William (Bill) Clark was born in Truro, Nova Scotia on Dec. 7, 1934.
He was an only child. His dad was back and forth to war and Bill was raised by his maternal and paternal grandparents.
He left Nova Scotia at the tender age of 14 and traveled by boxcar, finally arriving in the Fraser Valley.
He returned to Nova Scotia when his grandmother was sick. When Bill was about 16, he enlisted in the Canadian Army and six months before being scheduled to go overseas, his mother reported that he was too young and he never did go.
Bill rode back out to BC after his grandmother passed away. He married Ajmare in Aug. 1958 in Abbotsford, BC.
As Bill had been an only child, he knew he wanted a large family. They had seven girls and one boy. Together, Bill and Ajmare worked on the berry farm in Mt. Lehman. Over time, they raised chickens, horses and he was also into mixed farming. Many years later, in 1995, Bill moved to McLeese Lake as he decided that he had enough of the rain at the coast. It was here that he had a sense of community and liked small town living.
He made numerous friends in the Cariboo. Their friendship meant so much to him. He was a terrific neighbor, friend, and mentor. He was a man to give great advice and often quoted his grandfather.
He loved to watch the History Channel and would often quote something he had seen on that station, as well. He loved his garden. He would always have a huge garden and feed the whole neighborhood.
He gave many of us our first taste of kohlrabi. He grew the best cabbage and cauliflower around. Bill loved nature. He spent many an hour at his kitchen table looking out the big picture window at the various animals that were in the field. Bill liked living in the country. For him, things didn’t have to be fancy. He built what he needed, he hunted and fished and enjoyed the rural setting. He loved his two dogs Missy and more recently, Foxy.
Bill did not escape sorrow, as a daughter and daughter-in-law predeceased him. Bill was a morning person. It was his opinion that everyone should get up early and so it was on Sunday, Jan. 28, that he passed away at 5:10 a.m., again, getting everyone up early one last time. Bill lost his battle to cancer and is now at peace and no longer suffering. His children, his family and his friends will always remember and love him. A quite service was held in Yarrow, BC on Feb. 1 where personal good-byes were said to a great man.