Obituary of William Phillips

EULOGY On February 15, 1929, Roy and Velda Phillips welcomed their fourth child, William Harry to the family. This brother for June, Bob and George would later be joined by Doug and Garry. The family home was a couple of blocks from here but summers were spent at the cabin at Sandy Beach. It was at Sandy Beach that Bill learned how to swim; an activity that he enjoyed until a week ago. He was a Boy Scout and took some violin lessons. Bill's schooling was taken at the Lloydminster Public School across the street from their home. He took an extra year of school with the hope of improving some marks which, in later years, he admitted didn't bear the desired results. His first job was a contract to cut the grass around the school with a temperamental lawn mower. Following that, he worked as a plumber's helper, at a garage, and of course, at his father's business, Phillips Mens Wear. After high school, he was employed in the lab at the Husky Refinery for five years. Bill played hockey in high school and later on enjoyed curling and cross-country skiing. Having been intrigued by the possibility of farming and helping farming friends on weekends, he and his brother, Bob, bought four quarters of land south and west of Lloydminster from the Davis's and Thomas's. True to Bill's character through his farming career, he read, researched, then acted and in the winter of 1953/54, he attended the Vermilion School of Agriculture where he earned his diploma in Practical Agriculture. Reflecting back on his first year farming, he made eight hundred dollars and wondered why he stayed. We all know that in order to farm, you have to hone several skills and Bill excelled at many. His business-based upbringing no doubt helped when it came to bookkeeping because he was always on top of that aspect. Sheila was remembering that he helped her with the 4-H treasurer's position. Then, while going through photos the other night, she found her treasurer's book. He helped alright - the entries were in his writing. He was very mechanical, did carpentry, electrical work, and he welded. All were skills that he taught and passed on to Roy and Ross which have continued to serve them well in their respective on and off farm careers and hobbies for that matter. All of the kids have some of his woodworking projects. Bill raised cattle, hogs, chickens, cats and even a couple of horses over the years. Sheila, Roy and Ross are very thankful to him for choosing the farm and thus outlining a course for their lives. As Robin pointed out the other night, Sheila wouldn't have been a very good town kid. Throughout his time on the farm, he was blessed with great neighbors in the Madresfield district. In the seven years that he was a bachelor, Harry and Merle Jones and their family were a source of help, advice, and, of course, some meals. During that time, Bill developed his cooking and baking skills. He was a good cook and didn't mind taking his turn in the kitchen; however, he didn't want this little known fact getting out. One day he was baking muffins and Jean Wobeser drove in the yard. He frantically shoved the partially completed muffins to Rose, in hope Jean wouldn't know he was baking. In the spring of 1960, Pat Gulak introduced him to her pretty blonde nursing friend, Rose Bloxham, from Paradise Valley. He would pick her up at the Nurse's Residence in the 1956 International One-tonne. On June 28, 1961, William Harry married Elizabeth Rose. In 1962, Sheila was born, followed by Elroy in 1963 and, in his own words, rounding out the joy and happiness, in 1966, Ross came along. The joy and happiness was likely questioned in about 1976 or so when they became teenagers. He and Rose had a textbook marriage. He loved and respected Rose. They were partners and friends and did everything side-by-side. Although they were married for 48 years, he still did the odd romantic thing like buying her flowers or making her a valentine. Sheila said that her parents set an excellent example for them when it came to marriage. Bill did get himself in hot water sometimes like for exclaiming that everyday is Mother's Day and explaining that childbirth is natural pain and therefore less painful than pain caused by other things. For a few winters in the 1970's, Bill worked for Uncle George in the store. Bill was not just a farmer; he was a very good and meticulous farmer. From production through to marketing. He had a real respect for history and valued things from the past. He enjoyed helping Ross with his threshing days and looked forward to harvest every year. He was not a wasteful person and believed that if something could be fixed, it shouldn't be thrown away. Hence, practically every vehicle he has owned is still on the farm and still runs. Then, of course, there were the political discussions with his siblings concerning government ag policies and world events and what that spelled out for the grassroots producer. We worried that Bill didn't really have a hobby. His hobby was farming and in recent years when Roy and Robin had taken over, that meant running errands, putting cattle back in, fixing fence or whatever job arose. His years of experience were relied on by Roy as he took on the day to day managements. The aerial photographs of the farm from 1953 to now are proof of the hard work and dedication of Bill's efforts. He was interested in all aspects of the farm, right down to the garden. Before Mom came to the farm, he grew flowers around his house - every spring starting plants in his shop. In later years, he proved to be very successful, growing tomatoes, corn, cherries, begonias, apples, and of course, sweet peas. Over the years, trial and error taught him a lot like trying to cut rapeseed with a ground-drive swather was madness, and that you can feed cows flax straw when none of the authorities could answer that question at that time. He once had a cow that had been down for some time, even after being treated with veterinary medication. Thinking he had nothing to lose, he mixed up a concoction of yeast, eggs and Uncle George's wine and drenched her. He said that if she wasn't up the next day, he was going to shoot her. Afraid she was going to have to drink George's wine again, she was up and going when he went back to check on her. Bill was often the envy of many as he looked quite a bit younger than he actually was. To quote his college yearbook, "Bill is our handsome bachelor whose main interest is farming. As sidelines, he likes to eat, sleep, curl and discuss chicken raising but he definitely doesn't like to argue. His slow grin makes him a favorite with both staff and students. He wields a wicked wrench in mechanics classes and a wicked broom in his room. He liked to get 10 everytime". A week ago today when we were all together, Bill insisted on buying us all supper and when we returned to the ICU, the topics included raising swine and the soil zones around Lloydminster. Bill was an avid reader, from agricultural periodicals, to books and novels, especially, true crime. Restoring the 1940 Plymouth car was one of his major retirement projects. Tim Hortons, and well, having coffee in general was very much a part of Bill. Once Bill and Rose started to travel, they were addicted. For Bill, the hotter the destination, the better. Over the years, they shared several holidays with family members and friends. Ross and Jessica's wedding in Cuba was among the most memorable and their most recent trip was in February with Ruth and Wilf. If Bill could have had another address, it would have been Hawaii. We will miss his dry wit and humour, his expressions like "shooting the breeze" or "balderdash" and one Ross will recognize, "So you finally made it home, eh Macho Man?" His banter with Robin about her cats or garage sale junk. His opinion of house pets causing nothing but "hair, dirt, and filth everywhere". Crop checking was a favorite pastime, even it it was driving through the Logan Pass. He had an uncanny way of making a wrong turn so you ended up in a seedy part of town or at the dump. Quite possibly our vacations were the basis of the Chevy Chase vacation movies as we ran out of gas going to Nipawin and drove the station wagon across pastures in the Cypress Hills. Bill was the strong, silent type, not prone to show a lot of emotion but we all knew how deeply he felt about his family and how important family gatherings were to him. Mom stresses how proud he was of his kids and their spouses. Ryan's arrival in January 2000 marked a new beginning for Bill. As Ryan's personality began to form, it became clear that Bill and Ryan would be good friends. They played for hours with tractors in the dirt and it was with Grandpa that Ryan had his first driving lesson. Bill always had candies readily available and while Rose would be upstairs making sure Ryan was going to have something healthy to eat, Bill would be downstairs sneaking him treats. If Carter had known him just a bit longer, it's hard to say just what trouble they could have gotten into. There are several families enduring the pain of loss and sickness at this time and our thoughts are with them. Bill would be humbled that so many have taken the time to be here today and extend so many acts of kindness. Rose has said several times that if it's a nice day on Tuesday, he would say, "what are all these farmers doing here when there's work to do?" He had learned of his heart condition early on in life and was once told by a doctor he would be lucky if he made it to thirty years. Last week he credited farming for extending his life because of activities like throwing square bales. Marrying a nurse also worked to his advantage; Rose kept her eye on him and monitored his activities. He wasn't always happy about this, but mostly because she thought he should cut back on coffee. And so, on Thursday, May 6th, Bill was fortunate enough to die the way he lived - quietly, with dignity, and with his family at his side. CARD OF THANKS The Phillips family would like to thank the Lloydminster Ambulance, the emergency and ICU staff Drs. Van der Merwe, Kostic and Govender for their care and compassion. A special thank you to Blaine Allen of pastoral care at Grey Nuns Hospital. We could not have asked for better. Thank you also to Glenn, Dave and the McCaw staff for their kindness. Thank you to Reverend Sue Hertell, the United Church Choir, Irene Knowlson, Shawn Sunderland, The Yellowhead Ramblers and the Legacy Centre Ladies for the wonderful service. We also wish to express deep appreciation for calls, prayers, flowers, donations, food and all the help offered and received. Rose, Sheila, Dave & Brent; Roy, Robin & Ryan, Ross, Jessica & Carter Donations in memory of Bill may be made to the Lloydminster Region Health Foundation or to a charity of the donors choice.