Obituary of William Canavan

William Anthony Canavan

May 17, 1964 - March 3, 2024

Bill Canavan, 59, passed away on Sunday, March 3, 2024.  
Bill was born on May 17, 1964 in Manhattan, to the late Gerard and Elaine (Merola) Canavan.   Bill is survived by his daughters Mallory and Meghan, his son Owen and their mother Colleen, his brother, Jerry Canavan and his wife Carolyn and their sons, his sister, Patty and her husband Steve and their son and daughter, his niece Eryka and her husband Kris and their daughters, 8 first cousins (who were more like brothers and sisters as they all grew up in the same town) and their children and spouses, his uncle Anthony and his wife Wendy, his uncle Bill, and his girlfriend Annie Palombo.  

Bill grew up in Greenburgh, NY and then in Harrison, NY, attending middle school through High School at Harrison, where he was an all-county lacrosse goalie and a two-way starter on the undefeated 1981 Harrison football team.  Bill continued his dedication to sports at Franklin and Marshall college (class of 1986) where he also played football and lacrosse.  He was on the F&M All-Time Roster for football, he won the team Defensive players of the year award in lacrosse and he is still the 8th all-time leader in saves percentage among goalies at F&M. He was a member of Pi Lam fraternity at F&M, where he met life-long brothers that are truly unique in their closeness and commitment.  

An active resident of Bedford, where he raised his children, Bill was a coach for boys and girls youth lacrosse,  girls Junior Varsity lacrosse at Fox Lane High School, and a member of the Youth Lacrosse Council. He served on the Board of Education and was a ready volunteer for many other local and school events.  

Bill was always a nature- lover. He followed that childhood passion by studying geology at F&M and getting a Masters of Science in Hydrogeology at the University of Southern Illinois.  Bill started his own environmental consulting firm early in his career and single-handedly grew it into a thriving business where he helped municipalities, corporations and other clients identify water sources or remediate contaminated water. 

Bill (Willy, Billy, Will, Mega Bill, Wee-Willy) was larger than life and lived each day to the fullest.  He was an avid (and he would say, expert) fisherman, hunter, nature-lover, sports enthusiast, skier and keeper of useless knowledge. He took an interest in every human being he met, from a passing conversation in the grocery store to a lengthy conversation with a new acquaintance, soon to become a friend.  He had a knack for making people feel special and interesting and was always genuine in that interest. He was honest and always spoke his mind - he knew no other way.  He was one of the funniest and self-deprecating people we know; able to stand up at any event and get the crowd laughing or just let loose a zinger while sitting around the dinner table.

Bill’s children were everything to him - he loved them dearly and was extremely proud of the loving and successful young women and man they are on the path to becoming.  Family and friends were what Bill cherished most and that love was reflected back to Bill every day by all of the many people in his life.  We love you Bill and will miss you very much.

Friends and family will be received on Friday, March 8, 2024 from 4 pm to 8 pm and Saturday, March 9th from 11 am to 2:30 pm at Clark Associates Funeral Home,  4 Woods Bridge Road, Katonah, NY. where there will be a service to honor Bill.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Ducks Unlimited (www.ducks.org) or Trout Unlimited (www.tu.org) in Bill’s name.