As many of you may have heard, we lost my Dad, Bill Naylor, yesterday morning unexpectedly. He passed away at the cottage… his happy place… his life’s work and labor of love for the last 35 years. When I say it was his life’s work and 35 years, I mean it. My Dad was an electrician by trade, but when it came to the cottage, he learned as he went. It all started with him buying a “barn garage” package, and then from going to the library and getting books on building, and talking to friends, and researching building codes, he slowly put together the cottage piece by piece. I remember him going out and staying the weekend there to work on it… sleeping in a truck bed stilt camper, and taking a bar of soap to the lake and taking a bath every night! We winterized it for nearly 20 years, and eventually, he was able to afford insulation, drywall, and then a furnace. Piece by piece it came together… and if you were fortunate to have spent time there, or attended a party, or came up to help out and do some work on the cottage, then you loved it as much as my Dad.

All this said, my Mom and Dad were finally putting the money into “finishing” it… at least trying to stretch the money they had to make it mostly finished. But, with today’s costs, it was falling short, even with all the work Mom and Dad, and family were doing on their own. With Dad’s passing, and loss of some income, and the work he was doing himself, this will now fall much shorter. It was Dad’s hope and dream to have the cottage finished for his wife, Deb, his kids, and grandkids to enjoy. He worked so hard on it for so many years, and for it to fall short this year is heartbreaking.

So in his memory… and to fulfill his dream… and finish it for the love of his life, Deb, and the family, were asking that in lieu of flowers or trees, etc. in his memorial, that you please donate whatever you can to “Help Bill finish the cottage at The Beav” fund. This will help, Deb, Chris, & Laura afford the materials and the help to make Bill’s dream a reality for generations to come.

Thank you to everyone that had reached out. We feel so loved and you solidify the effect my father had on you. ❤️