known Eddie well because he would have told you. His athletic exploits took him all over Europe and South Africa for competitions and training and he was a founding member of the Mullingar Harriers Athletic Club. While he wasn’t running around in short shorts, Eddie completed a diploma in Architectural Building Technology in Waterford, Ireland.

On one of those track and field meets, he met Lorraine Kelly, on a double decker bus in England. After communicating via pen and paper for a time, the romance blossomed and he immigrated to Canada in the early 80’s, got married, and landed a job as an architectural technologist immediately. After his first daughter and son, Eddie was diagnosed with cancer and had to undergo extensive radiation and operations. Although he recovered, and lived the rest of his life in remission, his track and field days came to a close. Eddie had two more daughters. That’s correct, three daughters and only one son. Our sympathies go out to Eddie and his son. In 1993, Eddie and the family moved from Edmonton, Alberta, to Victoria, British Columbia. While Eddie had hung up his cleats, he wasn’t quite finished being an athlete and set his sights on competing in rowing for the Victoria City Rowing Club. Rowing became a family event as he dragged his older children half asleep, and often in protest, in the wee hours to be the coxswains. Two of his daughters even found a love for the sport despite it, his son did not. The community aspect of the club appealed to Eddie and with time he became president of VCRC for a stint.

One could argue whether Eddie was more passionate about architecture or track and field. In either case he excelled, always gave 100%, and never missed an opportunity to talk about either, even if you had zero interest. In 2000 he took his skills to the next level by becoming a
registered Architect with the AIBC after completing the syllabus program through the RAIC. He worked for a couple firms in Victoria and Vancouver gaining a vast amount of experience in commercial applications.

In 2004, the foundation of Eddie’s first marriage began to show some structural issues that they couldn’t fix together. He entered a Rebuilers program a year later; a fitting program name for Eddie who was always renovating something. The program directors asked if Eddie could be a mentor. Luckily Wendy Hampton (Robertson) was also needing a remodel and entered the program under the watchful eye of said suave mentor. After dating for a while, they realized that they had the knowledge and love to make their vision together a reality. Eddie and Wendy married in 2008 and the fun of blending grown children into one family commenced. In 2011, Eddie started his company Steller Architectural Consulting. Eddie, the quirky guy that he was, had a fascination with being exact with technical specifications and also how design could make an individual feel in a space. This juxtaposition paired with going above and beyond for clients made Eddie a victim of his own success and often he had to turn down work. It was during this time running his own firm that Eddie truly found his stride and evolved into Steller Ed. If there was something more important to Steller than work or sports, it would be his family. He was dependable and selfless. Always available if someone needed help and constantly worrying if he had done enough. Even with the hectic work schedule, he was devoted to his wife, children, and his brothers, Peter and Paddy. Eddie had an enormous heart and often was a bit of a softie!

Eddie is survived by his loving wife Wendy; his children Siobhan (Jeremy), Aaron, Drew (Dan), and Emma (Tom); his brothers Peter and Paddy; step children Russell (Daniela), Amanda (Dallas), and Kevin; and grandchildren Natasha; Ryker, Enver, and Parker.

A service to celebrate the life of Edward Williams will be held on December 30, 2023 at 10:00 am PST at Broad View United Church, 3703 St. Aidan’s Street, Victoria, B.C. For those who are unable to attend, the service will be available through live stream and recording.

https://broadviewunited.org/special-events/

Condolences may be offered to the family below.
www.mccallgardens.com

Print Obituary