William Garbutt

September 10, 2020

William (Bill) Joseph Garbutt

October 20, 1939- September 10, 2020

Sadly, Bill passed away at Abbotsford Hospital with family by his side in his 81st year. 

Bill was born in Lestock, Saskatchewan and he, his mom and sister moved to Saskatoon where he attended Saint Pauls High School.  He worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company and enjoyed playing hockey in many city leagues.

He married Diane (nee Porter) in 1967 and they started their family with two children Brett and Bobbi. They left Saskatchewan for Abbotsford in 1974.  He would always tell stories about the winters on the prairies and how he didn’t miss the bitter cold but, this didn’t stop him from returning to Saskatoon to visit his mother and family.  In 1976, they moved to a small house on a beautiful property on Bradner Road. Throughout the years they bought and sold several acreages in the area and during this time they had three more children, Derek, Jaimi and Kelli.  The last move the family made was to Mt. Lehman in 1987 where Bill resided until his death.  Bill loved this property and in later years he was often known to be leaning on the sundeck enjoying the beautiful view.

He worked 28 years at the District of Matsqui which later amalgamated with the City of Abbotsford as a foreman on road crews. He was dedicated to his job, and even sacrificed time away from his family on several Christmas Days to go to work.  He would make sure that the city roads were cleared of ice and snow.  He enjoyed his time with the city where he made many good friends.

Bill, being from the City, learned that farm work is never ending.  But Bill was a hard worker and took on the challenge. He would do farm chores before going to his job in town and after he came home from work every night.  Some of these chores would go past midnight, such as when hay needed to be put up every summer. He also single-handedly built a 4-strand barbed wire fence so he could have cattle on the property. 

Bill lived a long and happy life and raised many animals on his farm over the years like veal, cattle and horses.  He helped coach Bradner boys’ softball teams, camped with the Boy Scouts and had a talent for fixing anything that broke around the farm.  He loved older cars and knew all the makes and models of cars from the 1940’s to the 1960’s.  He enjoyed camping, hunting, fishing, reading the paper, tractor work, and spending time with his family.

He is lovingly remembered by his wife of 53 years, children Brett, Bobbi (Scott), Derek, Jaimi (Jan), Kelli and grandchildren Alexandra, Cruz and Lyrik, his sister Joan (Bud), and many other family members and friends.

A private family celebration of life was held at his farm in Mount Lehman.

You were so loved, Dad; rest in peace now.

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