William 'Bill' James Passes
Trot Insider has learned that former trainer William 'Bill' James passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, at University Hospital in London, Ont. on Saturday, January 21 at the age of 87
.
Bill is survived by his wife, Margaret 'Peggy' James; his daughter, Sharon Cowling; his son in law, Ed, and many nieces and nephews. Bill was predeceased by four brothers and six sisters.
Bill, conditioner of the well-known Ontario Sires Stakes standout Scorpion, operated a successful stable on the former Ontario Jockey Club circuit in the 1970s and '80s.
Friends will be received by the family from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at Forest Lawn Memorial Chapel, 1997 Dundas Street East, (at Wavell), London.
A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. As an expression of sympathy, memorial donations may be made to Charity of Choice.
Messages of condolence can be left here or at the bottom of this notice.
Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of William James.
My condolences to Bills
My condolences to Bills family.I have many a fond memory of Bill in barn #7 at Greenwood Raceway
My condolences to Peggy and
My condolences to Peggy and all the family of a great man. My thoughts and best wishes are with you at this time. From an old friend on the west coast. Sincerely Ray Gemmill.
Brenda Heywood I was shocked
Brenda Heywood
I was shocked as well, that Roger was the only comment, as everyone that is on this site has to know Bill.He will be missed as he was a longtime horseman around jockeyclub,but mostly for his many stories , and of course his stopwatch.When he retired(I think mostly to be home with Peggy)He gave Dad his horses which came with the bench they retired with him from Mohawk.Dad received trainer of the year with Bill,s old trainee Wilcos hustler who went on to win 14 races in one year .My condolences to Peggy and family, RIP jessie
I am so saddened to learn of
I am so saddened to learn of this news. Bill was such a good friend to me for many years when I lived, worked & raced in ON. I have so many fond memories of Bill...it puts a smile on my face thinking about those times...when he was on the track jogging each morning he always had a stopwatch in his hand (usually one in each hand) to keep an eye on everyone & anyone who trained a mile...you couldn't put anything past old Bill...he'd keep everyone in stitches with his dry sense of humour...he was unique!
My prayers are with you.
Tim Twaddle
As a young person working on
As a young person working on the backstretch at Greenwood or Mohawk I was always so pleased that a respected horseman such as Bill James would have the time for a smart ass like myself and say "hi". I sometimes wondered if he smirked afterwards but I didn't care. It was just enough that he acknowledged me. Bill was a well known fixture on the OJC CIRCUIT for many years. And as far as I know retired on his own terms just because it was "time". Just like Gord, I also last saw him at Western Fair at the horse sale, and I'm glad we had some time to reminisce and talk about horses in general. Karin also remembers Bill and we both want to express our condolences to the family.
I am shocked and saddened
I am shocked and saddened that Roger and I are the only two to comment on Bill's death.
The last time I saw Bill was at Western Fair when I was there for the OSS. We talked about old times. Bill was a great person and horseman. I remember when I was a kid I would watch the races from his tack room in Barn #7 at Greenwood in the good old days.
My condolences to Peggy and the rest of the family.
RIP my friend
My condolences to Bill's
My condolences to Bill's family and RIP Bill.