He grew up in sleepy post-war Ahoghill, and soon learned the value of finding things to do. All his days, he enjoyed the satisfaction of a job well done, and worked day and night at things he loved.

The drive for high quality elementary education formed much of the ethos of his career, both as a teacher and later as an administrator in the Board. Yet, you may be surprised to learn that education was not always his first concern. Indeed he missed most of his first day at school, and was later located helping the milkman with his rounds, as he had done many times before.

Those of you who know him from this time still call him Billy, as his mother preferred. Billy attended Public Elementary School in Ahoghill, a place he held in high esteem. The basic education he received there was always important to him, and he quoted often the high value he attributed to it.

But his talent and his curiosity led him onwards towards the Big Smoke. First to Ballymena Academy and then to Stranmillis College, where he majored in Cinema of the 1960s and Entering the Building Undetected. Here he developed his sporting talents, with Football as his favourite. He even found time to qualify as a Primary School teacher in 1965.

However, it was in Badminton that he was to achieve his greatest success. One could not say that it was his most proficient talent; but through badminton he met the most important person in his life, his Jennifer. They toured Scotland and Ireland together, with the help of Stranmillis and St Polycarp’s and grew deeply in love.

Graduated and gainfully employed, Jennifer and Bill married on the 3rd of August 1967 and settled in Lisburn. With Jennifer’s support and encouragement, Bill’s career flourished. He took posts at Abbots Cross, Suffolk, became vice Principal at Crumlin, and Principal at Lead Hill. But he always reminisced about the job he got as Old Warren’s first Vice Principal. Perhaps the memory of sitting an interview at Lisburn Central while his daughter was being born across the road in the Lagan Valley left a deep impression.

And then there were three. Claire was born in 1974 and was instantly the apple of his eye. He spoke proudly of her wherever he went and ensured there was time to encourage her and help her. They fought and played together in good measure and they holidayed as a family in Portugal most years, spending time together away from the fuss.

He tried to involve them in his love of sport: Claire remembers watching him referee a football match one night. She was so terribly disappointed when she waved to the television, yet he never waved back.

He thoroughly enjoyed his many trips across Europe with schoolboy football. Writing this, I was surrounded by keepsakes on the wall: with compliments of the Czech Football Association; the Royal Belgian Football Association; Sport For All, Lisburn 1982; Northern Ireland Schools Football Association Golden Jubilee; Northern Cricket Union Centenary; the ever present Senior Cup Final.

He loved being involved and helping out. He loved both the sporting occasions and the cultural and educational aspects of the trips. In more recent times, while organising tournaments locally, he bemoaned the professionalism of visiting teams, because they came only to play, no longer to learn or enjoy.

In the early 80s he moved into the South Eastern Education and Library Board where he put his talents to the bigger picture: ensuring that schools were in the right place, and that rules were applied fairly and accurately.

You may recall that Bill was a stickler for the rules. It didn’t matter to him what they were so much as that everyone played by them. In education as in sport, he considered fairness and equity as paramount, and was never afraid to say so. He sat on many committees and implemented many decisions, some of them unpopular, in his drive to see that things were done properly.

In 1989, however, he met a new challenge. I met Claire on a school trip to Berlin, and on our return, we kept in touch and began spending a lot of time together. I tried to be charming and inoffensive, but reliable reports indicate that he needed a hefty Period of Adjustment.

While Claire studied in Dundee, he and Jennifer took to touring Germany and Austria by car, organising as they went, and arguing over left and right.

Claire made him prouder than you can imagine in 1996 by graduating from the University of Abertay, and the following year too when she married at St Polycarp’s and settled in Whitehead. He and Jennifer laid on a wonderful day for us all to enjoy and to celebrate with them. And he brought me fully into the family, treating me as his own.

2001 brought mixed emotions. The birth of his grandson Jonathan gave him much to celebrate, but he was taken ill with a stroke, which set him, and us, back considerably.

Not one to be beaten, he recovered steadily over the course of a year, and took many steps to improve his general health. His strength of character showed as he stopped smoking overnight, and finally agreed to retire from the Board.

With more time than he had ever had, he went cruising with Jennifer to the Norwegian Fjords, around the Baltic, and to Iceland. He put his efforts into supporting Claire and I as we built a home and a family of our own. He was always there for important occasions, and grew to love collecting Jonathan and Emily from school on Thursday afternoons. And he continued to work as General Secretary of the Northern Cricket Union and President of the Schools Football Association.

He and Jennifer celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary but a week ago, and had planned an Atlantic cruise for the autumn to celebrate in style.

A country man at heart, he did not talk about health or love or money: Bill’s policy was to ensure there was plenty of everything to go around and to share it generously. Those of you who knew him professionally will miss his frankness, his integrity and his determination. We his family will miss his support, his friendship, his loyalty and most of all his love.