William Norman McLachlan

Dad died suddenly, April 1, 2017 of a heart attack at 78 years of age.

He is survived by his sisters, Barbara Allen (Edmonton), Oma Casault (McLennan, AB), and brother Harvey (Olds, AB); his 3 children, Laura McLachlan (Vancouver), Linda McLachlan (Burlington), her partner Paul Kowal, and Lyle McLachlan (Montreal), and his wife, Christa Scholtz, and children Anna and Adam; and his wife of the past 6 happy years, Nicole Bigeau (Port Alberni) and her daughter, Tammy Glover, and husband, Shane Glover (Port Alberni), and children Kayley and Lindsay; and her son, Sylvain Bigeau, his wife Janice and children Rhianna, Tyler and Claire.

He was a beloved uncle, brother, grandfather, friend and father to the many people that came into his life regardless whether they were a blood relation. He was a good man who cared deeply about those around him.

Dad’s parents both died at a young age and Bill, age 8, and his siblings lived with members of his mother’s family. His Aunt Mary (nee Parliament) and Uncle Howard Stirling (both deceased) raised him and his youngest sister, Barbara, like their own. Harvey and Oma were taken in by his mother’s other sister and brother. He was always grateful that he and his siblings were, as he said, “taken in by those that loved us. We blended into our new families and their children in reality became our new brothers and sisters. We lived in relatively close proximity to each other as we grew up”.

He graduated from the University of Alberta in 1963 from the Faculty of Agriculture. In 2013, he attended the 50th anniversary of his graduation and was delighted to be reunited with members of his class.

He worked for the Alberta Government’s Lands & Forests Division for almost 20 years, in a variety of senior level roles, seeing much of the province either by the car or from the air. He moved to Victoria in 1982 to take job with the B.C. Government. After his divorce from his first wife Stella (nee Deslauriers), Bill kept in touch with his children and did his best to remain in their lives.

He was married to his second wife, Hetty, for over 28 years. She predeceased him in 2010 from pancreatic cancer. He took an active role in the lives of her 5 children, grandpa to her grandchildren and enjoyed being a part of their lives.

As a young man in the Peace Country of Alberta, he was part of the 4H Beef and Grains Club. He won first prize for his red spring wheat in Calgary one year. Dad was an avid gardener and was a member of the Dahlia Society of Victoria for many years. Wherever he lived, he was known for his many flowers and hanging baskets, created and maintained for all to enjoy. In recent years, he volunteered at the hospital in Port Alberni, tending the plants.

Volunteering was a big part of Dad’s life. He was a member of the Kinsmen in the communities he lived. He was a soccer and hockey coach as well as the President of the first ever Power Skating Club in St. Albert, AB. He coached soccer for us kids and always made sure that everyone on the team got to play. All he would ask of us, was that we tried hard and do our best.

Dad loved sports and followed whatever he could – baseball, football, soccer, curling, lacrosse and hockey. He supported the Edmonton Eskimos in football and Drillers in soccer; then the Victoria hockey Grizzlies, lacrosse Shamrocks and basketball Vikes; and finally the Alberni Valley hockey Bulldogs. Dad continued to golf for many years despite the inherent frustrations and sometimes terrible scores, always hoping for improvement. He was often out with his "golfing buddies". He had an array of commemorative baseball caps for every occasion, and was rarely seen without one.

Dad loved to fish whenever he had the chance. Sometimes, he even caught something! His stories had a familiar ring. Sometimes the story matched the actual size of the fish. Along with his fishing tales came his passion for stories. He remembered people, their names, and their stories and would readily stop and chat with complete strangers, occasionally in the middle of the street. Invariably he would discover the 6-degrees of separation between him and them.

Sometime after moving to Victoria, he began working for the Capital Regional Housing Corporation, looking after several buildings in Victoria. The tenants knew Dad as a friendly, caring and hardworking man who could fix anything. He always made time for folks and made an effort to get to know them.

His last few years were spent with Nicole. In Victoria, Scooter, Nicole’s dog of 5 years, quickly became his. Then in Port Alberni, he managed to fill the yard with Dahlias and other flowers. When they come up this spring and summer, they will all be reminders of his presence.

If you are so moved, please donate to a charity of your choice. In lieu of flowers, and since it is springtime, get out in your garden and plant some of your own. He’d like that.

A celebration of his life will take place at Goward House, 2495 Arbutus Road, Victoria BC, on Saturday, April 29th, from 2:00-5:00 pm.

For more info please see www.chapelofmemories.ca. Chapel of Memories Funeral Directors 4005 – 6th Ave, Port Alberni., BC. Phone 250.723.3633 www.DignityMemorial.ca