Obituary of Milton Williams

WILLIAMS ~ Milton Orval Williams passed away peacefully at the Lloydminster Hospital, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan on Saturday, December 6, 2008 at the age of 70 years. Milton will be sadly missed by his brother Raymond Williams of Lloydminster; sister Thelma and Verne Turner of Lloydminster; nieces: Robin and John Acton of Lloydminster and their children Erin, Kelsey and Connor and Danielle and Duane Johnston of Ardmore, Alberta and their children Cody, Caulder and Reed. EULOGY ~ By Robin Acton Milton Orval Williams was born on March 2, 1938 in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. He was the third child of William Frank Williams and Marion Olive Geneva Williams. Milton was predeceased by his Father in 1978, his Mother in 2000 and his brother-in-law, Lawrence Minogue, in 1981. He leaves to mourn a brother, Raymond Williams, a sister, Thelma Turner and her husband Verne, two nieces, myself, Robin Acton and my husband John, Danielle Johnston and her husband Duane, six grand nieces and grand nephews, Erin Acton, Kelsey Acton, Connor Acton, Cody Johnston, Caulder Johnston, Reed Johnston and a close family friend, David Jones. Milton was born on a beautiful spring day. Grandma often told the story of Grandpa taking her to the hospital with horse and wagon driving by children playing in puddles alongside the road. Six days later, one of the worst blizzards of the season occurred. I think that the weather set a pattern for Milton's life. You never really knew what was coming next with Milton. Milton grew up and lived his whole life in the Greenwood district. He had a happy childhood. Although, he grew up during tough economic times; but, he enjoyed the nurturing love of a close immediate and extended family. Along with his siblings, he attended Greenwood school where he always liked to have a little fun, sometimes, as he reported, at the expense of his studies and his teacher's nerves. Raymond and Thelma, my mom, remembered Milton at school as a "scrappy little fellow", most likely as a result of being the last of three, who liked to wrestle and mix it up. Of course, in those days, there weren't any school buses. Milton did not enjoy the long walk to school. Consequently, mom reported that he liked to ride on the handlebars of her bike. He had to get off when they came to a hill as it was too hard for mom to pedal uphill with Milton on the handlebars. However, once at the top of the hill, he promptly hopped back on the handle bars and away they went again. Upon finishing his schooling, Milton went to work with his brother and father on the family farm. Nonetheless, he never quit learning or being interested in learning. He enjoyed classical music, remained an avid reader and especially enjoyed history, English history in particular given his father's heritage. In later years when tracing the family tree along with his sister, he confirmed his descendancy from the United Empire Loyalists. His love of reading and his attention to current affairs made him a tough opponent at our family Trivial Pursuit game every Christmas. The guys' team is going to miss you this Christmas, Uncle Milton. Milton was a hard worker who firmly believed in an honest day's work. He bought his first piece of land at a young age; and, despite the ups and downs of grain farming over the years, he continued to prosper. He took great pride in his work, his crops and his cattle, but maybe not so much in his equipment and vehicles. I am not sure if it was because he was not paying attention, or had other things on his mind, or that maybe he had a bit of a temper; but, there probably isn't a piece of equipment on that farm that doesn't have a dent in it courtesy of Milton. Grandma used to say she wouldn't let him drive her lawnmower. Milton had more close calls over the years than those of us who loved him cared to remember. From getting caught in the combine auger, to rolling the tractor with the post pounder attached, to tipping the grain truck, to falling 24 feet off a ladder onto frozen ground only a few short years ago, - there wasn't a dull moment with Milton around. Milton enjoyed people. He liked to coffee and seemed to know everyone in town. As teenagers, Danielle and I would frequently run in to Uncle Milton when we were out. I think Uncle Milton was a good insurance policy for our parents. Dani and I knew that Mom and Dad were probably not around the next corner, but Uncle Milton just might be. Later on when John and I were dating and first married, we remember many a Saturday night meeting at the Trailside that was a taboo subject at Sunday supper the next day. He was a pretty cool Uncle Milton. In mid life, once the farm was a little more established, Milton began to enjoy travel more often and venture further afield. He especially enjoyed Europe and retracing his paternal family's roots in England. He made friends easily and remained in contact with many folks he'd met on his travels. Milton was very independent. And, in addition, he was never big on sharing his plans and intentions. For example, much to my Grandmother's dismay, it wasn't all that unusual for Milton to announce he was leaving for a month or so only a day or two before his scheduled departure. But above all, Milton was dedicated to his family. He was a loyal brother who was always willing to help out and look out for his siblings in any way he could. He was a kind and generous uncle and great uncle. He cared deeply about the well being of us all and was the first to ask about our welfare, even when it was his health that was failing. True to his independent and private nature, he kept his illness very much to himself even though we knew he must have been going through much personal anguish. He was brave and courageous to the very end. We love you and will miss you always. CARD OF THANKS We wish to express our heartfelt thanks to all the friends, relatives and neighbors who attended the funeral of the late Milton Williams in tribute to his memory. We greatly appreciate the baking, flowers, cards, phone calls, visits and memorial donations and expressions of sympathy. Our sincere thanks to Reverend Michael Stonhouse, organist Pat Skinner, soloist Marlene Risling and the pallbearers for making the service so special. Thank you to the Anglican Church ladies for catering to the luncheon. In addition we thank Dr. Sayeed and the nursing staff, third floor, at the Lloydminster Hospital for their compassionate and considerate care. We sincerely thank McCaws for their thoughful and considerate arrangements. Raymond, Thelma, Verne, Robin and John and family Danielle and Duane and family Donations in memory of Milton may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society or to a charity of the donors choice.