William Lionel Richard Rawlings

Bill Rawlings was born in Innisfail, Alberta on November 11, 1946 to Bill Rawlings the 6th and Nellie Rawlings (nee Thompson) who met in England during WWII. Bill came from a long line of war heroes but lived his life abiding by the peace and love themes of the sixties. Throughout his entire life, he had a passion for rock and roll with a particular love for the Beatles. Bill was a wonderful big brother to his younger siblings, Chris, Debi and David. In 1970 Bill suffered the devastating loss of his mother to cancer at age 42. That same year, Bill met the love of his life Marguerite Dumont when they were working at Deer Home together in Red Deer. He married her on July 7, 1973 and loved her fiercely until the very end. They built a loving home in North East Edmonton for their two children Bill and Susan and several pets along the way (Bugsy, Lucy, Tilly and Sally). Bill loved te Edmonton Oilers and the Edmonton Eskimos (aka Elks) and enjoyed his season tickets with his best friend Forrest. He worked at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for 50 years, starting out as a Licenced Practical Nurse and as an Orthopedic Technologist in his later years. He enjoyed his friendshsips with his colleagues and was a legend within the hospital. He deeply believed in the importance of helping others and taught these values to his children. About 20 years ago he welcomed his daughter in law Heather Rawlings (nee McMorran) into his life and loved her as his own. He was very proud of his two fierce granddaughters Fiona and Lila and promised to watch over them. In 2020 in Tofino he proudly walked his daughter through the rainforest and gave her hand away in marriage to Matthew Rajala. He treated all people with kindness and respect and believed that we need to take care of each other within the community. During his final days it was the deep reciprocated love he had for his family that shone through. His love for his wife and family was unconditional, making him the best role mode. Bill passed away peacefully with his dear wife and children by his side in the early morning of March 31, 2023, 35 years to the day after his dear mother in law Clara Dumont passed into the spirit worked. His is reunited in Heaven with his parents, brother Chris and nephew Ian. This gentle warrior of a man will be missed deeply by all who know him - his legacy carries on through his family who will honour him for the rest of their lives.

In lieu of flowers please make a donation in Bill's memory to the Canadian Diabetes Association or the Canadian Cancer Society.