William "Bill" Parrack

William James Parrack

Deacon Bill

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Dad, Papa and Deacon, Bill Parrack at the age of 84.

He was predeceased by his loving wife Iris; his daughter Breega Popko and parentsLewis and Eva Parrack.

He leaves to cherish his memory, his daughter Bernadette (Doug); her children Leigh (Nathan) of Comox BC, Lynn, Brandon, Katrina (Randy) of Edmonton, AB; son-in-law Tim Popko, children Michael (Wendy) of Grand Prairie, AB and Ryan (Brittany).  Also left to cherish his memory are his great grandchildren Nic, Shayna‐Leigh, Kale, Tia, Jerome, Jaylen, Brayden and Leah; his sister Marguerite Tufford; niece Terri‐Lynn and family; nephews Rob and family and Jaie.  He will be fondly remembered by Diane and family in Ontario and his extended family in England.

Bill was born May 4, 1931 in St. Thomas, Ontario (ON), later moving to Hamilton, ON where he spent his childhood and teenage years.  As a teenage he worked in a cotton mill and brush factory, prior to joining the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in London, ON (1953).  After being selecting for pilot training, he then took Basic Pilot Training in Claresholm, AB, before returning to Hamilton, ON, in 1954.  He then joined the Regular Forces in 1955, attending the Flying Instructors course in Trenton, ON.  After graduation he was posted to Penhold, AB as a Flying Instructor, where he met and eventually married Iris Urquhart.  They were married on August 10, 1957 at RCAF Station Penhold.  In 1958 Bill was posted to Camp Borden, ON where they adopted Bernadette in 1960 and Breega in 1962.  The family then moved to CFB Moose Jaw, SK, followed by a posting to CFB Southport in 1967.  Ten years later he retired from the military at the age of 47 as a Flight Lieutenant/Captain.  While in the Air Force he held positions of Pilot, Flight Instructor and Air Traffic Controller.

Prior to his military retirement, in 1976 he was ordained a Deacon in the first deaconate program offered by the Arch Diocese of Winnipeg.  He devoted many hours to the church, which lead him to volunteer at the Women’s Correctional Institute and Agassiz Youth Centre.  He then became a part time employee of both institutions, once again devoting many hours to help guide and support residents as a Correctional Chaplain.  It was here where he worked with an amazing lady, Gladys Cook, a Native Elder.  They went on to develop a great friendship that lasted many years.  The friendship was one of mutual respect and understanding.

Bill loved to spend time travelling, taking trips out to Hamilton and England with Iris and their children, then sharing family vacations with his grandchildren and great grandchildren.  In 1994 he suffered a devastating loss with the death of his loving wife of 37 years.   “Words cannot describe the fullness of their love or the fullness of true love.” (Bill’s words).  13 years later he suffered another loss with the sudden death of his daughter.  However devastating both of the losses were, his faith and beliefs helped him through these very difficult times. Bill could often be found sharing meals with family and friends, either at family gatherings, breakfast after church with The Mulligans or dinner with friends.  His greatest joy was being able to watch his great grandchildren as they grew.  One of his passions was taking pictures many, many, many pictures of family gatherings, nature, family holidays, pets and just about everything, any time including ice on the door.  Once technology appeared he would spend hours on the computer editing and re‐editing his pictures.  He was well known to create greeting cards for any occasion from the pictures he took, always unique to the person.  Bill also rekindled his passion for motorcycles.  This provided an opportunity to travel all over Canada and the United States.  The first year of riding he put on more miles on the bike then he had on his 5 year old car.  Any excuse to ride the bike, including short trips to the corner store.

Bill was a very patient and compassionate man, who helped many.  He was kind, generous and loving to all the people who crossed his path.  He always put others’ needs before his own.  Bill’s sense of humor was appreciated by all who had the pleasure of meeting him.  He was always sharing stories, some that did not start out as humorous but ended up being hilarious.  Bill was also notoriously known for running or being late, to the point where his clocks were secretly set back by 10 minutes.

He was a very humble man who was honored by all who attended his 30th anniversary celebration as a deacon and most recently his 80th birthday celebration.  He was amazed and surprised by all who attended and took time out of their busy lives to help him celebrate.  He was humbled by these experiences and many others.  Bill always said that death is a part of life, with this said, here are a few words he wrote “Thank you to all my family, especially my wife and friend Iris.  Thank you also to friends and everyone for everything.  Thank you to God for everyone and everything. Thank you cannot fully express the fullness and how I feel for the journey of life that I have experienced, the one who made it possible and the people I have journeyed with.  A word or even words cannot fully express my feelings.  It was a journey of love.  It was great.”

Prayers will be held on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 at 7:00 pm at Good Shepherd Roman Catholic Church.  Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 at 11:00 am at Good Shepherd Roman Catholic Church followed by the interment at Evergreen Memorial Gardens.

As expressions of sympathy, if friends so wish, donations may be made in Bill’s memory to Prairie Welcome House c/o Good Shepherd Church, 114 Countess Ave, Portage la Prairie, MB, R1N OT2 or to the Portage District General Hospital Foundation, 524 Fifth St. SE, Portage la Prairie, MB, R1N 3A8 or to a charity of your choice.

A tree will be planted in memory and cared for by McKenzies Portage Funeral Chapel.  204-857-4021 www.mckenziesportagefuneralchapel.com