Bill Keech was born June 5, 1920 in North Bay, Ontario. He was the son of Lester William Keech (WW1) and grandson of Jane McNamara. After he graduated from North Bay Collegiate, he married Iola Grace Berry, December 2, 1939, who became a Registered Nurse.
He enlisted in the R.C.A.F. and received the rank of Flt. Lieut. during World War II. On April 27, 1942, Bill was shot down over Belgium and taken prisoner, spending three years in Stalag Luft-3, near Sagan. He participated in the operation of “The Great Escape”.
The tunnel had been under his bunk, but only a few prisoners made it to freedom. The Germans accidently fell into the escape hole and caught several men, and even though they had swiftly surrendered, they were shot.
After being released, Bill, along with many other former prisoners, were entertained at Windsor Castle by King George, Queen Elizabeth and their daughters. Bill returned home and enrolled at Western University in London, Ontario and graduated in medicine.
Bill practiced medicine in North Bay, Ontario, and after being Chief of Staff at both the Civic Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital, he retired on June 5, 1985. Bill then ran for council, won his seat and became the Deputy Mayor of North Bay.
Dr. Bill Keech, who as a member of North Bay City Council, lobbied hard to have City Hall declared smoke free and bring in non-smoking bylaws, hopes the addictive habit will one day be banned completely.
“As a physician, I realize the staggering number of people killed every year by smoking,” he observed. While he believes adults who are aware of the hazards of lighting up should still have the right to decide, “children are starting to smoke from a very young age” when they don’t even realize those health risks.
North Bay Nugget (newspaper), February 7, 1993
