Last Friday I overheard Jenn White talking about her grandfather, Bill McAdam, who passed away recently. She spoke about him in such glowing terms, I knew he was definitely a Neighbourhood Hero, a role model, someone who had something to teach us all.

"There wouldn't be a monument big enough to praise him," Jenn declared. "His whole life was devoted to family, guiding his family, teaching his family, keeping his family close."

And he'll continue to guide his family even now that he's gone.

"If you come to a point in your life when you don't know what to do," he told all of his children and grandchildren before he passed on, "listen to your heart and I'll guide you."

Although he was a loving grandfather, Jenn says many people would describe him as a "man's man", strong, proud, stubborn and hot-headed; however, much to her surprise it was only after he had passed away that she learned about his romantic side. Only then did her Nan shared several of the love poems he had written for her ... and he had written many.

One of the things Jenn most admired about her granddad was that he always took time, lots of time, for his family, especially his grandchildren. He would spend hours teaching them various life skills, especially gardening skills; he loved his garden. And of course the more time he spent with his family, children, grandchildren, sons-in-law and others, the closer they all became.

According to Jenn, the very best thing he ever did with his grandchildren was to gather them in his room to share the fruits of the "candy tree".

Bill and Betty moved to Canada from England in the 1960s because he felt his four daughters would be able to build a better life here. An engineer and coalmine manager in England, he continued to work in that profession in Campbell River and Tumbler Ridge, Alberta until he retired eight years ago.

"He retired and drove Nana crazy," Jenn laughed.

Although they loved Canada, Bill and Betty returned to England as often as possible to visit friends and family, and when they did, he always visited the Candy Tree Store.

He convinced all of his grandchildren that this was a special store for grandparents only where they could buy magic seeds that would grow candy trees, trees that when planted in a grandparents closet, would grow overnight, drop their candy fruit on the top shelf, and then return to being a small hidden candy tree seed at the first sign of daylight.

So when the grandchildren would come for a visit ... and you can guess why they visited as often as they could ... they would gather around Bill's bed, share the fruits of the candy tree and then continue to share time, stories, learning, and loving.

If I ever become a grandparent, I promise you that I will find Bill McAdam's Candy Tree Store and make sure to create as much time as I possible can to share its fruits with my grandchildren. How about you? If that's the only lesson we learn from this man, it's a great one.

The day that Bill passed away, his four daughters and five of his grandchildren were gathered around his bedside. Someone was always nearby holding his hand and comforting him. Almost all of his family together, gathered around his bed as they had done so often before as children sharing time, stories, learning, and loving.

When Bill first heard that he had cancer, he wrote his wife, Betty, a long letter and told her that he would be waiting for her just around the corner, and I'm sure that's where she will find him ... sitting, perhaps not so patiently, waiting ... under a candy tree.