William (Bill) Fife Sr.

Bill passed away peacefully at the age of 97 in the James Bay Care Home in Victoria on February 21, 2011. He was born on March 4, 1913 in the family home in Lemberg, Saskatchewan. Bill attended school in Lemberg and Luther College in Regina. It was difficult to obtain work during summer breaks in the dirty thirtys, so in 1931, Bill and some friends “rode the rails” hopping on freight trains as they travelled to the West Coast. The following summer he rode the freight trains eastward to see the rest of the country, hopping off the trains as they approached cities so as to avoid the railway police. Meals were obtained along the way by knocking on doors or visiting hobo camps. After leaving school, Bill worked as a surveyor. He obtained a job as a guard at the Provincial Jail in Regina where he worked for 7 years. While working at the jail, he ran a Fox and Mink ranch and at the same time, built and operated a service station. His wife May helped greatly in carrying the heavy workload. In 1947, Bill moved to British Columbia with his family and entered the grocery business. He had a long and successful grocery career operating stores in New Westminster, Vancouver, Victoria and Port Alberni. He enjoyed many hours in his summer home on Sproat Lake in Port Alberni. He then moved to a waterfront acreage at Beacher Bay near Sooke and spent many hours walking the beach and hosting family gatherings there. He spent 49 enjoyable years in retirement. Bill’s hobbies were firstly family, writing family history, then fishing and numismatics. He was a member of the North West Mounted Police Free Mason Lodge No. 11 in Saskatchewan and a member of many numismatic societies around the world. Bill married Meta (May) Fife (nee Klatt) on September 1, 1935 in Regina, Saskatchewan. May, his loving wife, passed away on August 8, 2009 less than one month from their 74th anniversary. Bill is survived by sisters, Anne Miller and Alma Trent (Leo); brother, Warner Fyfe (Margaret), son, Bill Fife Jr. (JoAnn) and daughters, Audrey Barnes (Milt), Diana Roger (Bruce), Linda Norman (Paul), ten grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren. The family extends a special thanks to the staff at the James Bay Care Centre for their kindness and attention and to Pastor Johnson for his support.

Memorial Services will be held at MCCALL BROS. FLORAL CHAPEL, Johnson & Vancouver Streets, on Monday, February 28, 2011 at 1:00 pm. Condolences may be offered to the family at www.mccallbros.com.