Our beloved husband, father and grandfather passed away peacefully on June 4, 2015 in Sidney, British Columbia, surrounded by the love of his family.
Left to cherish his memory are his loving wife of 38 years, Cheryll; children Mark (Christine), Susanna (Rob), Dianne (Ken), Chris, Kurt (Christina), and Sarah (Josh); grandchildren Brian, Jared, CJ, Megan, Nicholas and Willow. He is also survived by his sisters Alice, Gertrude, and Marlene; Cheryll’s brother Marty and sister Jennifer and their families; five step-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents Herman and Maria, sisters Louise and Doris, and brother Herman.
Bill was born March 27, 1932 in Winnipeg to Herman and Maria Wehrle. He grew up on the family farm near Lockport, Manitoba and in the early 1950’s, decided to pursue a career in aviation. He learned to fly at the Winnipeg Flying Club where he became Chief Instructor. In 1959, he established his company, Perimeter Aviation, which grew from a one-person operation to a vibrant organization with more than 500 employees. Along the way, he logged more than 30,000 hours of flying time.
His vision, determination, and intelligence enabled his company to grow and prosper over five decades. He was very grateful for and proud of the people who worked with him, many who made life-long careers at Perimeter. For others, Perimeter provided the foundation to launch them into aviation careers across Canada and around the world. He loved flying, and piloted his Duke EUJ until just a few years ago. He loved nature and the outdoors, and so enjoyed the beauty of Vancouver Island after moving here in 1997. His greatest joy was his family, with whom he shared much laughter. He led by example, lived his values of hard work and integrity, and shared his good fortune with many others. His kindness and caring inspire and sustain us.
In accordance with Bill’s wishes, a private family memorial will be held in the future.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
Sequoia Gardens Memorial
www.sequoiagardens.com
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Richard & Joyce Nordlund
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Doug Bobbie My condolences to all. I will miss Bill’s visits to the shop and his talks of family. I will remember.
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Klas Fehr My condolences to the whole family.
I never formally met Mr Wehrle, however I did benefit greatly from the company he created! I am an airline pilot today because I was given a job and was allowed to grow as a pilot at Perimter Aviation. Thank you!
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Tony Damota My deepest sympathies to the whole family. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
We shared a passion to be in the sky, and one man made that possible for every single one of his pilots. It is with countless heavy hearts, we say goodbye to someone in which we owe so much to, and shared so much together.
Thank you Bill!
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Ernie Wehrle Cousin Bill was a true leader in his family, known for always being courteous, kind and helpful. In business his word was his bond, his conduct ethical and forward looking.
I remember an exciting trip with Bill and Herman by amphibious plane to land and takeoff on a seemingly impossibly narrow creek. I was an RCAF and airline navigator years ago. My goal was to try and match Bill`s professionalism. Condolences from Max Wehrle family.
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Ken Hildebrand My sincere condolences to the Wehrle Family.
I was the District Manager for Shell Canada Aviation and I called on Bill for over 10 years. Bill was the ideal customer, pleasant to deal with, friendly, always fair and a loyal customer. We had some great conversations over a coffee. He loved to talk about his Perimeter Aviation.
Rest in peace, Bill.
Ken
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Lori Gallant (nee Sinclair) My Sincere Condolences to the entire family. Thinking of you Diane, hope you are being strong. Sharing your memories of your dad with everyone will keep him with you forever. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
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Manitoba Aviation Council The Manitoba Aviation Council offers our sincere condolences to the family of William (Bill) Wehrle, Founder of Perimeter Aviation of Winnipeg. Born in Winnipeg in 1932, Bill grew up on a farm near Lockport and at a very early age decided to pursue a career in aviation. In 1959, Bill established Perimeter Aviation which grew from a one-man operation to a company of more than 500 people over five decades. Bill loved flying and along the way he logged more than 30,000 flight hours. Today, Perimeter Aviation is a successful aviation company which in many ways is a leading example to the aviation industry in Manitoba and indeed Western Canada. Perimeter’s team of highly trained, highly motivated people and fleet of modern aircraft provide safe and reliable air travel to the many remote communities in Northern Manitoba.
Watch for the next MAC newsletter which will highlight Bill’s leadership in the evolution of Perimeter Aviation.
All members of MAC take a minute to remember Bill Wehrle.
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Connie Burning My sincerest condolences. I did not know him well, as I just started with Perimeter Aviation. But I knew he was a very nice man. I am saddened at your loss.
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Merry-Sue Adair-Gill Very sorry to hear that Mr. Wehrle has passed on. He was a great boss. I will miss him and his smile. Now he doesn’t need a human co-pilot to fly with him. He has God. Clear skies and fair winds Bill.
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Ian, Val and Gavin McHale We were very sorry to hear of Bill’s passing, Cheryll and want you to know we are thinking of you and your family at this sad and difficult time. Our deepest sympathy to you all.
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George Brotherston Sorry to hear about Bill. I have many fond memories over the last 50 years. Still remember him flying the Beech 18 into Garden hill for the Hudson Bay Co. with Mark as his loader. Deepest sympathy to his family.
We were saddened to hear of Bill’s death. Our sincere condolences to Cheryl and the Wehrle Family. Bill and Cheryl were our neighbours for a number of years. Bill was always positive, full of energy, and considerate. We enjoyed his sense of humour. He was a great neighbour. During the three day blizzard of ’97, Bill had had enough, so on the third morning he was bound and determined that he and his Pontiac van were going to get out of the cul-de-sac and onto Mayneview so he could go to Sidney for supplies for the neighbourhood. It took a neighbour’s tractor with a snow blade and all the men in the neighbourhood with shovels to dig a four foot deep trench from Bill’s garage door to Mayneview – a distance of over 400 feet. When Bill turned onto Mayneview, the Pontiac was smoking’ hot. Bill was a determined man who knew what he wanted to do.