Weldon "Bill" Marshall BOULEAU

Weldon was predeceased by his wife of almost 59 years Kay Bouleau (Zinger), his parents Louis Napoleon (Paul) Bouleau and Evaline (Lila) Lebrun, brothers Louis, Clifford and Vircle and sister May, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. He is survived by his children Gail (Victoria, BC), Jim (Gloria) and Sandra (Port Alberni, BC), grandsons Walter (Edmonton, AB) and Joaquin (La Paz, BSC), a great granddaughter Naomi, a sister Charlotte aka Shirley (Woodlawn, ON) as well as three sisters-in-law Eileen Grant (Delta, BC), Josephine Zinger (Unity, SK) and Annabelle Leroy (Smith Falls, ON).

Born in Arnprior, Ontario, on the heels of the economic crash, times were tough when Weldon was growing up. His father was frequently away from home working, most often in lumber camps. The family moved repeatedly, travelling across the Ottawa River from Ontario to Quebec and back. At the age of 12 he got his first job as a farm hand, working weekends and on school vacation. Having struggled with school, armed with a grade 6 education, Weldon left school at 14 to enter the work force. For a time he continued to work as a farm hand, but eventually obtained work with his father in the forest and later working on an Ontario Hydro damn. When his uncle mentioned that the military provided training in the trades, he enlisted. It was during his time in the military that his name mysteriously became Bill. He was stationed at the base in Chilliwack and from there travelled to Korea where he served with the Vingt-deux Regiment. Inspired by the engineers, on his return to Canada Bill signed up to learn the electrical trade. It was at this time that he married Kathleen Zinger whom he had met prior to his deployment. Shortly after his discharge and the birth of their first child, the couple relocated to Port Alberni where Bill worked for the Alberni Plywood mill until his retirement.

Bill was a strong and proud supporter of the IWA, the union in the mill. He was a member of various groups such as the Knights of Columbus, the Legion and the Sunshine Club. He enjoyed the companionship and being able to help others.

As a child, Bill displayed his creativity in his artwork. As an adult he worked with a variety of mediums: wood, metal and concrete. He built the home in which they raised their three children. Over the years he built many useful items: a portable high chair and a rideable wooden airplane that each child used, a teeter-totter, a one rope swing that flew out over the gully, and a giant swing set that included swings, a glider and bars for gymnastics. He was equally creative making items for use around the house. Each child was provided with matching desks and bed lamps which were similar but unique. He seemed able to make or repair anything often using materials found around the home! Imagine my surprise when I left home and learned that this was a Dad trait, not a trait shared by all men!

 The family spent many hours enjoying the outdoors: fresh water and ocean fishing, swimming, skating and skiing. Bill played hockey when he was younger and later enjoyed curling and badminton. He also enjoyed more sedate activities such as doing picture puzzles, playing cribbage as well as many other card and board games. Each spring would find Bill busy in the garden planting vegetables and sprucing up his flower beds.

In the early years of their marriage Bill and Kay would spend their Saturday evenings square dancing. They had a number of badges from that time, one being “The Haymakers” and my favourite “The Little Stinkers”. After a brief hiatus during Kay’s second pregnancy, they returned to dancing. This time they and two other couples enrolled in Kay Taylor’s ballroom dance classes. The group would gather in the basement to practice their lessons. Jim and I would creep down the stairs to watch the confusion as they struggled through, stepping on each other’s toes. Eventually a giggle would alert them to our presence and we would have to retreat upstairs. Their efforts paid off and they were a delight to watch as they maneuvered the dance floor. Even after Kay became ill, they were still able to enjoy this pastime. In later years Bill once again started dancing at various locations in Port Alberni, Parksville and Nanaimo. It was in Parksville that he met Trudy, who remained his dance partner until the pandemic shut these events down.

Kay was more adventurous and had more of a travel bug than Bill, but they did travel to Cuba, Hawaii and made numerous trips to Mexico when their son lived there. After retirement, Bill and Kay frequently spent part of the winter ‘down south’. Yuma, Arizona was one of their favourite spots. They also spent time in Nevada and California. They once joined a caravan on a journey through mainland Mexico and another year travelled to Yukon and Alaska with friends. For a number of years they were part of a trailer club which camped in various locations around Vancouver Island.

When Kay began displaying signs of dementia Bill stepped up to care for her. He expanded his culinary repertoire from boiled eggs, bacon and hot dogs and over the years became an accomplished cook and baker. He worked on mastering his baking skills first as Bill had a sweet tooth.  

Shortly after Kay’s passing in 2011, the missing half of the Beaulieu family was located and Bill learned that he had over 20 cousins. Our name had been inadvertently spelled incorrectly at some point, making it difficult to locate them. Most lived in the Coquitlam area, but some were on Vancouver Island including one in Port Alberni. While a little overwhelmed at first, Bill enjoyed spending time getting to know his cousins and hearing stories about his grandfather. “He’s got curly hair too!” were the words that popped out of his mouth the first time he saw a picture of his grandpa.

Bill often said, “I never expected to live this long” and more recently “I can’t believe I’m 90!” In spite of the rough start, he felt he had a good life and he was ready to go. Following a brief illness, he died peacefully with family in attendance. Bill and Kay will be interred together in the Field of Honour at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that you make a donation in Weldon/Bill’s name to one of the organizations he cared about: Canadian Cancer Society, Heart and Stroke Foundation, Alzheimer Society, Canadian Wildlife Federation or David Suzuki Foundation.: Thank you.