William "Bill" Harry Warkentin

William “Bill” Warkentin was the eldest of five children born to Cornelius and Helen (Rhode) Warkentin near Hepburn, Saskatchewan. In August 1933, at the age of seven, he tragically lost his father due to a drowning accident in the North Saskatchewan River. The Mennonite Brethren Church community moved his widowed mother and her five small children—Bill, Cornelius, Lewis, Evelyn, and Ben—into the town of Hepburn, allowing the oldest two children to start school. For nine years, their mother worked hard to raise and feed her family.

At age 16, Bill’s mother remarried Herb Jansen, and the family moved to a farm in the Medstead, Saskatchewan area, where they welcomed two daughters, Shirley and Lynda. Bill primarily worked on the family farm, except for one winter spent in British Columbia, until the fall of 1951. On October 24, 1951, he married Myrtle Giesbrecht, and they established their own farm. Bill and Myrtle had five children: Geron, Brenda, Sheila, Laurel, and Amy.

In 1970, Bill saw greater opportunities by selling the farm and relocating to Vanderhoof, B.C. Over 21 years in Vanderhoof, he worked various jobs, including with the highways, at a sawmill, and as a custodian of provincial government buildings until his retirement. After retiring, Bill and Myrtle moved to Vernon, where they lived for 19 years before relocating to Kelowna in 2010.

In December 2022, Bill suffered a broken arm, leading to 1.5 years at the Cottonwoods Care home, where he passed away on August 1, 2024.

At age 19, Bill committed his life to Jesus Christ, a commitment that remained central to him throughout his life. He was actively involved in church and missions wherever he lived, praying that people would seek forgiveness of sins and salvation through Jesus Christ.

Bill was predeceased by his father, Cornelius, mother, Helen, brothers Cornelius, Lewis, and Ben, sisters Evelyn and Lynda, sister-in-law Eunice Warkentin, and brother-in-law Rudy Peters. He is lovingly remembered by his wife of 72 years, Myrtle, children Geron (Eunice), Brenda (Jim), Sheila (Dave), Laurel (Colin), and Amy (Grant), sister Shirley Peters, sisters-in-law Mary and Joy, 11 grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren.

A service to celebrate Bill's life will be held on Saturday August 10, 2024, at 11 a.m. at First Memorial Funeral Services, 1211 Sutherland Avenue, Kelowna. For those unable to attend in person, the service will be live streamed via the following link:

https://funeraweb.tv/en/diffusions/96502

In lieu of flowers the family would request a donation in Bill’s memory to Northern Canada Evangelical Mission https://ncem.ca/donate/

Bill was loved by so many and will be missed beyond words.