Mr. William Bill Melnychuk

Mr. William “Bill” Melnychuk, late of Ponoka, formerly of Redwater, passed away on Monday, March 8, 2010 at the age of 87 years. He is survived by his loving family; his 3 children, David (Beverly) of Redwater, Gary of Whitecourt, and Diane (Bill) Rose of Ponoka; his 6 grandchildren, Shane Duncan, Chloe Delemont, Brandi (Derek) Majeau, Stefanie-Ann Rose, Landen Rose, and Kimberlynn Rose; his great-grandauughter, Leah Majeau; 2 brothers, Walter (Esther) of Fort Saskatchewan, and Joe (Dorothy) of Edmonton. Bill is predeceased by his parents, Alexander and Eva Melnychuk; and his 5 brothers and 2 sisters, Annie, Adam, Marion, Mitchel, Andy and Nick Lakusta, Mary Ostrowercha. Bill was born in Redwater and ran farms in Sexsmith and Redwater area until his retirement in 1984. A visitation will be held on Thursday, March 11, 2010 at First Memorial Riverview Chapel, 11090 – 86 Avenue from 6:00-8:00 PM.

A Funeral Service will be held on Friday, March 12, 2010 at 4:00 PM from St George’s Anglican Church, 10029 – 99 Avenue, Fort Saskatchewan. Donations in Bill’s memory gratefully accepted directly to the charity of your choice. Online condolences may be sent through www.mem.com.

Arrangements under the direction of First Memorial Funeral Services - Riverview Chapel, Fort Saskatchewan, AB.

When Bill Melnychuk walked into the room, those in his company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Bill was and how he impacted those around him. Bill was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Bill wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Bill was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve him well throughout his life.

He was the son of Alexander and Eva Melnychuk. Bill was raised in Redwater, Alberta. Always at the ready with a good joke, he grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Bill might describe him as an idealist, his friends and family understood well that Bill was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to him.

Bill was raised with a lot of siblings. He had many brothers and sisters; Walter, Joe, Annie, Adam, Marion, Mitchel, Andy, Nick and Mary. Bill was very accepting and supportive of his family. He was perceived as the central person in his family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Bill was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Bill well in his adult life and, along with his wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew him.

As a young boy, Bill was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew him into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Bill was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with his peers. He was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. Bill's memorable achievements included completing the sixth grade. Bill had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity he and the many childhood friends he shared might discover.

During his school years, Bill responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. Bill was a good student, and generally did well in his courses. Bill absorbed as much as he could from all of his teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using his imagination to master his assignments. For Bill, school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to his ability to turn just about anything into a game. Classmates considered Bill a good listener, knowing that when necessary, they could go to him to discuss just about anything.

Bill did well in trades, as a result of his comfort level with tackling new theories and his love of learning. He earned his Boiler Ticket. Bill was very adaptable, a quality that helped him make the transition from school to adult work life with little difficulty. As a result, Bill's problem solving skills and thirst for new knowledge almost guaranteed that he enjoyed virtually every class he took. Bill was always in quest of new things to learn and experience

With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought him an endless stream of friends, Bill was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Bill was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. He always seemed aware of what was going on with people around him and throughout his life he made many, many friends. Later in life, he became friends withAlex Chaba.

On April 12, 1950 Bill married Annie Christian at the Greek Orthodox Church of Redwater, Alberta. Bill's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in his ability to make his new family happy. He was quite sensitive towards Annie's needs, showing his constant concern and fondness. Bill was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served him well in helping to nurture his family.

Bill was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide his family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Bill, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of his life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Melnychuk home. Bill's skill at understanding his children's feelings, his sensitivity to their needs, and his gift for gentle persuasion enabled him to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Bill was blessed with three children: two sons, David and Gary and one daughter, Diane. They were also blessed with five grandchildren, Brandie, Chloe, Shane, Stefanie, and Landen.

Bill was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made him an exceptional worker. His primary occupation was farmer. He was employed for 35 years. Bill was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize him. Bill had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of his gift for insight. Bill's fellow workers saw him as a supporter and a mentor.

Because Bill loved to have a broad variety of activities in his life, he took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. His favorite pursuit was curling. Bill had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of his favorite pastimes. However, Bill's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

Bill was a lover of animals and cherished them. Teddy, his dog, was a best friend for 16 years.

When Bill's retirement finally came in 1984, Bill handled it the way he usually did. He adapted and, like everything in his life, made it satisfying. Because he was such a flexible person and able to adjust to any situation, retirement was just another enjoyable change of pace for Bill to master. His new life involved staying in Redwater. Even in retirement, Bill continued to stay in touch with his old friends and like always, made plenty of new ones.

Bill Melnychuk passed away on March 8, 2010 at Ponoka, Alberta. He is survived by his children, David, Gary and Diane. Services were held at St. George's Anglican Church. Bill was laid to rest in Redwater Cemetery.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Bill. He was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. He had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While he was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Bill Melnychuk for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Bill was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with his loved ones.