William R. Vallevand, Cdr (Ret'd)

With heavy hearts, we share that William R. Vallevand, Cdr (Ret’d) (RCN), passed away on March 24, 2025, at Montfort Hospital in Ottawa at the age of 95 years, after a brief illness.

Born on February 7, 1930, to Norwegian-Canadians Gotfred Vallevand and Ella Vallevand (Bjorgan) at the family farm in Demaine, Saskatchewan, William was the fourth of ten children. 

In the fall of 1948, William responded to a recruiting drive by the RCN and began his Navy career as an ordinary seaman.  With encouragement from his commanding officers, he upgraded his education and was accepted to the Royal Canadian Navy Officer Training Program in 1950.  His cadet years at Royal Roads Naval College in Victoria, British Columbia were some of the best years of his life, where he made lifelong friends and met his future bride, Janet Bowden, of Victoria, BC, who he married, following graduation, in 1954. 

His Navy career spanned 35 years, with postings in England and across Canada.  In 1966 he received his most memorable posting, joining the Canadian Defence Liaison Staff in Washington DC where he served as an Intelligence Attaché.  He spent the rest of his career as a Navy diplomat, alternating between postings in Ottawa’s foreign liaison office and two additional tours in Washington.  He and Janet were perfectly suited for the diplomatic life and became fast friends with countless international attachés.

Following his retirement from service, he spent several years as an executive with Eastern Provincial Airlines before fully retiring in 1985.  He and Janet took advantage of their airline perks, spending his first year of retirement travelling the world, with trips to Vancouver, Hawaii, London, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.  Retirement gave him the chance to indulge even more in his lifelong passion – oil painting.  He was an accomplished artist and took pride in his craft.  Many of his works hang in the homes of friends and family and are cherished heirlooms. 

He and Janet always dreamed of returning to Victoria and moved there in 1995, where they spent 24 years enjoying life with family and many of his Royal Roads friends.  Throughout his retirement they made countless trips back east to visit their children and grandchildren and to participate in Navy alumni events.  In 2019 they returned to Ottawa permanently to be closer to their children. 

He was a dedicated and devoted husband, having celebrated over 68 years of marriage to Janet, who predeceased him in 2022. He is survived by his children; Martin (Baohong), Stephen (Elaine), Karen (Michel) and Lynn Shabinsky (Mark), his grandchildren Jacob (Jess), Jenna, Emily (Trevor), Jessica (Dan), Kelly, Marissa (Zach), Claudia, Sarah (Max), and Nicolas, and eight great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his four sisters, Florence Lloyd, Vi Johnson, Marg (Terry) Middleton, and Sylvia (John) Ukranichuk, and his brother-in-law, Greg Bowden (Janice) and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sisters Evelyn and Cynthia and his brothers Chris, Howard and Lloyd.  He was also predeceased by his granddaughter Courtney and his great-grandson Joseph. 

He will be sorely missed, always remembered for his kind heart that touched everyone he met. He heads to his final posting “Ready, Aye, Ready.”

Our family is grateful to the staff at the Montfort Hospital and Chartwell Rockcliffe Retirement Residence for the care and attention that they provided to him.

Relatives, friends and comrades are invited to gather at a service honouring William and Janet at Beechwood Cemetery, 280 Beechwood Avenue, in Ottawa, on Thursday, April 10, 2025, from 1 p.m., followed by Words of Remembrance at 2 p.m. and the graveside service at the National Military Cemetery at 3 p.m.