William B. McKenzie
August 20, 2026
William Bryce McKenzie of Mystic, CT, passed away, after a short illness, on August 20, 2026, at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London.
Bill was born on December 14, 1930, in Edmonton, AL, Canada, to Lily Bennett McKenzie, of Durham, England, and William McKenzie of Dumbarton, Scotland, who had each emigrated separately from the UK and met in Edmonton. He grew up in the Westmount section of Montreal, QB, Canada, excelling at hockey, skiing, and football, among other sports. His father piloted his own plane, and Bill learned to fly as a 13-year-old, soloing in a Tiger Moth biplane. He spent several memorable summers in Peterborough, ON, Canada, working on his uncle's farm, and was a student at Lower Canada College and then McGill University.
After university, Bill spent a year living in London, after which he travelled around France and Italy, trips that were the source of many of his fondest memories and stories. On his return to Montreal, he met and married Jocelyn Wiley, a fellow McGill student three years his junior, in 1958. They moved to New York City, where Bill began his career in finance and bond trading. He worked for several firms, including Salomon Brothers, Richardson Greenshields, and Merrill Lynch, and managed major bond issues including for several large Canadian hydropower projects. In the late 1960s, Bill and Jocelyn left New York City for Riverside, CT, to raise their three daughters, along with their beloved Standard Poodles, Mystique, then Phoebe. Making many friends in Riverside, and around Greenwich, they enjoyed walks and boating at Tod's Point, golf and tennis at Greenwich Country Club, the neighborhood 4th of July, Halloween, and Christmas celebrations, and the "Sagittarius Group" birthday parties every December.
On retirement, Bill and Jocelyn moved to New Canaan, and then to Mystic. He enjoyed the attractions of the area, including Mystic Seaport, where he loved volunteering for over a decade. Upbeat and gregarious by nature, he loved dining out and dressing well, and he charmed everyone he met with stories about growing up in Montreal, working in Manhattan, British sports cars, jazz standards from the 1930's and 1940's, his many travels with Jocelyn, and life in Fairfield County. He had an excellent singing voice and could often be heard singing medleys of his favorite songs. Intellectually curious, he enjoyed the New York Times crossword, and reading about British and American history, in particular, World War II. After living in the U.S. for almost 70 years, Bill became a U.S. citizen in the 1990s. Though proud of that, and of his English and Scottish roots, he often said he was proud to be born a Canadian, as his father told him he should be.
Bill is survived by his daughter, Kate (Peter) of Brooklyn, NY; daughter, Amy (Andy) of Santa Fe, NM; grandson, Jack of Santa Fe, NM, and brother, Glen (Viviana) of Toronto, ON, Canada. After 60 years of marriage, his wife, Jocelyn, predeceased him in 2018; as did his eldest daughter, Mary, earlier this year. Bill is also survived by the many friends he made over the course of his long life who knew and loved him.
A memorial service will take place later, in the Fall.