WILLIAM
Bill was the seventh of the nine children. Brought to Canada by his brother Dave in 1922, he travelled with his parents, brother Leo and sisters Esther and Chava.
First settling in Watrous and then Vancouver, Bill established Domino Electric with his brother Harry. Later branching out on his own, he retained the name Domino Electric. Married to Florence Toban in 1927, Bill was widowed in 1946 and left with a young son, Arnold.
At a dinner party given by his sister-in-law Annie Nemetz (Mrs. Charlie), he was introduced to Sylvia Davis. Sylvia had come from Toronto with her two small daughters, Gloria and Deborah, and Annie instinctively knew that Bill and Sylvia were a good match. They were married the following year, in 1947, and Bill lovingly adopted Sylvia’s children. Together they had Ted, now a lawyer in Toronto. In the 1950s, with construction booming in B.C., Bill moved into the fi eld of electrical contracting and then, along with other members of the family, into apartment development. He continued throughout his life as an electrical contractor and apartment developer, retiring in his 60s.
A life member of B’nai B’rith and the Schara Tzedeck, Bill was also a generous supporter of the Jewish National Fund. He enjoyed a game of bridge, but his family was of the greatest importance to him. Yearly trips to Hawaii and to Israel with his wife Sylvia were highlights for him, as were frequent trips to Los Angeles to stay with his good friend and closest brother, Leo.
Bill’s son Arnold and grandson Steven inherited the Nemetz brother’s aptitude for electrical work. Armed with degrees in engineering, they followed in Bill’s footsteps. Their fi rm, now called Nemetz (S/A) and Associates, has become a major designer of electrical power systems and lighting in Canada. Arnold’s daughter Franci and two of her children are also part of the fi rm. The company has branch offi ces in Toronto and Calgary. Bill would be proud of their accomplishments. Bill Nemetz is buried at the Schara Tzedeck cemetery, New Westminster, in the family plot. Sylvia lived until 2006 and is buried near him.
