Educator.
Born at Kingstown, Dublin County, Ireland on 15 May 1883, into a family of stonemasons, he attended a school of pedagogy and taught nine years in Ireland before immigrating to Canada in 1913. He settled at Clandeboye and, on 27 July 1914, married Mary Ethel McRae (c1891-1976) at Selkirk. He had three children: Thomas Henry “Tom” Shakespeare (1915-2009), Mary Lilith Ruth Shakespeare (1916-2003), and William “Bill” Shakespeare (1919-2011).
His teaching career in Manitoba schools spanned 16 years, at Clandeboye School (c1916), Whytewold Beach School (c1921), Selkirk School District (?-?), and Pinawa School (c1926). He was Principal of Springfield School (1929-1930). After a 25 yearsin the classroom, he embarked on a career change as Postmaster of the Transona Post Office, serving from November 1930 until retirement in August 1949, after which he was succeeded briefly by his daughter. He resided at 317 Ravelston Avenue West in Transcona and was a member of the St. George’s Anglican Church and the Masons (Transcona Lodge).
He died at the Concordia Hospital in Winnipeg on 19 May 1965 and was buried in the Transcona Cemetery.
Birth [Thomas Henry Shakespeare, Mary Lileth Ruth Shakespeare, & William Shakespeare] and marriage registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
1916 , 1921, & 1926 Canada censuses, Library and Archives Canada.
Post Offices and Postmasters, Library and Archives Canada.
“... But phone bell tolls for this Will,” by Lillian Gibbons, Winnipeg Tribune, 25 April 1964, page 25.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 30 May 1965, page 36.
Obituary [Mary Ethel Shakespeare], Winnipeg Free Press, 30 November 1976, page 36.
Obituary [Mary Lilith “Ruth” Shakespeare], Winnipeg Free Press, 3 May 2003, page D13.
Obituary [Thomas Henry Shakespeare], Winnipeg Free Press, 27 June 2009, page 49.
Obituary [William “Bill” Shakespeare], Winnipeg Free Press, 12 December 2011, page C10.
Transcona Cemetery burial transcriptions, City of Winnipeg.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 24 July 2021
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