Obituary of William "Bill" Kulcher
Bill (William Alexander) Kulcher
Bill (William Alexander) Kulcher passed away unexpectedly on Monday, February 23, 2026, at the Charlotte County Hospital with his wife of 50 years, Maria Skavinski Kulcher, at his side. He was born May 10, 1931, in Mistatim, Saskatchewan and grew up in Flin Flon, Manitoba where he apprenticed with Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting. Bill worked in industry and raised a family in Hamilton, Ontario. He moved to St. Stephen, New Brunswick in 1977 where he designed, built and managed the American Can (later Ball Packaging) plant at Bayside.
Bill was a master machinist with a curious and innovative mind, much appreciated by his employer, American Can Canada/Ball Packaging. Over the years he was sent on manufacturing related trouble shooting jobs to can plants in Wales, Mexico, several American cities and Canadian cities from coast to coast. Upon retiring in 1988, he opened Kulcher's Machine Shop in St. Stephen where he quickly developed a reputation for creative problem solving. Helping local businesses in a timely and reasonable fashion was very important to Bill. In 2002, he took his second retirement to work at what pleased him in his very well-equipped home shop. As he said, "I have metal in my blood." He created a leaf mowing mulching tractor, the Kulcher-Mulcher, to ease the work of the fall season and enjoyed discussion about his carefully designed, planned and built giant geodesic dome 'yard art'.
Bill was thoroughly engaged in 'the good life' in St. Stephen, loved his wife with his whole heart and was immensely pleased with the accomplishments of his four children. He constantly worked to improve the look and operation of his gardens and property and always had time for a smile and chat with friends. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club for 30 years and was the silent hard-working partner in all of the projects that Maria undertook in the community. He received a Mel Osborne Fellow Recognition from the Kiwanis Club of St. Stephen and a Paul Harris Fellow Recognition from the St. Stephen-Milltown Rotary Club. In the words of one of the dozen Rotary exchange students that he and Maria welcomed into their lives: "Bill had this rare mix of creativity, sharpness, humor, and genuine interest in others. Every conversation with him felt alive. He made you feel welcome, seen, and part of something good." He was a remarkable man who lived his 94 years to the fullest, was dearly loved by many as a talented, interesting, inventive, kind and generous man and will be missed and long remembered.
He was predeceased by his mother Ann and his three siblings, Art, Julie and Helen. Bill was extremely proud of his family: his four children: Kelly (Lori) of Mount Hope ON, Laurie of Camberley, England, Lisa (Kieran) of Picton ON, David (Jennifer) of Mount Uniacke NS. He also leaves six grandchildren: Rachel and Jason in England and Jessica, Dylan, Matt, Grace in Ontario as well as six great grandchildren: Connor and Robyn in Camberley, England and Maddie, Brooklyn, Hudson and Waverley in Guelph ON.
Cremation has taken place and a family, friends and community appreciation celebration of his life will be held at a later date in June 2026.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the care and direction of Humphreys Funeral Home, 20 Marks Street, St. Stephen, NB E3L 2B2 (506-466-3110).
