He is survived by Evelyn, his beloved wife of 64 years, their 4 children, Garry (Barbara), Greg (Shelley Ann), Donna (Brad) Willems, Jeff (Donna), 8 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren, as well as 6 siblings.
Bill was born in Gem, Alberta, Aug. 6, 1934, to John and Annie Peters, Mennonite immigrants from Southern Ukraine. He made his first commitment to follow Christ at the age of 6. When Bill was 9, the family moved to the border town of Arnold in the Fraser Valley, where they started farming on a 56 acre plot of land. Life was centered around the Arnold MB Church, and upon confession of his faith in Christ, Bill was baptized in the creek near Whatcom Road in 1951.
The family grew to 7 children, Bill being the second oldest, and there being a 20 year span between the oldest and the youngest.
After holding a number of typical lumber yard jobs at Dueck Building Supplies in Clearbrook, Bill was offered the job of managing the new store in Hope. Bill and Evelyn then lived in Hope for 6 ½ years and during that time their first 3 children were born. This was followed by an opportunity to manage the Clearbrook store, which Bill carried on for a further 13 years. In 1965, shortly following their return to the Clearbrook area, they welcomed their fourth child.
Bill’s further employment journey kept him involved in building, whether in purchasing management (Voth Bros. Construction) or real estate (Clearbrook Realty). He had a quirky memory for numbers, able to rattle off product codes, phone numbers and addresses like few others could. He loved collecting model-sized farm equipment and cultivating roses.
Bill and Evelyn travelled extensively and loved to explore both new and old things, whether it be their common family heritage, cruising the Yangtze River, or the Panama Canal.
Bill was a devoted husband and father with a gentle spirit who was known for his love of family. He served faithfully in numerous capacities at Central Heights Church for nearly 60 years. He was never disrespectful or crass. He had a heart for those less fortunate than him, as exemplified in his years of volunteering at MCC, Abbotsford Regional Hospital, and driving cancer patients for their treatments.
The family would like to thank the staff at Holmberg House for providing such compassionate care in Dad’s final days.
A celebration of Bill’s life will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, at Central Heights Church, 1661 McCallum Rd, Abbotsford.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Abbotsford Hospice Society or to Pines Bible Camp.
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