Aug 16, 1927 - Sep 12, 2023 William Fowler Wells (96) passed away peacefully on September 11, 2023, with his wife Ruth Elizabeth Wells, by his side, along with his daughters. Born in Chicago, Illinois, on August 16, 1927, to Cecil Lorne Wells and Mildred Fowler, William (Bill) came to Canada when he was 4. His family moved to the Township of Albion just north of Bolton, Ontario. He was a talented artist and attended the Ontario College of Art, focusing on watercolour painting, illustration, and drawing. As a young man in his 20s, Bill was looking for suitable areas for duck hunting in Albion Hills just north of Toronto. He came across a farmer on Albion's 4th Line who expressed interest in selling his land. Bill told his father, and he and his father purchased the 25-acre property, building a small hunting cabin for weekend use. As fate would have it, this is where he ultimately met his wife of 72 years - Ruth (nee McGinn). Ruth's parents had a home across the road from Bill's, where they spent weekends away from city life in Toronto. As the story goes, Ruth saw this handsome young man across the road and promptly invited herself to his place under the ploy of using his swimming hole. Well, as they say, the rest was history. Bill and Ruth married on October 13, 1951, and set up house in Etobicoke, just off Hwy 427. They welcomed their first daughter, Catherine Elizabeth, in July 1952. Over the following years, they had daughter Marijean Margaret, son John Robert William, and daughter Janet Louise. To support his growing family, Bill started working as a colour retoucher on the Eaton's mail-order catalog at Southam Murray. Ruth, at this time, had completed Teachers College and was starting her Master's degree in English. They soon moved to Bolton to a 3-acre parcel with a barn to provide their children with a country lifestyle that included horses and gardening. Bill and Ruth stayed in Bolton for over 20 years. In 1973, they bought Ruth's parents' 30-acre property in the Caledon Hills, where they eventually built their dream house. The property was christened Walden III, a nod to the profound reflections on simple living encapsulated in Henry David Thoreau's revered work, Walden. When Eaton's mail-order catalog was discontinued, and Bill found himself out of work for the first time at 49, he returned to what he loved: watercolor painting. With encouragement and support from Ruth, he became a full-time artist. Bill could often be found in his basement studio with his pipe in his mouth, working on his next canvas, looking out to views of the beautiful treed property. His art captured local scenes of life in Caledon and surrounding areas: the old Inglewood train station, octagonal barns, covered bridges, rushing streams, and steam trains. Bill also loved traveling to the American Southwest, where he would capture stunning landscapes. Bill had many events to showcase his artwork and sold his work at the Barber Art Gallery of Guelph. Bill was a "giant redwood of a man" (at 6'4" tall) with reddish blonde hair and gentle blue eyes. He was a very active, outdoorsy man and loved walking the perimeter of their Caledon property. He was an avid gardener and enjoyed all the maintenance of their country property. Bill often told Ruth, "NO MORE ANIMALS!" but when another suddenly appeared, he would quickly become completely smitten and devoted to the new furry family member. He was an animal lover and doted on all his cats and dogs. Bill was an exceptionally well-read individual with an insatiable appetite for knowledge, particularly relishing in the complexities of the War of 1812 and the American Civil War history. He had a wonderful sense of humour that he passed on to his children, although Ruth often said his humour was an "acquired taste." Bill loved spending time with his children and grandchildren and their friends at parties and family functions. You would often find Bill at the young adult's table and was chastised by Ruth for not sitting with "the adults." Bill is survived by his wife, Ruth Wells and his children, Catherine Wells, (the late Josef Damm), Marijean Wells (Gord Harris), John Wells (Karen Anderson) and Janet Wells (Larry Woodruff); his grandchildren Kate Harris (Kate Neville), David Harris (Miriana Harris), James Harris (Emma Kulcsar), Erich Damm, Ingrid Damm, Laura Gerskup (Mitchell Gerskup), Rachael Song (Ben Song) and Mitchell Wells; and his great-grandchildren William Harris, Oliver Gerskup, and Cole Song. A celebration of life will be held in the spring of 2024.