Hear ye, hear ye: London gives unofficial town crier a fitting sendoff
CBC
Happy Birthday isn't a tune you usually hear at a funeral, but then Bill Paul wasn't a usual guy and for him, it was more than fitting.
The beloved local character, who was known as the Forest City's unofficial town crier, died on Sunday. On Friday, more than a hundred people turned out on a grey, wet day to return the love he showed the city for so many years.
Paul was a permanent fixture at downtown festivals, baseball games and other events in the Forest City.
He regularly wore the garb of a town crier, a role that matched his jolly, jovial character. Paul would strike up conversations with anyone who passed.
He would ask for the name and birthday of most people he met. That information, name and birthday, went into a book which amassed thousands of entries over the years.
Each day, and year after year, Bill Paul would make dozens of happy birthday calls, often to people who didn't remember meeting him.
"He was London's Number One cheerleader," said Ray, a friend who first met Bill Paul in the 1970s. "He boosted the city, he loved Canada and he loved positive things."
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