Obituary of Wallace William Shewchuk

1936 - 2013

On Monday, July 29, 2013, Bill passed away from complications of a heart attack he suffered the previous Wednesday. He did not awaken. His wife, sons, sister, and other family members were at his side at Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, Alberta. Bill was 76 years of age.

Bill Shewchuk was born in Rosthern, Saskatchewan on August 10, 1936. He was the first child and only son of the late Maria and Wasyl Wolodislav Shewchuk. He was raised in Queensborough, British Columbia, and loved to tell stories about his rough and tumble childhood years. In early adulthood he was an avid small plane pilot, learning to fly in a Cessna 140, and a scuba diver. He met his wife Lynne in 1964 at her family's business, the Kootenay Motel, married her in 1966, and lived the rest of his life in Cranbrook, British Columbia. They had two sons, in 1968 and 1970.

Bill joined Canadian Telephone and Supplies in 1957, later transferred to B.C. Tel, and spent his career there as a maintenance and repair technician. Due to illness, he took a leave in 1990 and retired in 2001.

In retirement, Bill served for several years as Secretary of the Cranbrook Rod & Gun Club. He was also a keen motorcyclist and was not at all dissuaded from his enthusiasm by a recent collision with a deer. He enjoyed woodworking and passed many happy hours in his garage. He served with the Senior Citizen's Coalition and, for eight years, volunteered for a Taste of Cranbrook during Cranbrook's annual Sam Steele Days.

Bill is survived by his wife Lynne Marie Shewchuk, his sons Jonathan Richard Shewchuk and Steven Arthur (Stacey Begon) Shewchuk, his granddaughter Amanda Jaye Shewchuk, his sister Sonia Alexandra (Robert) Skelly, many cousins, nieces, nephews, friends, and several aunts and uncles.

The family wishes to thank the staff at East Kootenay Regional Hospital in Cranbrook, and Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, for the care he received.

A memorial service for Bill will be held at McPherson Funeral Home in Cranbrook on Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at 11:00 am with a reception to follow. A private family Internment will be held in Westlawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in honour of Bill be sent to the East Kootenay Foundation for Health, 13 - 24th Avenue North, Cranbrook, British Columbia, V1C 3H9.

 

Arrangements entrusted to McPherson Funeral Service.

Condolences for the family can be offered at:

www.mcphersonfh.com