William Lee Ball

BALL, William Lee

November 17, 1943– December 2, 2023

On Saturday, December 2nd, Bill passed away peacefully at PRHC, a year (nearly to the day) after the death of his beloved wife of 57 years, Jan. Bill was the loving father of Grant (Emily) and Lori (Bob) McRae; proud grandfather of Alec and Ian McRae, Olivia and Ava Ball, and Susanna Cuda; and great grandfather to Juliette and Selwyn Cuda.

From his earliest days he was fascinated by mechanical devices, disassembling his toys to understand their inner workings and dream up novel inventions. Model aircraft and boats came later—a pivotal occasion was at age 12, when he enlisted the help of the village blacksmith to fit a one horsepower lawnmower engine to his bicycle. From there he progressed to rebuilding motor scooters, WW2 and pre-war Norton motorcycles, onto early 1950’s Vincents, which he road-raced for a number of years. He was passionate about modifying his various cars over the years, especially his 1970 Camaro.

Bill worked for 35 years as an automotive engineer at General Motors and spent countless weekends, (as Jan his wife would attest to,) working at what is now known as Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, as a track Marshall in the pit crew and as Crew Chief and Engineer. However, it was during the years when his job became an extension of his hobby, in his role as Technical Manager of the GM Motorsports Players Race series, where he really cemented his legendary status as an automotive engineer guru. He truly leaves behind a lasting legacy in the annals of race track history. 

A brilliant man with an innovative mind and a quirky, dry sense of humor, Bill will be remembered as a loving husband and father, and a kind and compassionate friend. He will be so deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.

Donations can be made to Hospice Peterborough or the PRHC. Online condolences may be made at www.highlandparkfuneralcentre.com